False Advertising at Opening of Florida Mall-Satire

White News Letter
January 5, 2009
San Jose, Costa Rica


Shoppers at the giant new shopping mall in Fort Myers, Florida are protesting outside the mall, accusing the management of not delivering a clear improvement to their lives.

There was a blitz of pre-opening advertisement that claimed that shoppers would experience the ultimate thrill of shopping at the open air mall designed like a main street in Italy or Spain where unsold condos on the second floor remain unsold.

A large group of housewives, unemployed real estate agents and building contractors and teenagers are demanding a meeting with the mall's backer to explain why they still get home from shopping at the complex still feeling empty, bored and as though their life has no meaning.

Carmen White, one of the housewife protesters from Fort Myers, described her anger. "When this place opened, they promised us everything - happiness, joy, perceived wealth, and a brighter tomorrow. But every day when I get home from splurging on stuff and clothes, I'm still 66, married to a retired ever ready battery type of guy who constantly wants to be in some other place than where he is. I'm still living in a boring suburb with boring people and the money I spend is not doing what was advertised. Someone has to pay for this." Similar comments were typical from the protesting housewives.

They all felt they were skimmed by the ads suggesting that by buying things, life would be rosier.

Dwayne Collins, who is receiving unemployment benefits , told us how his days at the Coconut Point are generally aimless and unsatisfying. "The advertising promised that this place would be blinging, but I ain't got no money so I can't get no bling. They lied to us."

A request for a review by the U.S. Advertising Standards Agency is under consideration due to the alleged false claims made.

Bob White