Artist Pranks Best Buy Customers With Fake Gadget To Highlight Consumerism [Updated]

There are a lot of electronic devices we use in our daily lives that we might not really need. We think we “need” them, when actually in reality we only “want” them. To that extent an artist, who refers to himself as Plastic Jesus, played a prank on Best Buy customers by placing a black plastic box complete with a description in the electronics section of the retailer, placing it alongside gadgets such as GPS navigation systems and tablets. The box itself is pretty plain and just black all over, so upon first glance you might be hard pressed to figure out just what it is.

However for the more observant Best Buy shopper, upon closer inspection of the product’s description, it reads, “Another gadget you don’t really need”, and “New model out in 4 weeks”, along with a price tag of $99.99. The reason behind the prank is to highlight consumerism and our need to purchase electronic devices that should be seen more as a luxury item, rather than a necessity (for the most part). It’s an interesting wake-up call, but what do you guys think? Do you agree that a lot of gadgets tend to be wants, not needs?

Update – In a statement made by Jon Sandler, a spokesperson for Best Buy, “A few stores were affected and the boxes were removed immediately.  We are flattered that Best Buy is so top of mind for Mr. Plastic Jesus, and are happy that he presumably had the opportunity to witness our expert Blue Shirts and Geek Squad members in action during his visits. Hopefully he also had the chance to check out our fabulous back to school deals.”

Tyler Lee
Categories: General
Tags: Best Buy