ABC’s The View to become Home Shopping Club?

ABC’s The View announces flash sales are coming on Monday.

I’ve been home sick this week, doing stuff I don’t normally do, like watching ABC’s talk show The View.  To my amazement, moderator Whoopi Goldberg announced yesterday, in best Bob Barker “The Price is Right” banter that “The View” is now going to offer shopping.  And not just for women’s fashions, but for electronics and home goods.  Ms. Goldberg rattled off an extensive list of marketing rot about exactly the items this boring show will now be putting up for sale.   Rosie O’Donnell followed up by asking what every viewer was probably thinking–is this The View or the Home Shopping Network? Here’s what Rosie said.

Rosie & Whoopi are about to host flash sales on The View

“I didn’t know we were doing that,” Miss O’Donnell remarked in cool a monotone. “That makes us like the home shopping club, what is that?”  She has a great point.   At the very least, Ms. Goldberg’s reading of the cue cards about the new View Flash Sales site lacked enthusiasm as she hurriedly rushed through her script on the deals about to come.  She told viewers that the sales will be “up to 60% to 80% off the retail price.”   Following up like a barker at a circus, saying, “Tune in Monday for “The View’s” Must have Monday sales, Must have Monday sales.”  Then she tore her cue cards in half in what seemed to be an indication of complete disdain. Her co-hosts looked embarrassed and tried to laugh off  the “Must Have Monday” flash sale  hype. When Rosie O’Donnell said “What is that?” Ms. Goldberg responded, “That is something that makes it easier for us to change our sets.”  Sets or did she really mean audience demographic?   Whatever it is, it seems very tacky and ill-advised.    But seriously, when there’s QVC and HSN,  Gilt Groupe, Ideeli, Beyond the Rack, ventee-privee, Amazon’s My Habit and of course eBay,  (just to name a few) who needs flash sales on “The View?”  It’s just embarrassing that you have talent like Whoopi Goldberg and Rosie O’Donnell shilling merchandise like Dan Ackroyd hying a bass-o-matic on Saturday Night Live.

Sure a lot of  TV shows now have segments where they offer a deal at the end of a show.  I’ve seen this on the Insider, Good Morning America and other shows.   Most of these segments are just hype and I wonder how good the deals they offer really are.  Like everything else, you have to do the research.  Most of the time, these are faux deals, and the retailer pays for a spot on the show like they would any advertisement of their products.   It’s sad to see The View devolving into the Home Shopping Club as Rosie suggested.   Somebody needs to put this how out of it’s misery and I don’t see shopping helping these ratings.

What do you think readers? Will you tune in on Monday to see what sales are on The View?