“And much more” is one of those phrases that I laugh at every time I hear it or see it. It doesn’t just come in that one form either, for most infomercials or television ads it can be the “but wait” or “hold on” anything of that sort (that makes you wait to see the “great deal” they are going to offer you) although, I tend to see “and much more” or “much, much more” more often.
Every time I see it I think of the original lyrics to Gilligan’s Island when the line is sung “and the rest” as if there were a slew of other people on the island when, in fact, it was just the Professor and Mary Ann left out. (Here’s a bit of trivia… Bob Denver (Gilligan) went to the producers and told them that they needed to change the lyrics of the theme song to include all of the characters not just those that the producers believed to be top billing actors.)
What exactly does “and much more” mean to these copy writers? Usually I find that it means that you get another item or two and nowadays that is typically followed by “pay just separate shipping and handling”. Paying separate shipping and handling is a somewhat new trend, but it is popping up everywhere. It makes me think of the dialogue in Dinner For Schmucks when Zach Galifianakis’ character Therman tells Tim (Paul Rudd) the price of his book:
Tim: "Wow, this is fascinating. I can't wait to read it."
Thurman: "It's $14.99, on my website, plus shipping and handling."
Tim: "Even if I buy it here?"
Thurman: "Well it shipped from somewhere else, didn't it? And I've been handling it."
I love it!
Why am I writing about “and much more” I guess simply because I am having an A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney moment and thought I’d share.
