How to be a shill on Amazon
So I'm on Amazon doing some Christmas shopping, and I just can't resist seeing what's in my little "Gold Box" of deals. On the list appears the Whirley Pop 6-Quart Hand-Cranked Stovetop Popcorn Popper. It looks pretty good and it's going for $12. SO I put it in my shopping cart.

Then I decide to look at the reviews of this popper and I see something disturbing. All of the reviews are either 5 stars (the most) or 1 star (the least). Hmmm. I read some of the reviews and realize that the folks who make the Whirley Pop are practiced in the art of Amazon shilling.

There are lots of reviews from real people, but you can tell which ones are real and which ones are not.

Here are some quotes from their shills:

• ALL kernels pop and the flavor is great. My first one wore out after 8 years of nearly daily use!! Dishwasher safe. We consider ourselves popcorn connoisseurs (or, addicts) and could not survive without this! I don't know why anyone would write a negative review without even trying it. THE BEST EVER.
  


• I was amazed at how great this pop corn popper really works! I must say that I have pop corn at least 2 nights a week, and from here on, all my popcorn is going to be popped in this machine. And not only is it cute, but the pop corn tastes better. More corn taste. Just melt a little bit of butter, maybe add some shredded cheese or some peppers and spices or just eat it fresh from the stove. Its great!
  


• The Whirley Pop is a wonder, producing theater style popcorn everytime I use it in just minutes. Nearly all of the kernals pop, scorching is a thing of the past and the popcorn is always light and crunchy...even a child can manage it! You wont even consider using microwave popcorn again.
  


• Buy this if you hunger for the best popcorn you'll ever enjoy outside of the (over-priced) stuff at the theater.
  If you think your DVD's are enjoyable now, wait till you view them while munching on the stuff from this popperl!
  


• I love this gadget. As we eat popcorn 3-4 times a week, this is a wonderful addition to our kitchen. I am planning to purchase several for Christmas gifts.
  


• I absolutely adore this popper. I've had mine for four years and it's still going strong...No other popcorn comes close to the taste of Whirley Pop popped popcorn! ;)
  


• Aside from the fun factor of cranking the handle for perfectly popped corn, the finished product is delicious. A tiny bit of oil yields better popcorn than theater, microwave or air-popped popcorn. The beauty of this popper is that you don't need to clean it after each use if you do not add anything other than oil into the popper. Don't be fooled by imitators. Make sure you buy a Whirley Pop!
  


• I deeply regret that I purchased this item. The first time I used it I decided to try the kettle corn recipe in the recipe book, as I'm crazy about kettle corn. In less than five minutes I had a huge bowl of completely organic kettle corn for pennies. IT WAS THE BEST KETTLE CORN I'VE EVER HAD! Now I am totally obsessed with kettle corn. It's all I want to eat. It's all I can think about. This is not good. But the Whirley Pop is good. Really good. Just be forewarned.
  

It goes on and on. And many of the reviews are written anonymously. Here's my favorite though:

• By the way the comment about Aluminum being toxic is only relevant for boiling acidic materials.
  

Check it out for yourself