Ronco's Been Sliced and Diced- So Much for Those 50-Year Guarantees

The June 16th Chicago Tribune Business section reports that Ron Popeil's empire has filed for bankruptcy in California. Good old Ron sold Ronco two years ago for around $55 million, and the new owners still owe him almost $12 million. Other major creditors are the Food Network, QVC, and Court TV, where much of the advertising was done.

Over the years, Ronco, based in Simi Valley, Ca, has sold $1.4 billion worth of products, $19.99 and $39.99 at a time, "but wait, there's more..." Ron started it in 1964.

It also went through another bankruptcy in the 1980s.

Thanks to Ron Popeil's personal sales pitch, such terms as Ronco, Popeil, and o-matic have become a part of pop culture. "...how much would you pay now?"

He first sold inventions of his father, S.J. Popeil: Veg-o-Matic and Popeil's Pocket Fisherman. Then, in the 70s, he developed products of his own: Ginsu Knives and Armorcote non-stick pans. Obviously, he got big into the infomercial scene in the 1990s. Other products were the compact rotissiere, food hydrators, the bagel-cutter, and Dial-o-Matic.

I believe that at one time, they sold collections of popular music similar to today's NOW CDs, but, of course, they were albums. This was in competition with K-Tel. Anybody remember those good old K-Tel albums with ten songs on a side.

You can watch classic Ronco spiels at www.biography.com.

Hey, Ron, How Much Postage I Gotta Pay? --RoadDog