Endorsed goods are a waste of cash

You'll play just as well in these boots as you would a pair endorsed by your favourite footballer

And this week’s theme has only a slight variation – those who buy goods bearing the name of their favourite celebrity.

The clothing and cosmetic markets today are awash with items bearing the name of some sports or film star which do not look that much different to the same item made by another manufacturer.

The only catch is that the goods endorsed by our celebrities cost a bit – and in some cases a good bit – more.

And yet hundreds of mug punters, besotted by everything their favourite celeb does or says, cough up the extra pounds without complaint.

Why?

These people are rich beyond our own wildest dreams, and yet many of us fall for this scam and pay far more than we need to do for something simply because someone who they are a fan of has endorsed it (whether they actually use it or not is another matter entirely).

Mr Pendle can recall a footballer in the 1980s who was paid to endorse one brand of boots but actually felt more comfortable wearing another brand, and so repositioned the markings of the day so they looked like the brand he was paid to wear - but that, of course, was not revealed until after he retired from the game, and so all of his supporters who bought his boots were conned out of their money.

Ker-chings all round!