At the risk of thread creep, I mention a test that I apply to restaurants: count the descriptive phrases in the menu that tell you nothing about the product but are only there to sell it. More than one per A4 page and I go elsewhere. This approach can be applied to other businesses: essentially, the more the product is bigged up, the more disappointing it's likely to be.

Remember, "a generous helping of tender oven-baked haricots smothered in a delicious sauce made with sun-ripened tomatoes and exotic spices, served on a doorstep of locally-baked bread toasted to perfection" is still only Beans On Toast.