Now THAT'S a deal :-))

I've always thought of a deal as a bargain - a mutually beneficial agreement. So this afternoon, I was amused when I bought lunch. I picked out a sandwich and soup and proceeded to pay for my purchases. The cashier asked if I wanted to add a soda and get the 'Sandwich, Soup and Soda' deal for $5.00.

Now given that I believe exercise is some sort of primitive revenge that the Gods wreak on humans, my strategy on weight management is: avoid the calories (unless we're talking donuts - hey, we're all going to die someday so if a Bavarian Kreme or Boston Kreme is going to do me in, count me in!).

So I politely declined the soda and got ready to pay for my lunch. Guess what? My purchases - sans the soda - cost me $5.29!!! Now THERE'S a deal :-) Had I known that refusing the soda would add to my bill, I'd have picked one up and given it to a colleague - or even just placed it back on the shelf - but this was just - well - too funny to even make my upset!

My verdict: -0.29 stars out of 6!!!
I'll admit that I am generally indifferent to savings under a dollar. Any thing less - even $0.99, is below my (psychological threshold) of "Oooo, I saved some money!". But in this case, regardless of how little the delta - 0.29 cents - I was really astonished with the complete lack of business logic! I'd have understood if they offered the soda so that my bill totalled $5.00 where it would have otherwise been less than $5. But this was plain and simple asinine! I honestly expected to pay just $5.00 - or less - since I was not getting the combo deal. Boy am I wiser today :-)

As for will I ever patronize this establishment another time: I think I will, simply because it is convenient - but I will make sure I ask for all the details of any new "deals" - even if I hold up the rest of the line for a good 5 minutes ;-)