Trouble With a Capital Tea
So we’re out of beverages in the house, and Pattie tells me there’s a sale on Snapple at the Acme around the corner. And I do love me my Snapple. I could probably quit caffeine if not for Snapple. And chocolate. And Excedrin. But anyway. I wanted Snapple.
So Brian and I head around the corner. Cases of 24 bottles of Snapple are on sale for $9.99. But there are no cases of Lemon Iced Tea available. A sign reports that individual Snapple bottles are on sale – priced at 24 for $9.99. But who wants to purchase and transport 24 individual bottles of Snapple?
Fortunately they have plenty of cases of 12 bottles of Snapple. These are marked at, I think, $12.99 each. But surely, since the store has gone to such trouble to make 24 bottles of Snapple available for $9.99, I can purchase 2 of these 12-packs for that price?
Of course not. I want 24 single bottles, $9.99. I want two 12-packs, it’s $26.
After much back and forth with the store, they at least find me an empty milk box to carry my 24 individual bottles home in. And they didn’t even scan any of the bottles at the register! They just typed in the price!
There is some bizarre, twisted system of logic in which this makes sense, I am sure. But I think my brain would break if I tried to understand it.
About Dave Thomer
Born and raised in Philadelphia. Studied philosophy at Fordham University in the Bronx, where I made many great friends and met my wonderful wife. We moved back to Philadelphia, where I studied philosophy some more and became a teacher. Online and off, I'm looking for ways that we can be better citizens and build stronger communities.