Somewhere between clipping the UPC barcode from my package of Mini-DV cassettes and addressing the envelope to “Best Buy $5 Rebate Offer” I realized that I am a cheap, cheap bastard.
Let me explain: I wasn’t just taking advantage of the rebate system while I had some free time at work (though, I would be hard pressed to tell you what the conference call droning on in the background as I placed my receipt, bar codes and rebate form into the envelope was about).
You see, when I first purchased the aforementioned tapes, I pulled out a Best Buy gift card that had been nesting in my wallet for almost two years. As soon as the cashier ran it through her machine, she gave me the saddest look I’ve ever seen…
“Fifteen cents,” she told me.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
“You kept this?” she asked, holding up the faded card as if it were a plastic bag full of dog poo.
“Look,” I told her. “You guys wouldn’t give me change, so I held on to the card. You’ve had two years to make interest off of money you thought I’d forget about forever. I’m not asking for the extra pennies. I just want the dime and nickel my loved ones paid for when they got me this card.”
She considered my impassioned plea.
“I think you’re just being cheap.”
She was right.
You’re so cool