More pennies for my collection
According to one reference on citations, the phrase “A penny spar’d is twice got” was recorded back in 1640. Ben Franklin paraphrased well: “A penny saved is a penny earned“. Somewhere along the way, I learned that if “I see a penny and pick it up, then all that day I’ll have good luck“. Combine the three, and my growing collection of maple leaf coinage makes good sense; common sense, if you’ll excuse the pun.
I’m not a fanatical shopper. Comes with my expendable income having restrictions. But, my memory of a better deal means that I rarely pay far over fair market value. Important distinction, for people in Canada. And I don’t mind “getting a deal” along the way. Today, the informed shopper model kicked in. Not much in the way of actual savings, but the satisfaction factor is beyond compare.
I was a little bored after suppertime. With all this new daylight (yes, I’m still vexed over clock madness), I decided to do what comes easy. Off to the nearest hardware store, to look. My version of technical education, where I try to guess what a particular tool does, and if I could find a pertinent application in my day-to-day.
My new saw (don’t I sound like a proud whatever?) needed (emphasis added) the optional laser sight, and I’d already wasted wisely spent time checking quotations on the net. I knew what it should cost me, and the marked price at my local emporium was a few notches west of wisdom. So, I did the right thing. I asked if the store had a “competition clause”.
Take the price at the local store. Call it X (or $85.99). Now take the price at the local competition, located several kilometres down the highway. Call that Y (or $79.00). Not a large margin, but the saved pennies would be better in my pocket than some rich corporate type. The clerk said that my quote would require proof, but I should ask for more information over at the service counter.
There, the agent said that responsibility for price differences was in the hands of the clerk, so he was summoned. Join a supervisor into the conference and we’re on our way to turning those pennies into something completely different. I reminded my new acquaintances that if their policy required too much effort, I could simply go down the road and spend my money there, which cleared the air and put us on another tack.
Turns out that the policy means taking price Y, subtracting 10%, adding the difference between X and Y to that 10%, deducting the sum (call it Z) from X and then calculating all pertinent taxes on the bottom line. I save about 15% (I’m too lazy to find a calculator for an exact number). But, I save, and that is good. The store picks up a few more “customer satisfaction” points along with the sale, the checkout clerk gets some extra paperwork to fill out, and I go home with a new shiny toy. Not bad for something to do after supper.
