I buy greeting cards at drug stores and supermarkets and confess to not paying much attention to price increases over the years. The little 0199 on the back of the typical Hallmark or American Greetings selection when I was younger is now pushing 0899. I’ve been willing to pay cheeseburger prices up until now. Finding and employing staff writers with the insight and eloquence to anticipate the precise devotion I want to express can’t be cheap.
But thanks to Kathy, the greeting card economy is experiencing price resistance. Having failed to persuade me to get year-old canned sentiments at Dollar Tree like she does, she came to me over the weekend with a modest proposal. She’s saved all the birthday, anniversary, and Valentine’s Day cards I’ve given her over the years. Heartwarming? Of course. But wait, there’s more. She pointed out that I never date them. She said, “I’ll give them back to you, and you can give them all to me again for upcoming holidays.”
Gentle reader, she meant it. No way, I said. But I’m giving serious consideration to going to Dollar Tree.