The Value of a Buck (or Three)

Several years ago, I boycotted Blockbuster Video for life. I returned a video - late, of course - and had to pay a $3 late fee. Since I was the one too lazy to return the video on time, I handed over my $3 without complaint. The clerk said he had been having problems with the computer, but he assured me the money had been credited to my account. A few months later at a different Blockbuster location, I tried to rent a video. The clerk said I owed a late fee of $3. I politely explained that I had already paid the fee at a different store and did not intend to pay it again. He insisted that I had not paid the fee and made it clear that I would not be able to rent any videos until I did. So I made it clear that I would be taking my business elsewhere, and I have never given that company another dime.

Fast forward to today...I needed to do some shopping, so I decided to brave the gargantuan Lenox Mall in Atlanta. I should mention that shopping is not my favorite pastime, and the bigger the mall - the more squeamish I get. I only wanted to go to a couple of my favorite stores - L'Occitane and Papyrus - but I had no idea where they were in the mall. I figured I would have to walk at least a mile once I got inside, and I didn't want to park an additional mile away from the entrance. I was just proud to find an entrance, so I paid $3 to park next to it. I walked right in, found the two stores in the same area of the mall, bought a few things, and left. It was awesome! I would have paid double or triple for such an easy and pleasant shopping experience.

The moral of the story...sometimes three bucks is worth a lot more than three bucks, and sometimes it's not worth squat.