Too Many Choices

A visit to a local health store ( where a fellow Blogger used to work ) landed me a free copy of the magazine Energy Times. While the magazine in and of itself was a fine read, I found the subscription insert card to be the greatest example of stupidity by a marketing yahoo since the Double Cola fiasco of 1987. I have highlighted the area of greatest disconcert for your ease and comfort:


Now, I am not the reincarnation of Einstein. I have no doctorate, nor do I have a photographic memory. Hell, half of the time I can't even spell simple words correctly. So perhaps I am missing something here, and the stupidity is mine. However, I simply can not wrap my mind around the idea of someone going through the trouble of filling out this form and sending it postage paid through the US Mail, only to refuse the free subscription. I am boggled beyond ignominy. I mean, it's not as if these good publishers are sitting on pins and needles awaiting your RSVP. They don't even know you have the damned thing.

Another part of me wonders what their mail clerk would do upon receiving a card with a negative response. I mean, he can't just send it up to the subscription department, can he? Perhaps it goes to the hassle department, whereby the company sends you phone calls and letters harassing you to accept the free health magazine offer or else. It may start innocent enough like, "Accept our free offer or else your health may be in jeopardy!" but after a few tries it may become more sinister. "Accept our free offer or else we're gonna send Louie over with a bat, and then your health may be in jeopardy!" I wonder if Louie gets a 401k.