I got the most specific promotion I’ve ever gotten over email from Walgreens today. I worked in marketing for ages, so that’s saying something. Check it out: get $5 off my order of $20.08 or more.
This makes me think that there’s got to be some common combination of Walgreens goods that adds up to $20.07 and they think they’re getting taken to the cleaners by consumers like me cashing in our stacks of $5-off coupons and never spending that extra penny that’s going to make all the difference.
You know there was a meeting at some point in the last few weeks that featured an executive shouting, “By God, 2008 is going to be the year we break into the black – AND WE’RE GOING TO DO IT EIGHT PENNIES AT A TIME IF IT’S THE LAST THING I DO!!!”
I wish I could muster that kind of passion for eight cents. You’ve got to admire that kind of specific focus. Focus, fixation, misplaced obsession – whatever you want to call it. Rock on, senior marketing executive man. Rock on.
Displaced 
Perhaps it has something to do with the year we now find ourselves in and not some covert plot to scheme an extra penny out of consumers.