When I first saw the Seinfeld episode about "Top of the Muffin to you", I took the side of Elaine when the social worker from across the street did not want her free muffin stumps. In retrospect, and after recently attempting to deal with Target Store over their free muffin stump offers, I now side with the social worker.
Target Store has a promotional coupon that they give out almost monthly to their Target Credit Card customers. What separates the Target Store coupon offer from most other offers is that Target offers their customers something for nothing. However, the free item appears to always be for the most potentially unhealthy thing in the particular category that Target is offering the free product in.
For instance, a Target credit card customer might receive a coupon in the mail for a free loaf of white bread, or what I call, the bottom of the muffin. The key being that you MUST accept the cheapest quality item for free. If I want to upgrade to Whole Wheat Bread, and pay the difference in price between the white bread I was offered for free, and the whole wheat bread that I want, Target stores says, NO!
When it comes to eggs, Target offers a free coupon for non-organic, non-free range eggs. Once again, the most basic staple item that Target offers is what they will offer for free to their customers. But what if I simply want to apply my free egg coupon credit towards a better item in that same category?
Maybe I want to try the 3 dollar fifty cent free range eggs and I want to apply my coupon's 1 dollar and fifty cents value towards that 3 dollar and fifty cent free range eggs. All Target Store would have to do is simply deduct the "value" of my coupon based on what Target is willing to give me for free, from the more expensive item from that same food category that I want to purchase. This is not rocket scientist folks. I would get to use the free coupon, add my own two bucks, and get the free range eggs instead of the "bottom of the muffin" eggs.
The cashier/manager who came to my register to discuss the coupon debacle with me was very professional, especially for her age, but sadly, she could only see Target's side. What I mean by that is she asked me if I wanted to take the customer relations number and call Target myself. I said no.
The reason I said no was that I shouldn't have to do the job of someone making six figures in a corporate office who is too lame, stupid and lazy to actually figure out on their own that it is DISRESPECTFUL to GOAD customers into taking free muffin stumps without also allowing that customer an opportunity to upgrade their purchase and use the coupon as a PARTIAL payment towards the better product.
Part of the reason that my two all time favorite sit coms are Seinfeld and Everybody Loves Raymond is that their scenarios tend to mimic other real life events. Additionally, even when I have seen an episode multiple times, I really don't find flaws that scream "they should have done this, or said that", that is how well both shows have been made.
However, it now dawns on me that in the Seinfeld muffin stump episode the social worker could have really given it to Elaine by asking Elaine what she thought the bottom of the muffin was worth, then promptly using that value to trade Elaine dozens of her muffin stumps back in exchange for a few muffin tops.
Who is Target to not only dictate to me that I can only get their cheapest, presumably less healthy product for free, but to also create unfair competition among their own vendors! Target prevented me from using my coupon to upgrade my egg preference the free range egg product I really wanted, and that is not fair to the free range vendor. I doubt that Target is forcing their vendors to give out free coupons for only their lower end products...
Target further annihilates their own vendors by charging such obscene credit card interest rates that customers who have a Target store credit card debt they are struggling to pay down, (and the almost 24% interest rate does not help) are having their future buying power reduced every month because of that outrageous interest rate being charged on revolving debt. Money that could have gone to make a purchase from a Target Vendor, instead simply goes to monthly Target interest rate charges that are DOUBLE what they should be.
Who is Target to force me to get a free muffin stump when I want to try the muffin top and simply want the price discounted an equivalent amount to what I could have gotten for free. Of course Target is not set up to do such a transaction, and this gets to my point, Target sucks, and I feel they are getting worse by the month.
It's not just their coupon offers, it's other things as well. Target discontinued their gardening section because it was not "profitable enough". What can be more lame than to discourage gardening of any kind. In general, gardening is probably one of the most eco friendly things we can do within our living space. Not only that, but apparently there have been studies that show people who buy gardening supplies tend to be more reliable at paying their credit card bills!
As mentioned above, Target Store recently raised their credit card interest rate to an unheard of 23 plus percent! This is an astoundingly evil and customer unfriendly thing to do.
Please, Please, I beg of you all, all of you, Please, Please, watch the Seinfeld episode about the Muffin Stumps. When I tried to explain my gripe with Target earlier this evening, I quoted Seinfeld and the Muffin Stump episode, and the cashier/manager didn't know what I was talking about, and apparently, neither does Target corporate.
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