Champagne Bubble Bath

Among the items which show up in my mailbox is Clipper, a coupon magazine. Alongside offerings to reduce wrinkles without Botox and discounts at local eateries was a 50% off offering from three places in the Poconos for 3 days/2 nights for $525 in a "Champagne Tower Suite". The ad was illustrated with a picture like the one below.
My initial response was, Whoa! I wouldn't want to take a header out of that! Nothing says romance like slipping out of a gigantic champagne glass and crashing to the floor. It would be talk of the EMS for years.

Now here's something worthy of investigation. Someone must find this appealing. A quick web search for "Champagne Tower"showed that not only was there a "Champagne Tower by Cleopatra", but a "Champagne Tower from Rome". Who knew? The site says it's for couples. Same sex couples? In this economic climate their money may be gratefully appreciated.

I must have a defective romantic gene combined with an unreasonable fear of bodily harm. The ad has no appeal to be except as a voyeur. I wouldn't be surprised if an upcoming Survivor type reality show has a "Champagne Tower Challenge". Those more creative than myself will dream up the challenge, but I imagine that the contestants will have to perform something requiring manual dexterity and balance in a tower filled with Ripple "sparkled" with seltzer.

True Cost of Credit

Today's NYTimes's article "The Damage of Card Rewards"identified truecostofcredit.com as a site which would give the reader a sense of how much the rewards associated with a credit card cost a merchant.

I found that because my card doesn't have any rewards associated with it, I was startled to find that a convenience store could be paying 18.7% for the purchase of a pack of gum. According to truecostofcredit.com I'm "in the minority, since the majority of credit cards are now rewards cards." Seeing what merchants have to pay brought up the usual arguments about cash discounts.

Semantics are marvelous: credit card companies prohibit surcharges for use of their cards, but do not prohibit cash discounts. You can almost hear the rim shot: what's the difference?

I've always felt that shopping was a game of wits between the merchant and me. They want me to part with my money and I'm trying to minimize what I spend. The credit card is a tremendous convenience for me, and as it turns out, a reduced number of cash transactions also reduces the business as a target for robbery.

All told, the article and the web site made me think that I should start paying in cash. The gas station with that lower price for cash may be getting my business. We'll see.