Very few of us would knowingly give our credit card numbers to strangers with candy, we don't really think we're going to win the Publisher's Clearing House thing, and we even have enough sense not to call Miss Cleo.
However, the good folks at Ben & Jerry's sure pulled a fast one on you and (insert number) other Chapel Hillians.
Monday, April 22, marked another passing of Ben & Jerry's annual Free Cone Day promotion, and I'm willing to bet that you really felt this massive sense of joy and self-worth because some large business actually did something to make you better off without earning any money for itself.
I'm really glad that you think that, but you're wrong. Ben & Jerry's might not have turned a profit yesterday, but as long as you're an average person then Free Cone Day didn't make you any happier than any of the other 364 days out of the year.
What? How can free ice cream not make you any better off?
On a normal, nice, sunny day you might decide to take a stroll down Franklin Street, and as you cross Columbia, you get this overwhelming thought of, "Mmmmm, ice cream."
Being the avid fan of Ben & Jerry's tasty treats, you prance into the store, and then you have a very large decision to make: Do I actually buy a cone or should I continue along my merry way?
Now, there are several factors that could affect your choice. Do I want those extra, evil calories? Do I actually like ice cream? Is there any chance that SpongeBob SquarePants will be there? However, the two most relevant questions are, How much is it going to cost and how long is it going to take?
Chances are really good that you'd pass on the cone if it cost $23.45 or if you had to wait in line for about 43 hours. Of course you wouldn't get a cone under such ridiculous circumstances, but what exactly is your cutoff?
