I just bought a pack of 24 ultra-fine point Sharpies this morning with a $5.00 rebate. I was only going to get a few Sharpies. But then I saw that I could have ALL the Sharpies! And who doesn’t want ALL the Sharpies? And for $5 off!
[Staples Shill]I’ve already submitted the rebate online at Staples.com, which is much better than wrangling receipts, filling in microscopic blanks on poorly-printed forms, and cutting Proofs of Purchase out of adamantine packaging materials, isn’t it?[/Staples Shill]
(Sorry, Napier. Can’t pass up a good deal. On Sharpies.)
My husband, on the other hand, is the rebate-offerer’s wet dream.
What do I do when I get something with a rebate? The second I get home, I make sure the product works, then fill out the rebate stuff, and put it in tomorrow’s mail. It’s usually not that hard to do, and it’s not going to get any easier or less time-consuming if I put it off, now, is it?
But what does he do? Wait until the last minute. Except that usually by the time the last minute rolls around, he has forgotten about it. Then three weeks later, he realizes OHMIGOD he forgot to do the rebate! Oy vey! The rending of garments and the gnashing of teeth!
The next time he gets something on rebate, I ask in the store, “Are you going to remember to do the rebate?” He sighs, very put upon, and snaps, “Yes, I’ll remember to do the rebate.” When we get home, I suggest gently, “So, darling, why don’t you take care the rebate stuff?” “No. Can’t do rebate. Busy . . . Must . . . brush cat’s teeth.” “Would you like me to do the rebate?” [Testily] “No, I’ll do the damn rebate, just not right this second.” “Whatever you say, dear.”
This is exactly what the rebate offerers bet on. My husband blames only himself. He harbors no ill will toward the company for overcharging him. And yet he paid much more to the company for the product than he had to. (I think the biggest one he forgot was something like $200 on a computer. Now I insist on doing the rebate myself right away if its more than, like, $20.)