I go down to the local Postal Center and I tell them that I have a bunch of T-shirts I want to send out and what would they suggest for packaging and they show me a large envelope. I say, “Great, I’ll try one and see how it works out. How much?” This is important: The envelopes are $.49 each.
The envelope works fine so I go back and ask if I can buy the envelopes in bulk. “Sure,” the same woman behind the counter tells me. “They come in a case of 100 envelopes for $98.00.”
I immediately put my three semesters of college calculus to good use and, by counting on my fingers and toes, determine that this is NOT a great deal.
“But that doesn’t make any sense,” I try and reason with the woman. “That’s ninety-eight cents per envelope when you told me I can buy them separately for forty-nine cents each. That’s double the cost!”
The woman gives me a bored look and shrugs. “That’s the way it is,” she tells me.
*sigh*
I didn’t but any envelopes that day, but one of these days I’m going to get up the courage to go back and tell her I want to buy 100 envelopes, one at a time.