Question of the Day - 13 October 2005

A big "thank you" to everyone who took the time and trouble to write in with their thoughts on the quandary posed by October 2nd's QoD, regarding whether or not to use a meal coupon on a first date. Due to the overwhelming response, there's simply not enough space to post all of your replies, but we're including some of our favorites below (possibly slightly edited).

And for those who missed this QoD the first time around, here's the original question again:

My parents turned me onto coupons on our many trips to Vegas. Recently, on a first date, I took the girl to a restaurant where I had a 2-for-1. She got irate. She said it was rude that I was only paying for my own meal, not hers. Then she said that it made her feel cheap, which seemed even worse than if she'd accused me of being cheap. By the way, it was a nice restaurant, and the bill, after the coupon and with tip, still came to 40 bucks. Any comment from the coupon people?

• This young man needs to make a choice -- does he pick #1, #2, or #3?

  1. Drive her back home and just write the date off as another one of life's learning experiences.

  2. Tell her that her dinner was the one that cost $40 and that your dinner was the free one.

  3. Give her the $40 in cash and tell her it's a bonus to go gamble with.

  BONUS CHOICE -- Since she felt so cheap, just leave the $40 on her bureau in the morning. (Byron Pierce)

• The good: He sounds like a naive innocent guy who thought he was doing a good and frugal thing. Values input from his parents still. He must be fairly young, without a lot of disposable income.

  The bad: The first date? ... nnn nnn (that's a buzzer) ... elimination round over for him. Probably no re-buys available.

  However, she showed no class at all making such a scene and hurting his feelings. She deserves to marry a rich guy who will cheat on her. Hope he gets over her ... She's no loss. (Candy Wright)

• 2-for-1 reply: When they have 2-for-1 airfare, she can stay home. (Gravity001)

• My advice to the lad is the following:-

  Dump her immediately. This relationship has no future -- lack of compatibility. And if her parents raised her to be so spoiled and ungracious, then he is better off without her. She should have appreciated that he was doing his best to provide her a better meal than he could afford.

  If I weren't already married, I would ask him out myself and take him out for dessert with my Uncle Angelo's POV coupon. (Mo Mergen)

• My wife and I are going to Vegas in three weeks. We've used coupons for our hotel. We have booked shows using the POV 2-for-1 coupons. We will be using 2-for-1 coupons at buffets and other restaurants, matchplay coupons for both of us to gamble, and a coupon for our rental car. If it wasn't for me being "rude" and her being the "cheap" woman she is, we would be staying home! If your girlfriend doesn't understand that your "rudeness" helps both of you in the long run, then maybe you ought to find another "cheap" girl. (Max Myers)

• Advice for the young man with the question about the use of 2-for-1 coupons on dates:

  Bud, you need to dump this bourgeois princess with the elitist coupon worldview. Besides, if you're looking for hot dates, you gotta start using 3-for-1 coupons. Oh yeah. (Jeff Jones -- who else?!)