A couple of weeks ago I was at Target buying supplies for my new house. As I surveyed the available check out lines I saw one where the customer was handing the cashier some coupons, I figured that this should be the quickest line, as all of the customers purchases were already in her carts (that's right carts, she had 2 carts full of products).

Boy was I wrong about this line being fast. I found out quickly that the woman had a large envelope full of coupons, in fact so many coupons that she was handing the cashier coupons (one a time mind you) for over 7 mins. I know this time frame for sure because I sent a text message just as I arrived at the check stand, and received a response while the customer was still dealing with coupons 7 mins later.

Of course after the woman left I had to ask the cashier what just happened there (I thought I may have just fallen to sleep momentarily and dreamed the whole thing, it seemed that asinine). But I learned that I had not fallen to sleep and that the woman's total before coupons was over $200 and after coupons she ended up paying just $42.

Maybe I was stuck in line behind this woman.

On Sunday I was working the Undergraduate Commencement at UB when my boss and I realized that there wasn't going to be any food provided (all three meals had been provided the day before) so off I went to Tim Horton's to get some doughnuts, bagels and coffee.

I went inside and ordered 2 dozen doughnuts, 1 dozen bagels, and a big thing of coffee (yes, I did say to the guy "a big thing of coffee").

While the cashier was putting together my order the manager came over and told me that I should call ahead next time so that they could have it ready for me.

I don't her that I didn't mind waiting, and she responded "Well you really should call ahead because big orders like this really deplete our doughnut supply for the day."

Now I'm no expert on the doughnut and coffee business but I would assume that a place like Tim Horton's should have more than 2 doz doughnuts available at any one time. Isn't a dozen doughnuts a pretty standard order at a place like that?

But I guess they know the business better than I do, so maybe 2 dozen is their sales goal for a Sunday. If that is the case it sure does seem like their profit margin must be razor thin, maybe that's why they had to fire that woman in London, ON.