Free shipping!

This is a minor annoyance, and given so many things that are going on in our world, it is hardly worth mentioning. I realize this and don't bring it up in order to get you all in a dither. Hey, maybe it's nice to read about something that deserves no more than, "Meh! Whatcha gonna do?"

I dislike (is that too mild a word?) certain persistent emails that promise me in

big bright colorful letters 

"Free Shipping!" This is often accompanied by a box that says, "Free Shipping Ends at Midnight Today!"

Okay, first of all, when you look more closely, you discover that the alleged free shipping offer only applies for orders of $75.00 or more at a time. Not so much of a deal, compared to other places that don't imply that they offer free shipping across the board. Many of them chip in with free shipping when you buy less than half of this amount. This particular catalog does not consist of many items that reach that $75 level on their own, so it is a ploy to get you to buy three or four or five items to get the deal. Or else pay almost as much in shipping as the list price of the item itself.

Second, I get emails from these folks all the time. ALL the time. And they always, ALWAYS, banner the fact that they offer free shipping [on orders of $75.00 or more.] It never stops at midnight tonight or any other night. This is their standard offer.

I actually have stopped buying things from them because I find their ads misleading if not downright dishonest. Which makes me doubt pretty much all the things they say about their merchandise.

For what it's worth.