It’s not as if Columbia House doesn’t try
Although the days of mailing an order form with a penny taped to it and getting a bunch of 8-tracks or records are long gone, Columbia House still thrives. I joined their DVD club a few years ago so I could score some cheap DVDs, and it worked out well. I can’t bring myself to quit however, so I have to remain ever-vigilant lest I be saddled with one of their unappealing, overpriced monthly DVDs (now called the Director’s Selection, which makes it sound so much more important. Hey ma, I’m a director now! Where’s my megaphone and riding boots?).
Once a month I get an email reminding me that I have to opt out of receiving the Director’s Selection or else be ready to pony up more than twenty bucks for some movie I’d be lucky to sell for half that. I love the oh-so-crafty way they try to trick me into accepting the DVD:
Notice the bright, shiny YES! button and the complete absence of an equally bright and shiny PISS OFF! button? That’s clever for sure. But the best part is how the only way to actually refuse the DVD is to click on a line of text that is written in a much smaller font, and tucked under the more obvious Yes choice:
Pretty sneaky sis!
And no, I did not order Dreamgirls.
MC
They are evil, EEEEVIILLL!