Of Madison Avenue and Meat

I can't afford to buy from Madison Avenue in NYC. That's why I've occasionally indulged in quality knockoffs. I'm convinced the only good thing to come off the back of a truck is a really good Gucci knockoff.
Here's why:
Yesterday, two men from Circle C Meats (Garner, NC) knocked on my door here in Smithfield, NC and asked my husband and I to buy some meat from the cooler in the back of their pickup. We protested mightily at first, but there were a lot of words coming out of their mouth and they kept lowering the price on this "top quality" beef that we could never buy at the grocery store for this price. And, but wait, there's more...they threw in some "free" chicken. By the time they stopped making deals I was writing a check for $189.52. It wasn't until after they left we came to our senses--we were snookered. Our price per pound came out to about $9. There's not enough meat there to support that price.
We called asking for a refund. They said read your brochure--it says no refund. We called the bank to cancel our check, but we were too late. We've lodged a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and are reiterating our request in writing to Circle C for a refund. Both North Carolina law and federal law says we have three days to reconsider our purchase. So we now have to wait and see what happens next.
So the moral of this story is buying meat off the back of a pickup is a far cry from Madison Avenue. Stick to the Gucci knockoffs. You'll be just a little bit closer.

Chip-in-a-Shoe

There's a rumor out there that high-end show designers like Christian Louboutin might start adding tracking devices or some kind of microchip to their shoes in an effort to curb knockoffs. After all if I pony up $600 for a pair of bury-me-in-my-Christian Louboutin-pumps then I had damn well better get the real McCoy.
So my favorite shoe designer has all of my movements in a database somewhere, helping them design footwear for every movement for every environment I might find myself. Oooh, more shoes for me!!
But there is a dark side to this. Some weirdo with an underground foot fetish working for the shoe empire might need to act out his fantasy in real life. Then my family will really have to bury me in my pumps (if homicide will release them).
Also, some wacko on the street with a homemade scanner might decide to rob me of my super delicious luxury shoes. Again, there is violence associated with my purchase.
Let's look at this another way? Where does the company's right to make a legitimate profit supercede my right to privacy?
So my choices are to allow the Christian Louboutin to potentially invade my life and track my every movement (maybe even putting me in harm's way) or go without should the chip-in-a-shoe become a reality.
Fortunately, I value privacy over looking good.