Posted on 02/23/2010 7:10:06 AM PST by PJ-Comix
I was reading dating advice for women from men at Cosmo and came across a rather amusing letter to "the guy guru who answers your most pressing sex and love questions." The letter is from a woman who is upset that a guy used a coupon to buy her dinner:
I went out for dinner with this guy, and it was great — we got along well, and there was a definite spark. But when it came time to pay, he pulled out a coupon. I'm hardly a princess, but that totally killed it for me. Am I being too hard on him?
It was unquestionably a boneheaded maneuver on his part, but yes, cutting him loose on that one faux pas sounds extreme. There are factors to weigh. For one, how old is the dude? If he's still in school or graduated recently, it could just be that he hasn't dated a lot and was short on funds — the economy isn't exactly booming right now. And to be fair, he didn't ask you to go dutch, so he did still take you out to dinner.
If he's older and financially stable, then you have more reason to be turned off. Any guy with a little experience should know that you don't flash coupons on a first date — you bide your time till the chick is in the bathroom, then feverishly shove it into the waiter's hand! In all seriousness, it could be a sign that he'd turn out to be a cheapskate.
It seems to me that you’d have to be pretty damned shallow to be upset over something like that.
On second thought, maybe its a great way to screen women on first dates. If the little princess gets upset about that, ditch the b**** and RUN. Its a clear indicator of her expectations from the relationship.
As a parting quip, I would have asked him if he voted for Opossum...(chances are, he did).
Ditto.
Okay. Free laptop?
Except you can also buy the luxuries with coupons.
Considering the state of our money, that it really is a fed note and not gold or silver backed, that coupon is as good as cash, for dinner.
To tell you the truth I hate coupons, especially when I want to shop and get out. The person in front of me seems to always have fifty coupons, with 15 of the them expired. If the manufacturer can sell the products at that cost, then they should do so. If it is for advertising, be more creative, sell at cheaper price for a set term without coupons, or have a better product.
My eighty year old mother, who was VERY attractive in her day, upon overhearing a conversation of my then-twenty-something daughter:
“You AREN’T paying for your dinner are you?!! Why, I never heard of such a thing!! What kind of man would go out with you and have YOU pay for dinner??!”
While, in later life, my mother never went out to dinner without her coupon book, she would have been shocked and appalled at a man using a coupon to pay for a date’s dinner.
Ah, for the good ole days...
Depends where on her body she uses it.
Yeah, but don't ask. One I told just two friends how they could buy swordfish steaks dirt cheap. The next thing I knew all the stores in my area were OUT of those swordfish steaks...thanx to my big mouth.
I agree. It'd be a turn off. Take her on a picnic. Take her to some place half that price. But pulling out a coupon on the first date, I don't know if I could get past that and I fully appreciate frugality.
“Except you can also buy the luxuries with coupons. “
yes but you can now buy more of it ;)
I would think there are ways to be discreet. Tell the server/maitre de/greeter, quietly that you have a coupon. And prepare before hand, wrap it around your credit card or place it among the cash.
“But on the flip side I would never use a coupon on a 1st couple of dates, it’s tacky and shows you are cheap.”
On subsequent dates it would be fine, but on the first date? Tacky and cheap.
“Same with coupons on the the 1st date, seriously how much could he have saved? $5 - $10? If the woman was even potentially worth it, he should have sucked it up and paid full price.”
First impressions are important. Frugal is fine, but a person should know when to be classy and charming. First date coupon sends a creepy message.
If I were dating, I would want to date you. :-)
My fiancee wouldn’t go dutch on our first date, nor even let me leave the tip, thought I offered to do both. Later on, I did often pick up the tab. (Seemed right since I made a significant bit more than he did then.)
Yeah he was already using the meal to get cheap sex. You can’t double up on coupons for that! ;-)
When using "stealth" coupons, she never actually sees the coupon. Hee! Hee!
No, I’ve never lived in Boston. ;-D
Coupons are wonderful, and I think anyone who uses them in an organized way is probably financially responsible. That’s a good indication of character, imo.
“A sensible man would intentionally use a coupon on the first date, to weed out the women who don’t appreciate the value of a dollar.”
Agreed.
Its kind of obvious why she was single, isn’t it?
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