Yesterday I went to the Merritt Country Store — next to Coffee An’ and Crossroads Hardware — to buy my Westport News.
(Yes, I’ve written for them since Ben Franklin set type. And I still have to pay for it.)
I plunked down my 55 cents. An odd price, yeah, but that’s what it costs.
“65 cents,” said the guy behind the counter.
“No. It’s 55 cents,” I told him. I should know — it’s my paper.
“65,” he repeated. “That’s what my boss says. I just work here.”
“What about other papers?” I asked. “Do you charge more for them than you’re supposed to, too?”
“Yes,” he said. “Except the New York Times.”
He paused. “I just work here,” he repeated.
I know, I know. It’s not the biggest markup I’ve ever seen.
But it’s definitely the weirdest.
