I go to the cornerstore to buy a piece of posterboard. The sign says it's going to be 99c. A buck. I can afford that, even in this economy. So I haul the board all the way up to the front. This adolescent, hollow-eyed kid with yellow hair stares through me. "Is that all?" D: Yeah. K: That'll be..... $1.94. D: ... K: ... D: Um, the sign says this is 99c. K: [looking at the register, squinting] Um, it's 89c. D: 89c. K: 89c, mm-hmm. D: So, like, howcome it's $1.94? K: Tax is... 9%. D: Yeah. So, that's more than double the price. K: ... D: [considering dropping it, not being so cheap. then stubbornly refuses!] K: That's just the way it works out. D: ! K: ... D: Then, forget it!