Carrot & Stick

I have to admit a tweep on twitter the other day commented, "carrot and stick" as I complained about how much I had spent because it was No Tax Weekend in Missouri, and I had to look up what it meant. My good friend, Wikipedia, told me it was, " an idiom that refers to a policy of offering a combination of rewards and punishment to induce behavior...the driver would tie a carrot on a string to a long stick and dangle it in front of the donkey, just out of its reach. As the donkey moved forward to get the carrot, it pulled the cart and the driver so that the carrot would always remain out of reach." Ok, I get it. I guess Summa Cum Laude doesn't by you common-sense. 

Nevertheless, I was given the good ol' carrot and stick again this morning, and no that's not what it sounds like it could be, even in this context. I woke to my inbox dinging that J.Crew was having a 30% off sale online, so naturally I clicked the link and what to my wondering eyes should appear, but that sweater that would look great next to the other 11, that dress for the wedding that would be so much better than the ones currently collecting moth balls in my closet, and that tank-top that would look great at the holiday party my roommates are hosting.  Wow! I saved 40 dollars! But wait, $12.50 for shipping? My roommate sensed my anger in the $12.50 for shipping and volunteered to get 2 sweaters, so we could get free shipping - because everyone knows when you spend $150 they ship it to you for free. There's the carrot, here come the stick...

If this were a sporting event, this would be the score:

Sonj: idiot
J.Crew: +$160