Happy Birthday, Now Come Buy Something

So, as my readers know, my 30th birthday has come and gone.  Eeek.

Something I noticed this year (beside the greetings on all forms of social media):

It started mid-March.  A store I frequent sent me a card - Happy Birthday, Jaime - please enjoy an additional $5 off the next $25 you spend.

Then the emails started.  Happy birthday - enjoy 10% any item in the next 90 days.  Enjoy $10 your next purchase during the month of your birthday.  Enjoy 25% off at checkout - enter code 'birthdaygirl'.

Everyone does a birthday coupon these days.  Which is, in theory, genius.  Because we all feel like we're getting a treat.  Only, we have to spend money to receive said treat, and it might be money we weren't planning on spending in the first place.  And, is a part of this preying on our vulnerable emotional side?  Maybe we're feeling a little sad, getting older and all, then all of a sudden we get a message from an old 'friend' (or store), and suddenly we want to go feel the love?  They wished us a happy birthday, it made us feel good for a bit, so maybe it's ok to go spend a little something on ourselves there.  Ok, maybe I'm being cynical here.

Have too many places adopted this practice?  Is it becoming white noise (i.e. daily deals)?  It's starting to feel that way.

Have you all bought yourself a birthday gift with a coupon?  No judgment if so.  I'm curious how successful these efforts are.   I prefer Sephora's free birthday gift.  Just sayin'.

Long Distance Relationships

So, today, on an online dating site, I received a message from a man in Hawaii.

Why?

This has happened to me on a couple occasions.  Why is this?  Is it an act of desperation?  Is it someone just not paying close attention?

I remember speaking to a man on this matter who did online dating.  He told me a story:

A very attractive woman (or, more accurately, someone with a profile picture of a very attractive woman) from another part of the country contacted him.  He was flattered.  He tried to have general conversation with her.  He noticed she's said a couple things that were odd/grammatically incorrect, but he'd thought maybe English wasn't her first language.  She'd continued to contact him.  He found it odd because she'd lived several states away, but continued to talk to her.  He asked her if she was ever in the Chicago area.  She then went into "Well, I would love to visit the area, but I cannot afford the plane fare."  He smelled a rat.  She then went on "My mom has been sick lately, I really want to visit her, but I'd need to borrow some money for the plane fare...."  He 'reported a concern'.

Are 95% of people from other parts of the country scam artists?  Or are they really desperate?  Anyone meet anyone from another part of the country online and it turned out being real?  

Gift Cards?

Did anyone else get the e-mail forward warning of companies filing for bankruptcy/closing stores after the first of the year and the dangers of gift cards for these stores not being valid?  I am not going to copy and paste the entire long e-mail here - the previous sentence sums it up.  

I am not too worried - I have already planned or bought most of my Christmas gifts, and for those I haven't figured yet, well, I wasn't planning on a gift card to one of those stores.  If I for some reason receive a gift card to one of those joints, I will simply shop before January 1.  (Maybe I AM paranoid.)

I could always 'snopes' this and see if there's truth to it.  Hmm.  Anyone have any knowledge on this subject?