Have coupon, will pay for date

By being away from the dating game for four-plus decades, I must confess that I have little information about current customs and rituals. I’ve noted, while sitting at a fast-food restaurant, that boygirl relationships certainly have a different look from what I remember. The boy-girl combination recently observed from a distance also included two hand-held devices to which both persons directed most of their attention — perhaps they were merely shy and were texting their conversational points, thinking that would be more romantic than a bit of stuttering and stammering. I did wonder if perhaps they were brother and sister, or just good friends of opposite genders, but they were holding hands when they departed so the conclusion is that a date had taken place — is it even called dating anymore? Being so out of touch is absolutely a negative experience and asking for information seems a bit pushy and rude. It was while pondering the dating habits of this century that a tiny headline over a paragraph in a national newspaper caught my attention. Titled, “The rise of cheap dates”, it put my mind in historic mode, thinking way back to those coffee dates I once shared with Housemate. We’d sit in the Ambassador or Uptown Cafes for hours, talking and getting to know each other. That was a cheap date because I didn’t drink coffee and he got all the refills he desired. Maybe he spent a buck or a bit more, but talk was cheap in those days. To my knowledge, he never ever resorted to using discount coupons to pay for more elaborate get-togethers like movies or meals. And that apparently, is what is happening now among daters and datees, according to a survey conducted in the United States. The survey discovered that more than 25 per cent polled admitted that they had used discount coupons to pay for a first date. Nearly 75 per cent of the dates said this coupon use would not deter them from accepting a second or third date. The survey noted that a lacklustre economy is behind this new date-night performance, that cheapness or the fear of being called a tightwad is not remotely considered. In fact, TV commercials promote the use of cheap meals as a way of drawing the attention of a would-be date, no coupon required. This use of coupons in exchange for services is not new to society. In my growing-up household, the shopping parent always had a stash of coupons to present at the grocery store, and while I sometimes grimaced in teenaged embarrassment I have now become my parent. When those coupon booklets show up in the mailbox I diligently go through them to save coupons on products we regularly use. At the checkout counter, the bill is examined closely to ensure all the savings coming to us have been recorded correctly. The restaurant and fast food coupons are also welcomed and often we have made use of them for meal deals, chicken buckets, grilled sandwiches, ice cream and yogurt, pizza, ribs and seafood. We are not alone in this economical pursuit of someone else’s cooking — the lines are sometimes long in anticipation of being two being able to dine for $5.99. So, looking back, if Housemate had come to my desk and remarked: “I’ve got a coupon, wanna hang out?” what would I have replied? Being a bit practical even then I would likely have answered: “OK, but check the date first to make sure the coupon hasn’t expired.”

Joyce Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel.net