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Previous Update - April 5, 2006

April 5, 2006 - Slightly Off Target A response from Target came back today. For some reason, I didn't actually expect to hear back from them... I think I was unsure if I got their address right. In any event, Target's response indicated that they appreciate my feedback because it helps them "learn more about what [their] guests want and need" and that they're "here to help!" Hmph... In that case, Target, where are my rubber bands? I "want and need" them. They would, indeed, be very helpful. Alas, no such luck. With no rubber bands in sight, I must resort to Staples (who, incidentally, never wrote back to me). Oh, well. Tomorrow's another day. Target The $39 Experiment in the News This morning, I talked to the folks over at Good Morning America for a few minutes. They have a segment called "Around the Watercooler", and The $39 Experiment was the topic of their "buzz" today. Despite having to scrape my carcass off of the bed at 6AM to call into the show, this interview was certainly easier than CNN's. It certainly had more levity than did the CNN interview. The sound quality seemed (oddly) better talking into the phone than directly into a mic. That and, despite having my mugshot sitting on screen during the interview, I wasn't concerned with my apperance at that point, so this one was cake... The only disappointing thing was that the website address itself was never mentioned, so God knows how many millions of dollars I lost because of that (pssshh... yeah, right), but other than that, it was fun. I'm just glad that Good Morning America saw the humor in the site. Anyway, by request, both the CNN and the Good Morning America videos are now available online. The $39 Experiment on CNN (March 25, 2006) The $39 Experiment on Good Morning America (April 5, 2006) Freebies Summary Who? What? approx. $ Fellowes Four cans of compressed air $32.00 Carma Labs One jar of Carmex $1.29 Stash Tea Nine teabags $1.80 White Castle 19 burgers, 2 breakfast sandwiches, 2 orders of Chicken Rings $12.37 Airborne One free tube of Airborne $5.99 Reynolds Two 50-cent coupons $1.00 S.C. Johnson One free ($3 max.) Skintimate coupon $3.00 Church & Dwight Two $1 Arm & Hammer coupons $2.00 Pfizer Three 50-cent Purell coupons $1.50 Pepsi Pepsi pen, pencil, stickers, and gift catalog N/A Biotene Free samples of gum, toothpaste, and mouthwash N/A Burt's Bees Free stick of Burt's Bees $1.87 Dunkin Donuts Book of five $1 gift checks $5.00 Mercedes Benz Mercedes keychain $30.00 Eden Foods Pasta, tea, soymilk $9.54 Chicken of the Sea Two $2 coupons, one 25-cent coupon $4.25 Sanford Four pens $5.00 Gatorade (aka Pepsi) Three 60-cent coupons for Propel $1.80 Nestle Two coupons for Nestle candy $1.00 Max and Erma's A hat and travel cup $15.00 Dairy Queen Three $1 gift certificates $3.00 Del Monte Five coupons for dog snacks $5.25 Celestial Seasonings Three sample teabags, three coupons $5.60 Boston Market 33% of $50 coupon book $16.67 Campbell's Four 50-cent coupons $2.00 Energizer Three $1 coupons $3.00 Frito Lay Two 55-cent coupons $1.10 Nylabone A "Double Action Chew" with "Minty Fresh Center" (wolf size) $9.33 Brownberry Three $1 coupons $3.00 Riceland Three coupons $2.70 Eight in One Pet Products A bunch of free dog snacks $25.00 31 companies $211.06