Ridiculousness reinterpreted

The dictionary defines the word ridiculous as: causing or worthy of ridicule or derision; absurd; preposterous; laughable: a ridiculous plan.

I beg to differ.

I'd like to propose a new definition of ridiculous:


Let me give you a tiny bit of back story on this one. Last week, my bf and I went into the Sports Authority (in Warwick, RI if it matters to you) to look at a paintball product he saw on sportsauthority.com for $89.99. We bring with us, a coupon from the newspaper that was for $25 off $100 or more. So we figured he'd buy his paintball thing and we'd buy something else for $10 and be able to use the $25 coupon. Simple, right?

Not so much. So we get to the store and the exact same product was $119.99. So doing some remedial math, I realize that even with the $25 off he'd still be paying more than if he ordered it online.

More backstory: The Sports Authority brick and mortar store is not affiliated with their own website (go figure, right?). If you ever shop at Dick's Sporting Goods online you'll notice that the products (inventories, pictures, descriptions, and prices) are the exact same. So it's not hard to figure out that Sports Authority's website is one that is not really their own. They've just sold their logo to a sports website. That bothers me some, but then I guess there are other brick and mortar stores that sell out as well (i.e. Target).

OK, so then I realize that the Sports Authority does price matching. We go up to the desk and ask if they do match online retailers. The woman (looking extremely DIS interested in us) says that 'yes' they do online price matching. Here's how our conversation went from there:

Me: Great! We found this item on Sports Authority.com for $89.99 and you sell it for $119.99. Can we price match it?
SA: Yes but you need to bring in a print out of the price from the website.
Me: { Politely } Well, we're here right now in the store. Can you just go online and verify the price for us ?
SA: No. We need you to bring in a print out.
ME: { incredulously } Are you kidding? You don't have Internet access in this store?
SA: Nope. You need to print it out and bring it in.
Me: { Leaves the store, muttering } That's ridiculous.


As we walk to the car, I get angrier and angrier. Thoughts going through my head that further substantiate that Sports Authority is the epitome of ridiculous:
If it's really true, what the employee said, then it follows that you could print out anything from anywhere and they would honor it without verification?

Lets say I'm sneaky. Lets say I go to SportsAuthority.com and edit the html of the page before printing it. Let's say I make the paintball thing cost $29.99 instead of $89.99. I hit print.
I waltz into my local Sports Authority store, and they will just honor it, without verification??
I find it difficult -- no, wait - that's not right. Actually I find it impossible that they do not go online and verify price matches. This means, that the customer service clerk was a complete liar; they must verify price matches. Seeing as how they price match online retailers, they would definitely have an Internet connection available.

So either the Sports Authority is ridiculous because they will accept any printed piece of paper with a price on it
or
they're ridiculous because they'd rather have customers leave their store and buy from sportsauthority.com (where someone else earns the profit) than help them out.

Either way - Ridiculous !