Today on the way to work I saw a man standing at a high-trafficked portion of the sidewalk handing out little pink slips to the students walking by. Normally I would never want a pink slip, but since so many other people were taking them I figured I would be safe. Printed on the small square was an advertisement for a free medium pizza from Pizza Hut between 3 and 8pm. The fine print said I needed to show my student ID, that I could only get one topping, and that restrictions apply. Assuming that the restriction meant it was limited only to students, I headed down there with three other friends.

We pulled in thinking how great it was that we didn’t have to eat at the cafeteria that night. However, upon entering Pizza Hut it became apparent that there was more to getting a free pizza than just showing one’s student ID. Other students in the restaurant were huddled over small PDAs, busily typing on the tiny keyboards. The Citibank employee at the table told us that all the devices were in use at the moment, but if we would wait just a minute we’d each get one so we could fill out all the forms necessary to apply for a CitiBank Student Credit Card and be on the way to getting our free pizza! I instantly decided trading my contact information – even excluding the social security number they wanted – for a free medium pizza was a poor transaction. The other three with me arrived at the same conclusion and, unhappy about the misleading advertisement, we walked out – off to the cafeteria.

Despite not getting a free pizza, I am still really happy because I am going to Chicago tomorrow to meet my family for the weekend. I am really looking forward to seeing my family, enjoying the city, and eating at Chipotle after 43 days since my last visit.