Getting a Good Deal on a Sandwich

Certainly you saw it also, the line that snaked around the corner and down the street? I saw it three times today, people standing outside, warm in the sun, spending what I assume to be a good portion of their lunch hour standing in line. Blackhawks paraphernalia, right? Must be, Stanley Cup tshirts or car stickers maybe, clearly that was the origin of the line. Maybe Patrick Kane himself was signing the game winning puck?

One dollar sandwiches at Jimmy John's, from 11-3, for customer appreciation, and let me be clear, people were taking full advantage of Jimmy John's need to show their appreciation. How much does a Jimmy John's sandwich cost on a day when they are feeling less grateful?

The McDonalds in my old office building used to do the same thing. Once a year they would sell those little smashed up burgers with the ketchup mustard combo squirt for around $.50. In a two hour window in which everyone who worked in the building, all four towers of at least 30 stories each, would cram into the lower concourse, gleefully clutching their dollar bill, or perhaps two if they were feeling flush, to spend at least an hour waiting to enjoy the bliss delivered in getting two burgers for one dollar. Colleagues would plan their day around the event, scheduling meetings and calls on the outside of the precious window, years of experience valuable when planning your descent into the madness, choosing just the right person to while away an hour of valuable work time in pursuit of the bargain burger. Much like those who line up on Saturday morning at Costco, having sniffed out the woman with the buffalo chicken in her mini oven, they block the already congested aisles, hoping to be first in line for the free fragment of processed frozen chicken covered in mozzarella sauce. Best to be first I suppose as what remains is surely to be sneezed on by the kid next in line.

Where do you find a good sandwich? Not a chain sandwich, or a gimmicky sandwich, not one that is rolled or flattened or stuffed with french fries. Two pieces of bread, put together by an actual person without a photograph of the finished product before him, layered with things that make a sandwich the perfect summer picnic food. For that I would happily pay full price.