Rule Bender

I generally don't consider myself a rule breaker...I'm more of a rule bender.  Especially whenever I think the rules I'm up against are bullshit.

I'll give you an example - parking validation.  Say, at someplace like The Grove in Hollywood.  If you want to get a discount (or free) parking, you have to get validated from somewhere like Barnes & Noble, the movie theater or Cheesecake Factory.  I've gone to Barnes & Noble, browsed around for 20-30 minutes and asked for validation.  But the cashier tells me they only validate with a purchase.  Ah, here's where I bend the rules!  I'll go get a book, charge it to my credit card, get my validation and then return the book to the Barnes & Noble conveniently located on the way home from work.

That may seem like a waste just to save $6 but I'll do it every single time.  The stupid thing is I could probably return the book to the same B&N at the Grove 5 minutes after purchasing that book.  Trust me, I've made more than one purchase in my life that I've returned to the store minutes later.  Or I could also buy a movie ticket, get my validation, go into the theater for less than a minute, then say I got an emergency call and I have to go.  Either way, they give me a refund for my purchase and I get my validation with a little bit of hassle.

The point is that with so many easy ways around it, the "validation only with purchase" rule is bullshit.  Bend those rules, people.