Several months ago, there was a lot of press, community discussion and even angst over the proliferation of pay day loan businesses and locations in the city of London. A very serious issue was, and is, the use of these businesses by those who in many cases are actually least able to afford them.  The availability of pay day loans is a complicated issue, and one that I don’t want to deal with here.

However, I recently received an advertisement in my mailbox (my real one, attached to my house, not a virtual one on my computer) offering me ‘instant happiness in London’. It was from a large bank and multi-national department store.

I didn’t know instant happiness could be so easy, nor that it could be provided by a bank and a store!  My curiosity piqued, I read that instant happiness was being able to save 5% (large colourful print) on the little things I need and the big things that I want.  And if I couldn’t actually pay for those little things I needed or the big things I really wanted (but couldn’t afford) within 21 days, it would only cost me 19.99%. (smaller print on the back).

 Houston, we have a problem!  And it aint just pay day loans.