I still don't know why JCPenney decided to send me a free $10 gift card. I don't have the retailer's charge card and I've never provided them with my address or any other personal information. But there it was, in my mailbox. And I couldn't pass up free money. So I went to the store, intent on buying only something around $10 or $15. But then I did what the retailer was counting on me to do: I saw something more expensive that I really wanted - a king-size overstuffed, oversized and overly soft comforter, marked down from $100 to $49.99. Since I had just pitched our old one, which had been falling apart, I went ahead and bought this nice new one. For just a minute, I thought of waiting to see if it would be marked down further after Christmas. But the gift card expired on Christmas Eve, and there was only one comforter left. The likelihood of getting it for less money later appeared to be pretty slim. Now if I could only fit it in my oversized washing machine.