Useless Circ

No one ever believes me when I tell them that you can see examples of poor media measurement in your everyday life. Whether you're walking down the street and notice people dumping bundles of publications into dumpsters, or people tuning out to radio or TV shows, you do see this everywhere. For instance, I noticed that when I checked into the Sheraton last night, the little folder they give you with your keycard has the following on it:

I accept delivery of USA Today
If you do not wish to receive this paper, please return it to the front desk for a credit of 75 cents.

So, in other words, the hotel charges you for your newspaper whether you read it or not. What makes me think the publication is counting this toward paid circulation?

So I walked down the hall toward the front desk this morning, noticing that most hotel guests had simply left their paper in front of their door. When I got to the front desk, I plopped my copy down on the desk and told the attendant that I wanted my 75 cents credit for my paper. She looked at me like I had two heads (or, more likely, like I'm the first person to do this). She took the paper, but what are the odds that I get charged for it anyway? I'll check the bill on my way out...