Funky Sock Exchange

"This is a 'Funky Socks' exchange!...You should receive thirty six pairs of socks for the price of one...Seldom does anyone drop out because we can all use 'Funky Socks' to boost our outfits!!..."

I met up with a couple of old coworkers a few days ago, one of which passed me a sort of chain letter to do a funky socks exchange. With my new obsession over cute novelty socks, I thought it would be a fun thing to participate in. So, I picked up the funkiest pair of socks I could find at the GAP and waited in line at the post office to mail them off. As I was walking toward the end of the line, I called one of my best friends and decided to pitch the sock exchange to her.

Me: Hey, want to do a funky sock exchange? I have to get six people to do this. It's not a chain letter. You don't have to do it, and nothing bad happens to you if you do.

Friend: Uhhh, ummm...well what is it?

Me: It's this really cool thing where you mail a pair of funky socks to the first person listed on the letter, and you get thirty six pairs back!! Thirty six pairs!

Friend: Doesn't this sound like a pyramid scheme? Like one of those things where they ask you to mail in a dollar and somehow someone mails you back a thousand dollars?

Me: No, no! You don't have a to sell anything! You'll get thirty six pairs of socks back! It's really fun!

Friend: Ok, explain to me how this thing works.

Me: Well, the letter has two names and addresses on it. You mail one pair of socks to the first person on the letter. Then you copy the letter and move the second name on the letter to the first position and then add your name as the second position. Then you hand it off to six people to mail off a pair of socks to the first person on the letter. In this case, you'll mail a pair of socks to my friend who handed me the letter. Then you'll give the letter to six of your friends who will mail socks to me. See, it works! We always mail socks to our friend's friends. You get thirty six pairs of funky socks for the price of one!

Friend: Ummm...do you mind if I don't participate? It just sounds so much like a pyramid scheme. Doesn't it? I mean really, you mail a pair of socks to someone you don't know, and somehow you're supposed to get thirty six back?

Hmmm...that does seem unlikely. She may have a point there.

Me: Alright, you don't have to do it...But wouldn't it be nice to get thirty six pairs of funky socks? They'll boost your outfits!!

Friend: Uh, no.

Anyone want to mail me a pair of socks?

You'll get thirty six pairs back.