Catalogs and choices

Here's a display of the  seed and plant catalogs I've been reading lately.  I read catalogs  to survive the cold gray days of winter.  As I flip the pages  and study the pictures and text,  I imagine my 2012 vegetable garden, which will be filled with carefully chosen vigorous, productive and delicious
cultivars .  Or so I dream in January.
 I make lists in my mind and on scraps of paper, comparing prices and shipping rates.  I  also compare the various offers from companies for ordering early.  Most offers are matches, as in 'Buy $50 of merchandise, get $25 worth free',  but one company lets you buy $25 worth of products (with the attached coupon) without having to purchase anything more.  I promptly wrote up an order totaling $24.79 including shipping, and mailed it off.
 If they were looking for my loyalty, they won't get it-- everything in the catalog was double the price of most others.  There must be a lot of suckers that spend enough over $25 to make the coupon worth while. I will be kind and not mention the name of this company since I  may (I 'll believe it when it comes) be getting free stuff from them, but I won't be a loyal customer at those prices.
Other companies give good value, but I can buy their seeds locally and avoid shipping.  A regional discount store carries Burpee seeds at 40% off, and after I read their catalog I visit the store and pick some of my choices off the rack.  The selection is limited, but I always find a few good varieties, and at just over a $1 a packet,  they are a great deal. Or at least I think so...
Because another trick of the seed trade that I'm sure has been going on forever, but which I've only noticed lately, is the lack of uniformity in volume descriptions.  Some companies list the packets contents in grams, some in number of seeds,  some just say 'packet' .  It's tough to compare value without a standard measurement.  Burpee puts grams on the store packets, but seed numbers in the catalog-- so I can't tell if the catalog packets hold more for the money.
 I actually prefer small packets.  I get enough seed for a season, and not much left. That's fine, because most seed only has a suggested shelf lie of a year of two.  That's one of the reasons I bought most of my seeds from Pinetree Garden Seeds in Maine this winter. They are a New England company, with experience in the region, sell small packets of seeds for home gardeners, and carried most of the seeds I wanted and could not find on the Burpee racks. I ordered a few seeds from them last year, and they did well, so this winter I've given them the rest of my modest order.  They are also a family owned company, and I hope this balances out my purchases from the Burpee empire.
What about the  many other wonderful catalogs with beautiful pictures and lots of info on growing? Don't I owe them some business for providing me with hours of dreaming?  Nope. They made their pitch, and it didn't work for me, so I owe them nothing.  I'm not going to feel guilty, even when they email me  helpful newsletters.... really. Sorry, Johnny's Seeds, maybe next year.