But when Archie is trying to go steady with the richest woman in town, he has to swallow his pride and choke down expensive meals every single time they date. And as we all well know, Archie doesn't exactly have the budget to splurge on expensive restaurants.
In today's tale, Archie seems to have every one of his wishes come true when his father gives him what appears to be the golden ticket. But will everything go Archie's way?
This story first appeared in "Everything's Archie #37", which was first printed in 1974. Keep that in mind as we take a look at the first page of the story entitled "Taking Full Credit".
The story begins with average Archie doing some above average things for his father. He's managed to cross off enough chores off of his chore list to satisfy his father. Of course, the only reason Archie is even doing chores is so he can get some money from his parents - which is something that I could never do because money was really tight in my household. But in this case, Mr. Andrews is really pleased with Archie's work and decides to reward him handsomely...with a five dollar bill.
Even Archie seems to be a bit disappointed. Granted, five dollars in 1974 was worth quite a lot of money, but for Veronica's expensive tastes? Five dollars could barely buy a poached egg.
Ah, but Mr. Andrews has another surprise for Archie.
The five dollars is merely to be used to get Archie and Veronica to the expensive restaurant. To pay for the meal, Mr. Andrews is giving Archie his credit card! Wow! With a credit card, Archie can really afford to take Veronica out on the town. And it's also a surprise that Archie has a credit card to use in 1974. Yes, modern day credit cards have been in use since the late 1950s, but back in the 1970s, credit cards were very seldom used. A lot of places didn't even take credit cards back then, as the credit card companies didn't really start pushing them until the 1980s. I still remember as a kid seeing windows in storefronts making a big deal out of the fact that they accepted Visa and MasterCard. I kind of hope this doesn't make any impact on Archie's date with Veronica.
Archie rings Veronica up on the phone and gives her the good news about their date tonight and Veronica is a little bit nervous. It's not the first time that Archie has embarrassed himself and her by not having enough money on a date before, and she's worried that something will happen again. But Archie reassures her that he will be able to swing it, and he has made reservations for both of them at the fancy Swiss Chalet restaurant.
The night of the big date arrives, and Archie and Veronica are dressed to the nines. The interior of the restaurant is quite stunning. Violin players fill the air with romantic music, the tables are shrouded in candlelight, and the waiters are all decked out in tuxedos. It truly is one of the fanciest places in all of Riverdale, and one that most people wouldn't be able to afford. But Archie has got his golden ticket in the form of Mr. Andrews' credit card. With the card, he can afford such fancy dishes as the lobster, or the beef wellington, or caviar! He might not like them, but he can afford them. Veronica is incredibly impressed, and she can't wait to rub it in the faces of Betty, Nancy, Midge, Ethel, and all the other girls at Riverdale High that Archie took her to the ritziest place in town. Archie is just happy that Veronica is happy and promises her that it will be a night she will never forget.
The waiter comes to take their orders, and Archie takes this opportunity to ask the waiter which credit cards they accept. After all, some places accept American Express, but not Discover. Or, they may accept Visa and MasterCard, but exclude Capital One. The waiter makes it easy on Archie.
Well...at least Archie promised Veronica that it would be a night she'd never forget...
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