Today for lunch, for the first time, I decided to get a sandwich from Balducci's near Lincoln Center.

The roast turkey with guacamole sandwich on seven grain bread was very good. However, I was intrigued by the peculiar Balducci's sandwich price schedule.

As a general rule, pre-made sandwiches should cost less than ones made on demand. There are at least two reasons for this. First, pre-made sandwiches are of marginally lower quality than freshly made ones, so customers should pay less for them. Second, stores should offer a discount on pre-made sandwiches as an incentive to choose them. Then, less labor would be needed to prepare fresh sandwiches, and the store could pass along cost savings to customers in the form of lower prices.

But that's not what happens at Balducci's. There, a pre-made sandwich costs $8.00, while a freshly made one costs $7.50.

The result? There was a somewhat long line of people, not particularly well ordered, though once they started making my sandwich, delivery time was quite acceptable. And the sandwich itself was excellent, if pricey.

The pricing was odd, though. It reminded me of the sign I saw once in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, in front of a t-shirt store: "Sale! One for $12.98. Two for $26."