Elvis Presley's mysterious $25.75 discount

In 1960, Elvis visited Miami and stopped by Ace Formal Wear. He got $25.75 taken off a $231.75 bill for renting tuxedos. In inflation-adjusted dollars, those savings would come to $187.41 in 2010. That's a whole lot of peanut butter.

I wonder if the shop here is the same Ace that Elvis shopped at years ago. If they are, they need to advertise their moment with the King of Rock n' Roll. Anything a cultural icon touches is imbued with a mysterious value, as if knowing that people larger than life share some of the same mundane experiences of our own somehow makes us more connected to greatness, our potential own and that of others.

If you're curious to learn more about the shop that served Elvis, this article from 1959 gives us cool details. Another one from April 1960 mentions Elvis's patronage of the shop. Here is the dry paragraph:

Elvis Presley and his manager, Col. Parker, purchased tuxedos from Ace Formal Wear when the star was here recently for the filming of the Frank Sinatra television show.

You know, after reading that, I think I figured out what the $25.75 discount was for: the proprietor threw in one free tuxedo rental. Maybe a reward for buying a tux for $150 ($1091.71 in 2010 dollars). Yep. Three percent sales tax on $25 is 75 cents. So there we are. Life lesson? If you buy a tux, make sure you get to rent one for free.