Mail-order music clubs such as Columbia House and BMG Music Service have taken to the Web as well.

CNN: Where to buy music on the Web

But, after studying a high-tech corporate-services provider, a French grocery group, a German broking house and an American mail-order company, the authors found little correlation between loyalty and profitability.

ECONOMIST: Not all loyal customers are profitable��or vice versa

The absurdity and mystery continue with "Missing Heels, " in which a mail-order bride arrives in a strange town and starts living at the house of a husband she only sees in her dreams.

CNN: VIEWS FROM THE FRINGE