the luckiest shopping trip ever? maybe.

Last night my friend Anna had a few of us over for an Oscar party.  I was in charge of making the ballots, which I did that afternoon.  I wanted to pick up some sort of prize for the most correct predictions, so at around 3pm I went to Party City, hoping they would have fake plastic Oscar statues.  They didn't, but this is what I found:  Hollywood-themed plates, napkins, and serving trays.  Marked down from like $4.00 to 50 cents a package.  100-foot string of gold and silver star decorations.  Marked down to $1.50.  I was ecstatic.  It's like they wanted me to come in and shop for my Oscar party.  

After I walked out, pleased with myself, I noticed that the Goodwill store was right next door to Party City.  The day before, I had looked at Target for a skinny red belt to wear with my black dress and they didn't have one in my size.  I thought to myself, "I'll pop into Goodwill and see if they have a fun colored belt I can wear with my dress.  Why not?"  So I went in, and began to peruse the belt rack, and there it was.  The exact skinny patent leather red belt I had been picturing in my head.  For $1.29.  I also found a cool beige-ish skinny belt that I decided to pick up as well for the same price.  I headed up to the checkout counter, which had no line.  On my way, though, I got distracted by the rack of CDs.  Among the various instrumental Christmas recordings by unknown artists, a cursory glance revealed a shocking discovery:  The Hold Steady's Stay Positive CD, still in the plastic shrink wrap.  For $2.29.  I'm so glad I didn't buy this two months ago when I wanted to.  

The only downside to this shopping trip was that while I was picking up the CD, two ladies got in front of me in the line to pay.  Each of them had an entire cart piled HIGH with stuff.  I was in line for probably around 15 to 20 minutes to buy my under-$5.00 purchase of two belts and a CD.  The pace at which the cashiers were operating (I would compare it to an apathetic snail) was borderline ridiculous.  But I guess they're allowed to be as slow as they want, because I waited it out (and so did the 5 or 6 people that began to pile up behind me in line).  

P.S.  If anyone wants a large table painted with a mural of the Chiquita banana girl for $15, it is at Goodwill.