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Deal of the Month:
Cross border bargains...
PSST!
In late summer, a friend asked me if I wanted to join her, her sister and her friend on a shopping trip to Erie, Pennsylvania. Not one to decline a chance to deviate from my “wild” weekend routine of doing groceries and cleaning my room, I eagerly accepted the invitation.
Our journey took us to a well-known shopping center, the Mill Creek Mall. I had some US cash left over from my Atlanta trip, so I was ready to do some damage in the mall. Okay, that’s a total lie. I’m not the most enthusiastic shopper (I do like to find deals, but shopping…not so much!) so I kinda knew that I was going just for the road trip, and not necessarily to fill my closet.
We arrived at the mall at 9:00 AM, and for the first few hours all I did was purchase some Chinese food and a smoothie. I tried on a million pairs of pants but I didn’t find anything that I liked. I spent the next couple of hours watching my friends try on and purchase shoes, watches, jeans and even a winter coat.
We headed to JC Penney towards the end of day. We started our shopping extravaganza there in the morning, but I didn’t see anything that I really liked. I did see a cute pink flowy top that I was dying to try on, but my friend said that we’d eventually go back to the store later on.
When we returned to JC Penney, I almost forgot about the top that I saw in the morning.
While searching for my friends among the sea of bargain hunters, I noticed the pinkish, polka dotted top that I saw at the beginning of the day. I dragged it off the rack and ran into the fitting room. Needing a little guidance, my friend followed me and helped me tie the satin bow in the front. As soon as I put it on she said that I looked fabulous and that I had to buy it. I did a few more spins in the three-way mirror and then I smugly sauntered to the cash register. I noticed that the tag read that it was $15, down from $36 – which I thought was an absolute steal!
When the cashier rang up the purchase, she said, “That will be $7.49, please.” I repeated, “$7.49?” And she responded, “Yes, it’s $7.49.” I couldn’t stop saying $7.49. I just couldn’t fathom that this top could be mine for less than $10. When I realized that the cashier was not playing a cruel joke on me, I plopped down eight bucks on the counter. It felt good knowing that I finally purchased something other than food, and that my friends were finally going to stop teasing me about my “weird shopping habits” (read: my inability to shop under pressure!).
After eight straight hours in the mall, we finally left with a million shopping bags in hand (okay, I just had the one bag) and agreed that we were going to visit the mall again very soon. ¤ Michelle