Weekend in a Sea of Bargains

As always, the weekend ended too quickly!  Woodburn Outlet Mall was packed - I couldn't figure out why it was so busy until I realized it was a President's Day holiday weekend and there were sales extraordinaire.  Duh! 

Both Nike and Adidas were having 50% off clearance-priced items, including shoes.  It was a madhouse at Nike....overcrowded with people pushing and shoving, searching for the best deal.  And the strollers.....arrggg!!   I began to envy the people with strollers because they were using them as a tool to part the red sea of shoppers in order to snatch up the elusive pair of Nike's.  I noticed that people were rather rude as well....lacking in "excuse me" or "sorry" when they shoved past us, both in the store and on the crowded walkways.  It's as if there is a correlation between the higher percent of discount and the lack of kindness in strangers.  Twenty percent off means people are still friendly, all smiles and joyfulness.  But once you hit 50% and above discount, all niceties go out the window....the base, guttural human instinct to save money takes over and rudeness enter the building!  You won't believe it but I walked out of Woodburn Mall with absolutely nothing! I shopped, I searched, but there just wasn't anything that called my name.

One of the humorous occurrences that happened over the weekend was when we stopped to get gas.  I was using my local credit union debit card and the gas station attendant said "do you live in Kelso?"  I replied "yes" then asked him if he lived there.  He said he did and that he actually attended the same high school as my boys.  When I asked him if he knew my boys, he said "Oh Sam, he's the one that draws Batman."  Oh geez, the kid has a reputation even as far as Gresham, Oregon! 

In addition, I discovered that my new guy's apartment is located within walking distance to.....hold on for it.....wait.....an Ulta store!!  Yes, one of my favorite stores filled with makeup and hair products and it's within walking distance!  I about died and went to heaven when I saw that!!

We also hit the Troutdale Outlet Mall, including a stop at the Adidas store.  I ended up purchasing four pairs of tennis shoes - one for each of the boys and two pairs for me - at 50% off the marked price.  My shoes ended up being $15 each and the boys were $25 - steals for Adidas!!

On the way home, I swung by Vancouver Mall to pick up a Robin t-shirt for Sam (yes, as in Batman and Robin.)  I cruised through JC Penny and discovered some fantastic deals, including my find of the month......a black Nicole Miller single-sleeved top for $2.  Yep - two bucks!!!

It's now Monday again and my wonderful weekend has ended.    Here's to outstanding bargains for you during this week, Divas!!!