Darla is my friend. We have been friends since we had a combined total of four kids. Now we have seven kids. We have multiple similar addictions including, but not limited to: scrapbooking, collecting scrapbooking supplies, visiting voting booths with sick kids, decorating our kids’ rooms, making crafty decor items, killing centipedes, refinishing old furniture, playing games and finding BARGAINS! But most recently, she has led me to my current addiction: shopping at Goodwill on 50% off day.
It all started last summer in the dark of a Friday night when my phone rang. It was Darla. In her most sinister voice she asked if I would accompany her the following morning as an accomplice to score some goods. I agreed. She had been to Goodwill on Friday night and scoped out some dandy items for her girls’ rooms. “Pre-shopping the sale” is what this is called.
This was not a beauty pageant, in fact, I think she asked if I would at least brush my teeth before she picked me up in the get-away car at 0-dark-thirty. Saturday morning, the alarm rang, I grabbed some sweats, brushed my teeth, found a hat and was out the door. She looked a little worse than I did, as she had not found a hat. Her red hair was sticking up a little more than usual. Possibly it was a scare tactic.
As early as our arrival at the store was, 30 minutes prior to the doors opening, we were not the first people in the race for the 50% off pre-owned merchandise. There were five people ahead of us. Darla was eyeing up these early morning shoppers and she figured only one lady with a toddler might cause some grief. She was fairly determined that she could outrun (or trample) her on the way to the furniture section. She carefully emptied her coffee cup in the bushes by the front door and secured her travel mug in her purse for the pending pursuit.
As we stood in line, Darla outlined the open door procedure for me in a hushed voice. She had scoped out a shelf, a table and a crib mattress that she was determined to SCORE! However, the furniture always goes fast, so if she took time to get a cart, one of her items might be grabbed by an offending shopper. So, Darla instructed me to take her purse, as well as my own, and head straight for the carts. I was to immediately drive to the furniture section at the far southeast corner of the store. She would single-handedly seize all three items.
NINE O’CLOCK on the button the doors opened and the stampede began. Darla was gone in a red-headed flurry. With both purses encircling my arm, I acquired the first cart I found and bee-lined to the southeast corner. Darla is good, baby. Within 27 seconds, she captured the mattress, threw it on her desired table, clutched the shelf in both arms and sat on the mattress on top of the table. Still makes me giggle thinking about it! SWEET SUCCESS! That toddler’s mother still doesn’t know what happened!
Even when Darla and I are off on scrapbooking retreats in Prescott, Arizona, we make sure we hit the Goodwill store on 50% day. The deals are simply too good to pass up…. and after all, it’s now an addiction. (I visited two stores this past Saturday…. 50% off day, baby!)
My Sister's Jar 