The Ups and Downs of Shopping

Before I get into that, I need to say that Ralph Macchio is timeless! Dancing With the Stars is on in the background and I am just in awe. He is a manboy! He has been married to his wife for 24 years and they showed a picture of his wedding in 1987 and it definitely looks like he has only aged 5 years. Karate must be a fountain of youth.
Prior to Ralphy distracting me, I was going to write about my flabbergasting shopping experiences this weekend. The Target by my house just got a grocery department. This has been a trying transition because they have moved everything around but I have been trying to go often enough to stay well oriented. Generally, I think Target is a wonderland oasis. However, this Saturday I went to the new "improved" Target and, for the first time in history, I wanted to leave!! The produce prices were good and my fridge was empty, as evidenced by my post from Saturday, so I decided to brave the crowd but it was barely worth it. Too many people were there and the rows were too narrow to accommodate all the gawkers. Two carts side by side was a challenge. On top of all that, I was trying to find a new sound machine and first, staff were really hard to find and second, they all gave me mixed directions. The guys in the electronics department told me the store didn't carry the item, which I knew to be false since I got my last one there. Another girl told me they were in electronics. Upon my return to that area, they were all out. UGH!
To counteract my negative feelings about Target, I was pleasantly surprised by the Dollar Tree by my house. I am not much of a dollar store shopper. My mom loves those kinds of places and I think a part of me has to rebel just because of that. They always seem dirty and sketchy to me. I wanted to get out of the house for a walk to channel vacation Maureen and I ended up over there. I needed a bunch of birthday cards for all the Spring birthdays in my family and they had them for $ .50!! I thought I was buying them at face value so when they rang in for less than a dollar, I was thrilled! I got liquid plumber for a buck, too! For nine dollars and some change I left with four cards, ribbon, nail polish, liquid plumber, a candle lighter, and two boxes of candy. AMAZING!!