The Sales of Yore: Part 2

*See Part 1 here.

The day had finally come and I couldn't have been more excited. Our local Albertson's grocery store was closing its doors and everything was being cleared out, even the shelves.

I had seen a few things the day before that I couldn't wait to pick up for mere pennies, bags and bags of chocolate chips primarily.

The banner out front announced "98% Off", but I knew the day before the manager had said that the prices would be reduced until everything was gone. I had left the kids at home, including a nursing 6 month old, with their grandparents, so I knew I only had a certain window of time before I had to get back home.

As I walked through the front doors, I was met by a lady wheeling her cart out FULL OF CHOCOLATE CHIPS! My heart sank! I had been counting on getting at least a few bags, but it looked like she had cleaned them out.

When I got my cart and set to work, I could see that she had indeed bought all of the chocolate chips, and there was a feeding frenzy of carts and grabbing hands in the baking aisle. I did see that the vanilla flavoring had been left untouched, so I put 10 bottles in my cart.

At first, I was reluctant to take all there was of any item. That would be greedy. Wouldn't it? But, then I couldn't help but notice the manager standing on a counter with a microphone holding up items for 2 cents, then 1 cent. I decided that since they obviously wanted to clear everything out, that I should do my part and take what I wanted off their hands.

I went back to get more vanilla, but it was too late. They were all gone. The atmosphere was frenzied as more people began to realize that the items were going fast. I cleared my head the best I could and began to load up my cart.

I saw pizza sauce for 2 cents a can. I normally make my own pizza sauce because I can do it so frugally, but COME ON!! 2 CENTS!! I put all of them in my cart. Next, I got spaghetti sauce, black bean dip, and salsa.

Then, I moved over an aisle and set to work on health and beauty products. I got a few hair care supplies and then I saw it. The mother load. On the end of an aisle, there it was. Something I had never thought about hoarding before. Bath soap. Stacked high and deep. Waiting forlornly to be chosen and taken to its new home.

I looked around quickly and saw that no one was interested in my treasure. Then, I spied the tattered sign, marked up with lower and lower prices, that revealed my good fortune. Bath Soap 3 for 1 cent! Oh, Jubilee! I could hardly contain my fervor! I used my whole arm and, with sweeping motions, raked all of the soap off the shelf. My heart was pounding at this point.

The manager was now announcing that cranberry sauce was going for 1 cent a can. I threw a few in my buggy, but couldn't really think of a reason we needed dozens of cans of cranberry sauce. I settled for 10 cans.

I finally decided that I really didn't need any "Congratulations on your First Communion" Hallmark cards, no matter how cheap they were, so I wheeled my buggy into the checkout line. I could hardly believe my good fortune when I held high my floor length receipt. The total? $2.77!!

That's right! I had bags and bags of bargains and a cart full o' antibacterial clean for less than $3!!

I was giddy to show off my loot and rushed home to unload it. My family couldn't believe it!

I kept that receipt for weeks just so I could caress it and convince myself that it really wasn't a dream. I really had brought home a year and half worth of bath soap for pennies!

We eventually used up all of the bargains, except for the soap. We seemed to have a never ending supply. My husband would joke about our bargain deodorant antibacterial "Compare to Dial" soap, but I would just smile, knowing that no other family in town was getting clean as frugally as we were.

Now we are down to our last bar of that frugal find. I'll never forget you, Oh Slippery Bargain Bar.

I hereby testify that the above account is factual!