the bargain gene

Well, my first poll has officially ended!

The question was:  Where do you find your best bargains?  The choices were: Marshall's, overstock.com, Tuesday Morning, or other.  Here's what you said:  28% of you said Marshall's. 42% of you said Tuesday Morning.  42% of you said other.  (I know that doesn't add up to 100%...some of you must have selected more than one option!)

The reason I asked this question, is because I was born with the bargain gene.  I'm not sure how I got it, or why I even have it. I call it a gene because it's simply my nature to seek out a deal.  I don't even think twice about it when I'm buying something.  It's just what I do.

Here's how it works:  when I'm shopping, I'm on a mission.  I mean, I can't just buy anything. I have to find the perfect item at the perfect price.

And the funny thing about my bargain gene is that it talks.  As if finding the bargain isn't reward enough, I just can't keep the bargain to myself.  So much so, that my friends used to tease me about it.  They would say, "cute shoes, where'd you get 'em?" And inevitably, I'd tell them not only where I got them, but also the bargain price I bought them for.   It became this joke amongst us.  They knew that if they asked where I got something, it would also be followed by the price. It got so bad that they named an imaginary store after me (see sidebar, Barker's Bargain Basement) and then borrowed a line from some show we saw to conclude our conversations, "What a bargain! What a bargain for me!"  

So then our conversations went like this:

Friends:  "Cute shoes!  Where'd you get 'em, Barker's Bargain Basement?" 

Me:  (laughing) "No, I got them at Marshall's.  They were only $7.99!"

Friends:  (jaws dropped) "Are you serious?  What a bargain! What a bargain for me!"

It's kind of sad actually...this bargain gene rarely gives the non-sale items a chance. When I go into a clothing store, I make a bee-line for the back of the store where the sales are, practically knocking over the mannequins sporting the latest styles of the season.  I don't even glimpse at the stuff at the front of the store unless I've scoured the sales racks and can't find a deal.  What draws me into stores aren't the trendy window displays.  It's the big red signs in the windows that say, "SALE! or better yet, "CLEARANCE!"  This bargain gene even shows up when I shop online.  I immediately click on the sale or clearance links and then try and look for items with free shipping and in store returns!

So, of course I have to tell you about my latest "bargain of the century" (another phrase my friends and I use to discuss bargains :-)  I know, I know, you didn't ask, but I can't help it!

item:   brushed nickel, three-armed chandelier

vendor: Barker's Bargain Basement (where else?!) via overstock.com

original price: $174.99

sale price:  $24.99 + no tax and free shipping!

savings: $150.00

What a bargain!  What a bargain for me!

p.s. don't forget to vote in my new poll!