The Deal of the Day...

Everyone loves a bargain. I'm no exception. When I come across a great deal I have a term for it. I call it the 'Deal of the Day'. If we take this concept a step further we find that there are several levels of exceptional deals. Let's define 'em:

• Deal of the Day - The entry level prime deal. To qualify as a 'Deal of the Day', in my book, is where we get 50% or better off the normal price. At a retail store like JC Penneys this means getting that $30 shirt for $6.99. The more common 'Deal of the Day' usually happens at a garage sale. The typical 'Deal of the Day' is normally on something you weren't looking for but couldn't pass up because of the killer price. I rationalize that sooner or later, I'm gonna use it.
• Deal of the Quarter - More rare. Usually on an item you can use right now. Usually from a garage sale. Usually more discounted.
• Deal of the Year - Extremely rare. Exceptional deal on something you were looking for. Normally in the color and style you wanted. I also hang this title on big ticket items that I have purchased pennies on the dollar.

Shopping for these deals is an art. I apprenticed under a master. Mom taught me all I ever needed to know about ferreting out the good deals. My first recollection of a department store sale happened when I was about five years old. Mom took me to one of the larger department stores in downtown Minneapolis. The event was a 'Washington's Day Sale'. I remember standing outside the main doors of the store waiting for the place to open. There was a large group of women waiting along with us. At 9AM the doors swung open. In charged the masses. It was something like the game show called 'Supermarket Sweep'. In this show the contestants ran frantically through the store stuffing their shopping carts. Same principle here.

Mom also took me to Salvation Army stores searching for antique furniture. Except, in the early 60's the antique furniture that ended up there was stuff that was made anywhere from the 1880's to the 1930's. At the time, hardly anyone wanted the stuff. Mom would cruise the stores on regular intervals and cherry pick the best pieces. She never went over $20 on anything. Once acquired, mom would refinish the piece. At the time all of us kids thought she was crazy wasting her time and efforts restoring this junk. Today, everyone wants her stuff.
Here is a picture of Mom with her sister Violet. Mom's the one on the left. Mom still shops at the Salvation Army. Every winter she visits Violet in Southern California and they both cruise the thrift shops in the greater San Fernando Valley area.

Getting back to the 'Deal of the Day'. I got one today. Dunlaps Department store in Lake Havasu was being closed. Time was short. They were discounting items 75 to 90%. Too bad Dunlaps was a 'woman's store'. However, they were liquidating the store fixtures as well. I got two oak tables for $40. Not the cheap type but ones made from solid oak. I saw them last week at $150 and $80 each. Today, $40 for the both of them.

I think that this one qualifies as the Deal of the Quarter.