Date: 28 June 2014. Deal Breaker (galley gear in thrift store)

[Posted late because I'm in transit.]

A while back I was walking along a road and an acquaintance pulled up in her car next to me. It was a gal I'd met in one of the stores I frequented, and we'd had fun chatting about life, children and more. I liked her -- still do, except for that one thing. And it's a doozy.

When she asked if I wanted to ride with her over to the next town to a larger thrift store I was thrilled.  I love thrift stores. They are such fun and there's almost always something I can use either as-is or with some modification aboard Seaweed. The prices are affordable too.

For instance, I used to have a piece of aluminum foil folded over to make a wind break when I used my propane stove. A bit of thinking made me realize the ring from a spring-form pan would provide the same service and be much tidier.
 

It holds my pans or teapot in place. Best of all, in most breezes I don't have to shut the back door and the stove burner does not blow out. Win! And at less than a dollar, I did well.

You might put the same item on your list of desired Galley Gear too. The 3x5 Cards article tells how I organize my wishes (retail versus used) and might be helpful as well.

That pan is just one of the many reasons I like thrift stores. Hunting for bargains is fun for me. With a bit of creativity I can have nice things aboard Seaweed for not a lot of cash.

Thus, when this gal offered to take me to a mega-thrift store in a different county I was delighted for the outing.  "Sounds like fun" I said, and we were off.

We went our separate ways in the thrift store and though I didn't find anything particularly of note I did pick up a new white shirt. I tend to wear long sleeved white shirts, and when they get too grimy or stained I chop them up and turn them into rags.
 

Former shirt, now a stack of disposable 12" (give or take) work rags.

I don't wash these when dirty. This is the final stop before the garbage can.
The shirt gets one more use and then out it goes. Aboard Seaweed I don't keep trash.

Of course I have to save the buttons first. Grandma did. Mother did. And now I do so. One of these days I'll check but I'm almost positive my daughter has a button collection. At least I hope she does. It's a family tradition.

So we shopped and on the way back to town my pal suggested a stop at Walmart. Yeah!  I wear children's shoes and they are not easy to find in adult styles. [One of these days I'll save up and buy another pair of boat shoes.] Mine finally were consigned to the dumpster after a hard life!

Anyway, I was shopping for shoes (found a pair) and ran into the woman in the same department. She was swapping the tags on a box with shoes in it. I tell you I was SHOCKED!!! I'd not come across that sort of thing for a long time and was frankly appalled.

For some reason I figure that retail stores pricing is arbitrary and set in stone.  I cannot imagine the nerve it takes to rip a tag off one box and put it on another. That's just not me.

Subsequently I paid for my items and waited up front for the Sticky-Fingers to finish her shopping.  I was afraid she'd get taken to jail, or something else bad would happen.  It's wrong to do that sort of thing!

For the record, Walmart's scanner did not let it slip through with the wrong price. I have no idea how they figured it out, but fortunately they did. I want no part of that sort of thing.

When I returned home (gosh it was good to be back on Seaweed) I called a friend who asked "Is that a deal breaker?" The answer was a resounding "Yes".

To all the ladies and gents who have taken me shopping in the past: Thank you for not stealing! I didn't realize such a thing could/would happen in my presence and it was very disturbing. And I promise if you take me places I'll mind my manners too. 

There's an old rule about that sort of behavior most adhere to.
The Eighth Commandment: "Thou shall not steal."

So, that's my tale of shopping with an acquaintance. I'm sorry it turned out the way it did as I truly do love shopping in thrift stores. Walmart too for that matter. In the comments section I'd like to know if I'm alone in this experience.

Has there ever been a time when you discovered something about a pal that was a Deal Breaker?
And I'm also curious as to what your deal breaker involved.

COMMENTS:
 

Categories: Boat Talk, Characters, Galley, Money, Vignettes

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