Long weekend consumerism

We decided to brave the borders.  Armed with USD and a credit card, and lots of time, Mel and I went shopping in Washington state.  

We've both heard fabulous stories of how affordable (CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP) clothing is at Ross (akin to our Winners) and other such department stores.  So we went to all of them.

Our first stop was Ross at 9:30am.  Well, we actually arrived at about 9:10 am.  Ross wasn't opened yet, but the Dollar Tree was!  So in we went to see if there was anything worthwhile.  There was a Christian section.  I got a Christian-esque bulletin board border.  No Joke.  Only in the U.S.  Religious (christianity) -themed sections.

We went to Ross and was greeted with dense racks of clothing and mountains (not exaggerating) of shoes.  I guess they were sorting the gajillions of shoes and thought it best to just create piles in the aisles.  I'm very surprised that we weren't overwhelmed.  I think their strange organization methods were redeemed by their ridiculously low prices.  Soooooo many things less than 19.99 USD.  I ended up with a fabulous loooooooong purple beach dress.  Just what I wanted.  For 14.99 USD.  boO-yAh.  

We also ran into Susan K. at Ross.  How random.  We live in the same (ish) city but we'd never run into one another back here.  Though, of course, it was entirely possible to run into each other in Washington, in Ross, on Victoria day, at 10:15 am.  R. a. n. d. o. m.

Anyway, Ross would be thumbs up for cheap prices, o.k. quality, and a younger target customer base, though not limited to it.  

We then proceeded to T.J. Maxx.  Definitely is on the higher end of this type of department store.  More brand names.  Reflected in the prices.  Fewer items priced below $19.99 USD.  Still a steal if you're into the brands.  Got a t-shirt for brad.  Discovered a hole in the arm pit once he tried it on at home.  Darn it.  At least no one will try to stick their finger in said hole.  Except me.

Burlington outlets were next, where Mel and I happily traipsed into the lululemon.  I'd never seen so much stock in a single lululemon store before.  It was kind of crazy.  Lots and lots of things I could've liked, but the prices weren't super cheap.  In fact, the price labels were pretty much the same as here during a mark down or at the outlet, except of course, USD.  So we didn't end up with anything.

Nine West.  Scored these in Gobi red.   Woot.

They were marked 19.99 USD but I ended up paying only 14.99 for them.  DEALIO!!!!!!!!!!!!  Did I mention they're size 5???????????????  What planet did I land on?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

We wandered to the Christian Outlet for their fab sidewalk sale.  It wasn't bad.  I ended up with 2 cds and a KJV compact bible for less than 20 USD.  The tenth avenue north cd isn't bad either.  It's a little bit typical but they've some nice tunes.

Then we went hunting for Jack.  We drove a few blocks and found him and had a delicious burger lunch.  It was great.  Love that place.  

Off we drove again, this time south towards Marysville to find another department store of the same ilk, Marshalls.  This one was my favourite.  I liked the price range and pieces.  But above all, I LOVED their shoe selection. I found several pairs I could've bought but didn't think I should get more than 1 pair of shoes.  Here are the ones I almost bought.  I probably would've bought the orange ones had I purchased them....

Oh man, they were sooooooo comfortable.  They're called Vancouver, by Aerosoles.  Helen, these are the kinds of shoes you need if you want comfort.  No socks required.  All day walking and standing appropriate.  These won't cause you ligament pain.

Anyway, then we headed home.  The border wasn't bad.  We waited for just over an hour.  If you expect the worse each time you go to the border, nothing seems bad at all. 

Try it.