But we'd been hibernating much of the holiday weekend because I had the stomach flu. We were looking for something cheap and easy to get us out of the house. And my boys needed new pajamas.
On a Thrifftown sale day, I like to be at the store when it opens at 9am. But we were having a relaxed morning and it didn't work that way, so we didn't arrive until around 9:45. The parking lot was full and folks were parking in unofficial spaces. We ended up parking at the gas station several doors down.
This was a momentous Thrifttown trip because my husband went there for the very first time. I do not have a single picture of him, unfortunately. Not because he is camera shy, but because the store was so crowded that I opted to mind my children rather than snap pictures of him.
I was filled with regret as soon as we crossed the threshold. Too much of a frenzy; everyone's arms full of stuff. Yes, it's second hand stuff, but a thin film of greed seemed to envelope the room nonetheless. Must. Have. Stuff. For. Cheap. We are addicted to cheap stuff.
My kids are six and nine--great ages to learn about history. I could have brought them to a Memorial Day Commemoration in Richmond at the USS Red Oak Victory. When the ceremony began at 10 we were sifting through racks of mens' pants and kids' pajamas.
My husband took the boys to window-shop at a nearby bike shop while I waited on line... and waited and waited. I waited for 30 minutes through a line that must have been fifty shoppers deep.
Much to my surprise, my husband enjoyed the trip. He got two very high-quality, work appropriate pairs of pants for $20 instead of $40. Of the two of us, he is the clothes horse. So now we might be a family of thrifters.
And we got the boys some nice, much-needed pajamas. In the Bay Area, full-length cotton pj's are always justs about right. These pairs were $1.50 instead of $3. Was it worth braving all those crowds just to save $3? No, they'd be just as cute and cuddly at full price.
