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What's more satisfying than a Snickers bar and scarier than a blind date? An impulsive trip to one of those dollar stores popping up all over town. One night while my husband was in the middle of concocting a gourmet dinner, he was shocked to realize some of the main ingredients were missing. "Can you do me a favor and run to the store for milk and French bread?" he pleaded. "And hurry, the rest of the meal is almost finished." Knowing there would be a tasty reward at the end of all this, I was up and out the door in no time.
As I quickly pulled into the Smitty's parking lot with cows and Garlic salt on my mind, a big green sign caught my attention: DOLLAR STORE THIS WAY. "Dollar Store?" I thought. I've always wondered what they sold at those stores. Maybe they had milk and French bread and even deserts! So I thought for the sake of my husband's edible masterpiece, I'd better scope it out. I changed my course and entered the guilty pleasure cleverly called Greenbacks. The rest is a blur.
I vaguely recall strolling up and down every aisle. Closely inspecting each feature, my eyes popping out of my head. Amazed at what they could get away with selling for only a buck. Heavy-duty hair brushes, funky-looking gift bags, glass cookie jars, computer software, cotton socks, aromatherapy soaps, picture frames, bathroom cleaners (name brand!), party accessories, holiday gifts, batteries, organizer date books, gourmet cooking utensils.... the list went on and on.
They weren't things I needed to enhance my life, but just the fact that everything was a dollar was enough to persuade me to spend $20. I held a jumbo-size bag of Red Vines licorice and asked the clerk, "Is this a dollar too?" She pointed to one of the many signs (I had already read) that said, "YES! EVERYTHING IN THE STORE IS A DOLLAR!" It was there, by the candy aisle and the mouthwash display, that French bread popped into my mind, and the fact that I now had been gone for 90 minutes.
I did eventually make it home with the milk needed to make the pasta sauce and French bread, only to find the kids and my husband eating Frosted Flakes. My husband had put the unfinished meal away. I'll never forget the looks of abandonment on their faces when I walked through the door.
The moral of the story? Definitely check out the dollar stores in your area. They're a blast to shop and it's fun to see how far a dollar can go. But, uh, just make sure it's on your own time...
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