Thrift-store streak

I seem to be on a streak as far as thrift store shopping goes. Remember how, last week, I considered buying a $40 flannel shirt on sale for $36, but then found one I liked even better for $17? And remember how, during that same online shopping trip, I also considered and rejected two pairs of pants on the grounds that I didn't really need them? Well, guess what I found at the thrift shop last Friday?

This actually came about through a serendipitous little string of impulse decisions. When I set out for my walk on Friday, I wasn't actually planning to go to the thrift shop; I just thought I'd stop by the farmers' market and maybe pick up some apples. I ended up deciding the apples there were all too expensive, but I thought while I was there, I might as well pop into the thrift shop and just take a quick peek at the racks. I didn't really expect to find anything, because as I've mentioned before, our local thrift shop has a pretty small selection that doesn't change much from week to week. Sure enough, I didn't see any tops on the racks that I hadn't seen before, but then I made my second impulse decision and went over to have a look at the jeans. I normally don't shop for pants at this store because there's no place to try them on, and the way I'm shaped makes holding them up to check the fit more or less useless. But when I actually found a pair in a size 12 petite, I made my third impulse decision: seeing that there was no one else in the room, I tucked myself behind the rack and hastily slipped out of the jeans I was wearing to try the new ones on. And lo and behold, they fit. I mean, like a glove. Given how hard it is for me to find pants that fit when I'm specifically looking for them, finding a pair by accident like this seemed little short of a miracle.

So, seeing as I was on such a lucky streak, I decided to check out the rest of the pants on the racks as well. And sure enough, there was a simple pair of black cotton canvas pants in a 12 petite. I did my quick-change routine again, and what do you know, these fit too. I actually hesitated for just a few seconds over them, remembering that I already had several pairs of black pants at home, but then reason reasserted itself; when you have as much trouble as I do finding pants that fit, you can't afford to look a gift pair in the mouth (or cuffs, or what have you). So, after slipping back into my own jeans again, I took the two pairs up to the desk and found that they were, not $2 a pair as I'd expected, but only $1 a pair. Two crisp dollar bills, and they were mine.

The whole thing was so easy that it actually seems kind of spooky. I mean, how did I do that? Could it be that I've got some kind of bargain-hunting mojo I didn't know about until now? I almost feel like I should try going to a bunch of other retail sites, putting several more expensive garments into my virtual shopping bag, removing them again, and seeing if their equivalents end up falling magically into my hands at bargain prices.