Another Thing About a Bargain

Day 111
Another Thing About a Bargain

A thing or three, that is. I know I am not alone in the world of clearance or bargain craziness. Perhaps I have even jockeyed around you in an attempt to uncover a hidden treasure at a 70% off rack. I am realizing a few things, though.
Thing 1: Have you ever asked yourself why things are still on a store rack, markdown after markdown, month after month? Is it that all other bazillion shoppers that have perused these racks are blind or fashionless? Hmmm... that could be that case in a very small percent of items. But generally, what is left is truly picked over. It is true that I have found a few treasures but the majority of the time, I choose this passed-by garment only to find (shocking) that it fits poorly, is styled poorly, or is just wrong for me. Face it--sometimes fashion buyers make mistakes. They are called the 70% Off Rack.
Thing 2: When I finally accomplished the monumental task of cleaning, sorting and organizing my closet, I found that I have a small collection of "go-to" items. My best black skirt, my most versatile jacket, make favorite boots. None of these were from a clearance sale. In fact, I think they were, at best, 25% off retail price. I waited but they never seemed to be moved to that real "bargain zone." Because they are awesome. There is no additional enticement needed. If only I felt like I could afford to always shop that way, which leads me to ...
Thing 3: If I added up the amount I spent, or "saved" on clearance or super-bargain items, I could buy more than a few full priced things. Case in point: I purchased this dress at Parisian:

I had my eye on it for about a couple months. It's cool, right? I never tried it on but I thought it was exactly the thing my wardrobe was missing. With an original price of $110, I thought I'd keep my eye on it. Finally, my patience was rewarded when it reached the coveted "yellow tag clearance". (Note the yellow mark on the tag) This meant that the dress was now 70% off the marked down price of $87.97. This perfect dress, the missing piece that would complete my wardrobe was mine for just $26.39! Of course, my local Parisian didn't have my size anymore so I spent the day driving to two additional locations until, at last, the dress was mine. That was two years ago. The tag remains securely fastened. While the print is great, the cut of the dress is wacky. Admittedly, I'm a bit "hipp-y" but I don't think it would work for most figure types. I should have returned it, but I was so clever that I purchased at $110 dollar dress for $26.37, how could I return it? It was "just twenty-some bucks". If I added all those up, I would probably have a nice collection of well-cut, functional clothes that I love, some possibly purchased at (gasp) full price. This doesn't include the time and gas spent traipsing form store to store.

I'm not sure what I will do with this dress. Maybe I can make something out of it.