Retail Robbery

       My Guy was off sitting behind an easel at an art workshop, so I took myself out for some retail therapy. There was little on the agenda other than a poke around in the stores at a neighboring town but I ended up at the same discount store I shop in by our condo.

          In Mecca (aka TJ Max) I shuffled my cart around, unmoved by any of the clothes. But I did find some lovely bath gel and a new wallet.

          I already have a wallet that I’ve loved for years, but it takes up too much real estate in my purse so I’d unearthed a tiny one I’d squirreled away in a drawer long ago. Soon I was wondering where all those mysterious dark crumbles at the bottom of my purse were coming from.

          Time for a new wallet and I found one - a goldilocks wallet, not too big and not too small.

          The thing, though, was the price. $16 was okaaay, but the original price – if the original tag was to be believed – was patently absurd. Maybe the MSRP (manufacturers’ suggested retail price) is just that – a suggestion. A hope that some fool would actually spend that much.

          I hope I never reach a point in life where I need to impress people with the label affixed to my shirt/wallet/coat. I remember shopping with a friend of the same mindset who held up a sweater, a giant abbreviation emblazoned across its chest, and said, “I refuse to pay to be a walking advertisement for some company.”

          And when you pause to consider the markup on things you buy, remember that wallet may have dropped from $98 to $16, but TJ Max was still making a profit.