Visit on Facebook Visit on Linked In Follow on Twitter

Smile-breaks

If you want to save money -

     Did'ya ever stop by Costco for a Big Gulp? 'Course not. Costco doesn't have Big Gulps. You have to go to 7-Eleven for a Big Gulp. The only Big Gulp at Costco is when the cashier rings up your purchases, smiles sweetly and says, "That'll be two hundred dollars" and you only stopped in for a couple of frozen dinners.

     But you know how it goes. It's all good stuff you've got there in your cart. The prices were right and you really do need the carne asada, the rain jacket and those CDs you couldn't find anywhere else. Still – two hundred dollars?

     You knew going in. You knew. Have you ever come out of Costco for less? If you were serious about not running up your credit card balance, if you were determined not to spend over twenty dollars, you should've gone to the cheap store. You should've gone to your neighborhood 7-Eleven, or Circle K, known nationwide for their convenience and exorbitant prices. You'll save gas, too, - not a small consideration these days! - 'cause it's a lot closer to home than those huge discount stores.

     Besides, I bet you never spent two hundred dollars at a 7-Eleven. Not counting the week the Lottery was at a hundred and seventy million and climbing and you bought a few more tickets than usual.

     A shopping trip at 7-Eleven or Circle K is simplicity itself. It takes a total of sixty seconds to cover the entire store. It's easy to walk right past the packages of four Band-Aids for five bucks without lingering to weigh your options. It's no problem to walk past the dairy case on your way to the Slurpee machine without experiencing vague feelings of guilt at having shunned the happy smiling cows of California. Or past the half- shelf of canned goods that even if you did grab one of the cans, you wouldn't know how to open it since it has no pop-top, tamper-proof seals or screw-off lids.

     Most times you can get out of 7-Eleven without even a bag. Tuck the bottle of Crystal Springs under your arm, stick your lottery ticket in your pocket and grab today's paper on the way out, if you're so inclined. A twenty-dollar bill will get you in and out of a 7-Eleven every time.

     You don't want to try that at Costco. Nope. For Costco you'll need heavy-duty cash, plus a platinum credit card for backup. Grab one of those enormous gaping-hole carts – ever notice 7-Eleven doesn't provide carts? – and settle in for the ride.

     Just came to get some of that new salsa Joe told you about? Just gonna go straight to the salsa aisle, get your twelve jars, and take the first aisle leading back to the checkstands?

     Good luck! Bet'cha stop at the electronics on your way. Look at that! Dell put out a new laptop for only six hundred bucks. Just what you've been waiting for… And look at that digital camera, and – Hey! Where'd she go?

     She's two aisles over, checking out the pool toys and those fold-up beach chairs. Marked down – two for twenty.
Salsa. Remember? You came for salsa. With twenty dollars in your wallet so you wouldn't get carried away. So you'd get in and out in twenty minutes.

     Well, you know how it goes. Good thing you brought the card with you.

     Next time you want to try a new brand of salsa, save yourself some gas – and a whole lot of money - and walk down to your neighborhood convenience store. The salsa might be kind'a pricey, but it'll only take five minutes of your time and a twenty-dollar bill.

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Back to Smile-breaks

 

© Copyright 2018 Sheila Buska All Rights Reserved
Site Design & Maintenance by Dreamwirkz Web Designs, Inc.