Black Friday's Cool Coup

While I had no intention of venturing out into the retail fray on infamous Black Friday, I happened to find myself at the nearby thrift store while I was running an errand to the post office.  The parking lot was fairly empty, which surprised me, so I decided to stop in to see if they had any items that would be suitable for re-sale on eBay.  I've had good success finding great items there that I've purchased very inexpensively and resold on eBay for a decent profit.  It's a great resource and I get to support a worthy enterprise that is run by a well-known nonprofit organization, while earning a few dollars at the same time.  Every little bit helps.

I learned upon arrival that there was a storewide sale in progress - discounts on clothing and holiday merchandise, in addition to their usual weekly 50% discount on items marked with a specific color of price tag. The color changes each week and this week it happened to be pink.  Armed with that information, I began to scour the housewares shelves for potential re-sale items.  I noticed that a group of dinnerware items - some salad plates, cups and saucers - marked with the "mse" (Martha Stewart Everyday) mark bore the price tag color of the week.  I had seen them before and admired them, but, even though they were quite affordable, I didn't want to buy for myself.  I strolled down the next aisle and - lo! - there were the matching dinner plates.  I picked them up, looked at the price and started to do the math.  All told, there were 16 pieces in the store, a complete service for four, including dinner and salad plates, cups and saucers - all in perfect condition.  They made their way into my basket and out the door for a mere $12 plus tax!  They are a calm and cozy taupe color, octagonal shape, with a simple raised dot pattern around the border, and make the perfect dishes for everyday use.

I've been using these dishes for about a week now and I love them.  Happy ending all around.  Oh, and I found some great stuff to re-sell on eBay, too.  Happy holidays!