Weird Weekend at Target

Ugh, what a horrid, unproductive weekend. The cupcakes I baked on Sunday all turned out wonky, I came down with something slightly worse than a cold so I was too exhausted to try again, and on Saturday everything I tried to do didn't work either. Everywhere I looked around the house there was clutter and unfinished projects and chores tormenting me. I managed to talk my husband into going out with me for a little coffee and dessert pick me up at the Barnes & Noble Cafe so I could get a break from it all. Thus began my weird and frustrating experience at Target this weekend.

As we were leaving, I went to put on my new flip flops that I'd found on clearance there last week. I snapped them up without trying them on because I already have the same pair in a different color. I'd removed the tags and thrown away the receipt because I knew they'd fit. Or so I thought. When I put them on the right shoe fit fine but the left one was so tight I couldn't even get my foot in. Holding them up side by side I could see that the straps on the left shoe were much shorter than on the right even though they were both labeled size ten. I guess you get what you pay for at Target, eh?

Hoping it wouldn't be too late to replace them with a properly-sized pair I rushed to Target to see if they still had any in my size. Alas, they didn't but oddly the size nine ones, while a little snug, fit better than the left shoe of the size tens. Fortunately Target is hip to the times and allows you to look up your transaction by credit card rather than having to provide a receipt, so I was able to exchange them with almost no trouble. The woman did try to argue that they looked like I'd worn them based on a little scuff on the bottom, but there was a similar scuff on the brand new ones I was getting so I was able to insist that I couldn't even get my foot into the shoe, let alone wear it anywhere.

My faith in Target restored, I checked out the wares in the bedding section hoping to find a deal. I found a perfect set of Thomas O'Brien sheets for us and noticed that the king-sized ones were marked down to $40, a bit pricey but reasonable considering that I've been trying to find the right sheets for months now. The queen set, which is the one I'd need, had no clearance tag but I figured it had simply fallen off. Turns out that was not the case. While I could have gotten the king set for $40, the queen set was still full price at $70. Crazy! Needless to say, I wouldn't pay that much for sheets at Target even if they seem to be better quality than most of their goods. Heck, I wouldn't pay that much for sheets anywhere because things in our house tend to get destroyed, hence my need for new sheets to replace my beloved DKNY sheets that mysteriously ripped in half while no one but my husband was around. Hmmm. Quite a mystery.

Clearance sales are to be found all over the store this time of year, so when I found a nightgown I'd tried on last week and liked on the 30% off rack I knew I could now justify buying it. There was only one purple version and several of it in black, but purple was the one for me. Turns out it wasn't on sale either even though its black counterparts were. I left that one behind too because who wants to pay full price at Target? Frustrating yet again!

To top it off, my husband got one of those ludicrously-colored red Slurpee knockoffs there and when he offered me a sip a drop of it fell from the lid onto my khaki shorts and I had to walk around with a stain the rest of the day. Grrr. Definitely not my weekend.

Things were sort of redeemed when we wound up at a second Target over the weekend, one which did have my flip flops in size ten. I had to try on three pairs before I found one with more or less symmetrical shoes but I was able to easily exchange my size nines for tens. Weirdly, even though the two stores are about five minutes apart, the second store was selling the shoes for $2 more. Not a problem for an exchange but annoying if you're trying to shop for the best deal. We also scored these goodies, including a portfolio folder perfect for storing my recipes:



I also miraculously found something in the clearance section marked down to $8 from $35. That never, ever happens because in our area things are usually sold out before they even go on sale, or they're snapped up as soon as that red sticker goes on with the first tiny price reduction. That's not to say that I live in an especially affluent area but rather that people around here are bad at managing their money. I keep reading other bloggers' posts about fantastic shower curtains they find on clearance at Target that they turn into cute purses and decor, but I figured I'd never have that luck until we move to somewhere less sucky. Then I found this cute cat shower curtain that I know will make some great bags for the cat lovers on my list:



Target, I still love you but I wish things had worked out better for us this weekend. You can always make it up to me next weekend, though!