Some Wal-Mart Superstores have removed their fabric and craft department. Think about it -- I bought a nice blouse for $5 on the clearance rack last night. It would have cost me more than that in fabric and buttons to make it myself (plus years of sewing lessons, but I digress). My store hasn't given up on crafts. And last night, I found out why.
Scrapbooking addicts.
I am convinced that a few scrapbookers can single-handedly keep the department afloat. Last night, lovely young lady starts piling stuff on the belt. Piles of it. The clear cellophane sticker packs. 30 different kinds of peel and stick type. Plastic stencils. Colored brads.
"I know it's going to be about $300, but I love this stuff."
Wow. $300. My part-time check at Wal-Mart isn't much more than that. This stuff isn't contagious, is it?
The yellow plastic stencil of the beach scene gets tangled with some other yellow plastic stencil. I try to carefully free them -- she grabs the beach scene out of my hand. "Oh, that's going to be hard to do, but I probably won't use the surfer dude very often anyway." Surfer dude in scrapbook in Arizona? Probably highly unlikely, but go for it.
"Don't ya just love them?" she asks, as I scan Disney stickers by the handful.
Actually, no. I have a few Disney shirts, Disney stuffed animals I bought for my son years ago, but I'm not a princess or Tinkerbell fan. I smile and keep scanning.
"I have two whole suitcases of this at home."
I explain that I don't scrapbook, don't have time, work two jobs. Her plight doesn't do anything to change my mind. I would have piles of various stickers, stamps and fancy cutters that I would use very occasionally, then store in something. Truth be told, I'm trying to un-clutter my life. "You've got to make time," she trills.
No, I don't.
"Hi, I'm at Wal-Mart, checking out," she says to her cell phone. "I got a few more scrapbooking things off their clearance shelf."
A few more? Off the clearance shelf? That explains about four items on the belt. How about the other 83? Really. 87 items, almost all full price -- and today's price comes to $380 and some change. Wonder if she will share that info with whoever was on the other end of the phone?
Without choking or gagging at all, she runs her credit card.
If I had an extra $380 in my account, I'd do a weekend in California. Donate something to the food bank. Throw a party for my son and his friends. Bolster my church parking lot fund. Join a couple of friends in a Victoria's Secret shopping spree. Buy gas (OK, slightly overstated, but not far from the truth at over $3 per gallon). Not buy decorations for a photo album that will stay in my closet for eternity.
Somewhere, someone is creating "Scrapbookers' Anonymous." This lady is the future poster child.
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1 comment:
That's a riot. I understand your plight- if I had enough extra cash to blow $380 on something frivolous, there's a whole list of things that come way ahead of scrapbooking supplies. I completely agree that it's all just a bunch of clutter. I can't stand it when people have all sorts of goofy captions, stickers, cutout widgets and shapes all over their pictures. It's so distracting,and looks so teenage (no offense anyone). Are the pictures themselves not enough?
Keep up the blog, I really enjoy it.
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