Thrift Stores

Elkmont, Alabama

Weather: low 16 degrees, high 28 degrees, clear skies

We had more snow blow through here last night, with about a inch on the ground when we got up this morning. The latest poop from the weather folks is that we should have another snow event on Monday and Tuesday that may equal the six inches we got a couple of weeks ago. Then, more snow on Thursday. Okay, we'll just stay by the heat and keep warm.

We went in to town after lunch to pick up a few things at the grocery store. For some reason, I keep forgetting that Friday is one of the busiest days of the week, and therefore, not a day that I want to be in a store. It was just as busy as ever today, but the good thing is that I was able to go through the quick service lane with almost no waiting. What took the longest was finding where the crackers had been hidden, I mean relocated. It's aggravating to look where something is usually located, then have to search the whole store to find one item that has been moved. Sometimes, there doesn't seem to be any reason for the move.

When we left the store, we decided to check out a couple of thrift stores for a small end table we need. Thrift stores seem to be on every corner up here. It's hard to believe there can be much money in the business, but I guess there's enough to keep them open. Many of them claim to be supporting religious or charitable organizations, so I guess anything gained is a plus.

The first store had a lot of what what I would call junk - wore out, beat up, used up. I didn't see anything that caught my fancy. The second one had a lot of clothes, and not much else. It was the kind of place where you walk in and say to yourself, "What's that smell?" Needless to say, nothing was bought there, either. That ended the thrift store shopping for the day, but there's always tomorrow, and another store on the next corner.

Speaking of buying groceries. Has anyone noticed how much the price of groceries has gone up recently? It seems every time I go in a grocery store, prices are higher on every item. Earlier this week, I heard that inflation is staying flat. Then, I heard that food and fuel are not used to calculate the inflation rate. Why is that? It would seem to me that food and fuel are necessities, and should be part of the data used for calculating the inflation rate.

Don't get me started on gasoline and diesel. Have you seen the latest price on those items? And it seems to go up daily.

More later, be safe.

Today's Town - Toledo, Ohio: T-Town

Not all who wander are lost.