Remember last week when I told you I had gotten an invitation to the Shopping Extravaganza at Traverse Mountain? Well, today was the day!!Registration opened at 10:00, but we didn't get there until about 11:30. My sweetie went to Sport's football game and I went with Curly and Scout and helped Dog Walker and Princess coach their flag football game. It was a great day for football; Sport's team won 7 - 0 and we all won 24 - 6 at flag football although technically we are not allowed to keep score.
But that put us getting there a little late, although it didn't really matter. We picked up our gift bags and badges that included lunch and photo tickets in them and our drawing tickets and we were off. We really didn't have in mind any store in particular so we just started walking. My shopper's instinct eventually kicked in and we found ourselves in the Gold Toe store. Curly was in need of some new socks. We found several packages of clearance socks for him and one for the Dog Walker and we had finally scored our first purchases.Some of the stores had places for their own free drawings so we signed up for all of them we could see. Our second stop was the Columbia store (I can't tell you what we bought there because it's a secret, but let's just say we got about $400 worth of merchandise for about $40. This store gave additional discounts to people like us with Extravaganza badges. Next stop was the Men's Warehouse where we bought extended length ties for my sweetie and the Dog Walker for $12 each.
At that point I was having WAY too much fun spending money!! We decided it would be a good time to get some lunch. We made our way to the Grand Lobby where they were guarding the door to the second floor. No one got up those stairs unless they had a badge like ours. I was a little disappointed with lunch, although it was good and much easier than waiting for them to bring in something hot. My cute little box had a ham sandwich, chips, a fruit cup, water and a pink sugar cookie. My sweetie's was identical except that he prefers turkey.We took a minute to stop by the dessert bar (which really consisted of a bunch of candy) and then it was back for more shopping. My sweetie had dropped most of our packages in the car, so we were traveling pretty light. We went in a shoe store called Clark's just so we could enter a drawing and we came out with a pair of leather dress shoes for the Dog Walker and and some leather sandals for Prima Donna, both pairs for about $38. Their original value was over $150! Next time I need to find flats to send to Teach in Texas, I'm going back to Clark's!
Next we found the Sport's Image shop and we looked for a Broncos jacket for Sport, but none of them would fit him so we settled for 2 Utes hats, one for Sport and one for Curly. They were both really nice hats and we paid $13 for both of them!
Sweetie made another stop by the car and we headed for the Sketchers shop. It was the one place he was really excited to go. You see, he always wears the same kind of shoes (made by Sketchers). Every time he finds a pair in his size at Kohls, he buys them immediately. So I sat down to rest my aching feet and he went in search of some shoes. It didn't take long for him to inform me that they had his traditional gray pair in the right size...and one in white and one in brown!! He has NEVER had a choice of colors before and he was so excited he even encouraged me to choose a darling pair of Twinkle Toes for Baby Doll.
We stopped in the Rocky Mountain chocolate shop next, but it was so crowded we decided we didn't need chocolate that bad. (Besides, we already had a nice little pile from the dessert bar.) Our last stop was the Gap. I have never really shopped there before, but we managed to sniff out a bargain. I got 5 pairs of compression capris for the girls to wear to dance and a pink and gray hoodie with matching pants for Baby Doll all for about $40.
We just had time to check our tickets for prizes before we had to hit the road. We were so excited when we found that two of our numbers had been pulled! We got a $25 gift card to Columbia and a $25 gift card to Lane Bryant.Some people had bought extra tickets and you should have seen how many gift cards they were winning! All in all, we had an awesome time and we found some great deals. If they put this one together next year, I'm going to be the first one in line to sign up!
**We were given free tickets to the Shopping Extravaganza in exchange for this post.**
In the second picture I noticed a Carter's store and what looks like Gymboree! I wouldn't have gone much further than those two stores if I ha been there! Emma would've gotten a whole new wardrobe (in the next size or two up) and it would've been fantastic!
ReplyDeleteSounds like you guys totally scored, and I'm hoping that we get to find out what the surprise was that you guys scored at Columbia! Seems like you got a TON for your money, way to go!
From your pictures it looks just like the shopping center in Woodburn Oregon, only thing of it is that they are really expensive only place we ever shopped there was the Eddie Bauer shop when it opened. They charged people to go into the place really, all the places in Woodburn Oregon are tax free as Oregon is a tax free state, we could not get outta the place fast enough they pull huge buses up to get all the Canadians who shop until they drop and they are pushy! The Columbia place is not cheap by any means of the name, I could not believe you got what you stated for that money, my hubs who is an uber shopper found one jacket and it had the wrong tag on it and it was $65.00 for a small jacket we just left the whole place..We thought the place was ridiculous high end shops with high end prices, you must have been given a lot of extra coupons for money off on your purchases cause you won't ever catch me or my hubs shopping the Woodburn factory outlets, same company that owns the one you went to!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThe shopping center in Woodburn Oregon is owned by the same one you shopped, at Christmas they have the first Christmas tree and santa shop in all of Oregon and sw Washington..They encourage people to spend like crazy, prices exorbitant, just cause there is no tax their prices are actually higher than in the neighborhood I live and pay 8.4 Washington state tax, we will NEVER go and waste our gasoline again, when it first was opened the Eddie Bauer shop had huge discounts on everything I got plenty our daughter in college & my hubs needed a good jacket and we love sweatshirts, they have done away with all that, we left and figured we wasted our gas money..The only people who shop there are from Canada on tour buses and catered to very well, they are rich beyond any American and don't know what real prices are we are just fine shopping where we live and the folks treat you nicer to tell you the truth..We found the Columbia place a bunch of snobs and the kids who manned the place did not know anything about prices, we left after I told them they needed to hire people who could read and write!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I was expecting really high prices, and we were in a few stores that were like that. One kitchen store had a Pepper Mill marked $80. I got out of there fast! I'm starting to think that you can almost always find a good deal if you are patient and have time to look for one.
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I would just ignore mr anonymous... as I did my back to school shopping at the outlet mall in Woodburn multiple years and always found great deals. There are some items that because they cost a lot to produce just can't drop much, but if you look in the right places you can get excellent deals! I know I got some Adidas shoes 50% off the tag price, Levi jeans in the only place they Levi's get marked down (they're almost always excluded from coupons), and all sorts of tops for school.
ReplyDeleteI am anonymous, I know what bargains are I shop for people who don't get any clothes and cook for people who don't get food and housing..I know prices, I have to stretch the money I use to buy people who nearly destitute in our community being inundated by Oregon people who think there are jobs here NOT and Housing NOT..I am not rich and I simply would never spend over $4.00 a gallon to ever visit Woodburn, it is a BUST & our newspaper has said as much, I thought the outlets near WWU western Washington university were ridiculous and two in the seattle area but Woodburn tops them all..I saw at a Kitchen place a skillet for $95.00 really? Eddie Bauer got rid of all their reasonable prices on clothing and shirts and many jackets now they high end their products with enormous prices, even the folks who work there and get huge discounts don't shop there..Grrrrrr...another way to milk the unsuspecting public..I shop for clothing that I can afford to give to people who are next to homeless and I shop for food with our own money for people who are hungry..what do you do to help those citizens Marci???????
ReplyDeleteProbably nothing...As for twelvemakes a dozen the fact you feed, cloth and have a wonderful family life is outstanding, many in our community do not have job, homes or food so I am a skinflint buying clothing and food for those so endangered..It is beautiful here but one cannot eat the rain and cold months which are about 200 plus days and living in a car is not really living..the best some can do without steady or anykind of employment. I read and delight in your blessings and many deals you get to help out your familia..Not everyone lives in sunny Utah and has a husband who obviously works and has health insurance and you live happily, no they do not! But I applaud you for how you raise and treat your faith and your children and hubs!
ReplyDeletePlus if children could do missions like your Teach we would have empty juvenile jails in our community, but many do not follow any religion lest alone yours that value God and having missions for their wonderful children, yes I think your blog wonderful but not everyone lives the life you blog about but can learn many valuable lessons!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteSOUNDS GREAT, GLAD YOU ENJOYED IT.
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