Well, I don't know about you, but I am not a happy after-Easter candy shopper, I can tell you that. I'm the person who buys candy every day after a holiday, so I can have both what I want and have it at a much reduced price. I think, honestly, it's the best way to handle the candy situations in one's life. Chocolate can last up to a year if kept cool; so yes, I do like a good sale when I find one.
All that being said, I was just simply gobsmacked to find out that my local grocery and other outlets allow their employees a first shot at buying the reduced candy after a holiday. Now, I haven't lived in this particular city long; maybe four or five months. I didn't try to buy too much after Christmas because I cleaned up after Halloween. Then, when Valentine's Day came, and candy was on sale on the 15th of February, that's when the brick hit me squarely between the eyeballs. There was a very, very dismal amount of boxed candy at most stores. I finally (finally) found one that hadn't been picked over.
Then, not realizing it was a real thing, I went back out on Monday, the day after Easter, to buy more. Nope...shot down again, and this time, even my out-of-the-way store was depleted. What I found most upsetting was that Walmart (of all places) had a few bags of jelly beans and, of course, a million Peeps left, but nothing else. I say that, there were other things, but believe me when I tell you that it wasn't worth the bother to even try. They had the candy on sale, but only 25% off, and Reese's doesn't pack their bags the way they used to. You'd end up paying $3.74 for about 10 pieces, and even those aren't full-sized eggs but are compromised "fun-size" or even smaller. NOPE.
The Family Dollar had one worker who was in the back. I couldn't find any on-sale candy, and no one was there to assist. I looked and finally found a few pieces, picked over again, and nothing was worth purchasing. I didn't have time to wait for the worker to come to the front, so I left. I met a woman who was coming from the other store next door - she must have known what I was doing. She said to me, a stranger, "If you're looking for day-after candy, they ran out yesterday. They have those stupid Peeps and a few bags of mixed no-brands left." I mean, to be fair, no named brands are fine - but I looked, and she was right - nothing worth looking at.
My thoughts ran the gamut for about a minute. I wondered whether to venture into Yukon, a larger city nearby, or even into the big city of Oklahoma City, but when I really thought about it, I realized it wasn't worth my time, gas, or effort. I should just get over it, not buy any day-after candy, and live with the sad but possibly new way of life. Things change; not always for the best. I was told by one store that the actual day of the holiday was the day they allowed their employees first shot - I get it; it's a perk.
Dollar General did have quite a few Russell Stover eggs to choose from this afternoon, a full three days after the holiday, but they were still only 25% off, and even reduced priced, they weren't worth what they were asking - not when the size of the egg has been reduced, but the price of it has gone up. I know, I know, I sound like my dad - but the older I get, the smarter he gets. I'm learning to be more like him, and in doing so, I'm not losing out on life as much as I am reserving time, money, effort, and even the experiences. I wasn't happy when I went into those stores to find out that trying to buy the candy was a bust - but if I don't go in at all, I don't have to deal with that loss. There you go!
I think I'm maturing, which could or could not be a good thing. I'm 64 - maybe it's time I let that sort of thing happen. If I want candy, I'll buy it - but I won't spend more than what it's worth; that's not who I am. It seems the systems have changed. Maybe stores can better guess now how much to buy based on last year's sales, or a combination of several years in a row - it makes sense. Then they order 10% more, knowing their employees will take up the slack, draining the shelves to make room for the new stuff, and those of us who thought we could get a bargain just... well, we don't.
There's not another big "candy" day in the future. Fourth of July is the next big holiday, and it's not a special candy time. I'll have to make do with what I can make do with -- which at the moment, is nothing outside what I would normally buy. Oh, the sorrow of it -- the simple, yet agonizing pain of being without copious amounts of chocolate! If only I could survive...oh look, I did! Yep! I pushed right past it. I'll smile and walk away - but I won't pay more for something just because it's there - that will never happen. It doesn't matter how much I make; that part of me remains. I am a spendthrift in some ways, and overpriced candy tops the list.
I did take advantage of the egg prices this past weekend. I did buy two cartons of eggs for .67 cents each. That was good. It again goes to prove that if they wanted to, they could keep the price of food (eggs, milk, bread, cheese, etc.) lower instead of expecting people to pay a premium for it. If we all just said no, they'd have to comply -- we hold more power than most people realize. The consumer is the driving force of supply and demand; truth.
Photo Credit: Etsy
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