Bargain Hunting & The Good Old Days

Two weeks ago, I got a pedicure for half price and an oil change at 75% off. The week before, I ate appetizers for free and purchased an overpriced kitchen rug for the price it should have been marked at originally. I’ve gotten discount haircuts and colors and dinners and even overnight trips, all courtesy of the genius that is Groupon. Every day there seems to be a different discount site of some kind or another and I’m completely obsessed. The only problem? So is the rest of the world.

Now, you might not see this as a problem, but I do.

See, I used to pride myself on my bargain hunting skills. I’ve scoured the racks for years at Marshalls and TJ Maxx and Homegoods while the rest of my friends shopped at malls and boutiques. I’ve dug and inspected and yanked and rejected and searched for the perfect find for countless hours. I’ve put together gift baskets that could win awards if gift baskets were, in fact, issued awards. I’ve found formal gowns and discontinued perfumes and birthday gifts that put all other birthday gifts to shame. The hunt is part of the fun and I have perfected it. Bargain hunting is a part of who I am. It’s in my soul.

But, suddenly, it’s a part of everyone. Nobody pays retail anymore. The six people at the car place all paid $22 for their oil change. The couple on the date last week also ate their spinach dip for free, and everyone’s toes at the salon were painted for the same twenty bucks. There was no subtle gloating on my part and no secret satisfaction that I got the very best deal. Sure, I got a deal but it just didn’t feel the same when everyone got the same deal as me.

I get daily invitations for sites that promise to offer the very best bargains on the web. The codes and the free shipping and the big savings are only a click away! But, where’s the work? The blood, the sweat and the tears? It’s all just a little too easy for me.

So, how about we all go back to paying full price again? Back to a simpler, full price kind of time?

And, by all of us, I mean everyone but me. Someone has to get the deals.