SCREWED at the SWAP!!!

Well,
I've been anxiously awaiting this day to come for a long time. It actually turned out to be a completely hectic stressful day resulting in TWO, yes 2 cold sores (which you will actually have the chance to count yourself when I show you our family pictures taken today.)

It was the ski swap! I'd never been, but had heard great things about the 'screamin deals' that could be had there. Well you know I do like to shop, and I do like a good deal, and I am really excited and into snow skiing. And of course I marked my calendar 6 months ago so as not to forget the ski swap that was today!

Well, not only was the swap today, but Chad had an all morning football tournament that he was running which meant I was going to the swap without him, and with Luke and Reese. I also brilliantly scheduled our family pictures for 4:00 this afternoon, and also scheduled to have Reese to a Halloween party at 4:00 this afternoon (which doesn't work out so well considering Reese is a critical part of our family pictures). So I stressed all week about how I was going to accomplish everything including buying skiis and boots for Chad without him, and how to carrying all my soon to purchase equiptment around the swap while toting Luke and keeping track of Reese. (I planned to outfit the entire family except Abbie whom I rented equiptment for at Alpine House- don't ask me why?)

To make a long story short, I rescheduled pictures for 3:30, and told the party mom Reese would be late to the party.

The swap was a madhouse, and I am a complete novice and have no idea what I'm looking for, let alone what things should cost. So I spent 3.5 hours there, digging through stuff in a frenzie with 2000 other shoppers. I am naive enough to assume these things are actually a good deal, isn't that the point?

I bought Alec a baby pair of used ski's for $99, Reese a new pair for $119, and myself a pair for $199. -In the Alpine Haus tent there was nothing cheaper than $499 so again assuming a good deal. (I almost bought Chad a pair for $249, but he luckily met me at the checkout (after 3.5 hours of fighting the crowds of shoppers alone!) and said not to because he didn't think it was a good price.)

So of course, when we got home Chad went right on Craig's list (instead of getting ready for pictures) and found pretty much the exact same pair of adult skiis in the right size for $25. And then started cleaning off the stickers on Reese's skiis and discovered the previous sticker price was $79, AND I HAD JUST PAID $119! What the Heck????? That's a dishonest rip off if you ask me! Taking advantage of all the unasuming smucks like me who don't know any better (or are too stupid to do their homework ahead of time.) I don't even want to know what I could have gotten mine, or Alec's little used 2 footers for.

Anyway, I think I got screwed at the swap for lack of better term. Lesson learned!

You can sort of see the price tag- size 100cm and below that, $119.

After wiping a little goo gone on the sticker to try to get rid of it, the black marker came off and we could see the previous price. Just Mean!