I've got this weird obsession with flyers - you know the annoying flyaway inserts that come the in the local newspaper once a week to advertise all the sales for the upcoming weekend and week? I live for them. Every Friday morning, I sit with my coffee while the little Girl catches up on her morning Treehouse TV, and flip through looking for specials at the grocery stores, Future Shop and Best Buy, Toys R Us, the department stores, Wal Mart, Home Depot, Crappy Tire etc ... although I do draw the line at the lighting and furniture inserts (hideous is too nice a word - sorry, I guess I'm being a design snob here). And especially Sears. Funny thing, though, I hardly ever shop at Sears anymore.
I think this habit started after I had Lboy. Sears has a great baby section, and I would take him there quite frequently when I was on maternity leave with him. He was such a great baby to shop with; never fussed, always smiling and laughing up at me. As a mother of a newborn, one of the hottest consumer segments, I was always open to shopping where there was a good bargain - burp pads, feeding supplies, sleepers, Tiny Love toys specials - Tiny Love never went on sale unless at Sears. At least back in those days. The Sears stores themselves were the first that I found to be baby-friendly as well, with well-lit nursing rooms and doors that could close if you needed the privacy.
I went back to work when L was 9 months old - back then we didn't yet have a one year maternity policy here in Canada. I managed to negotiate a four day work week. You can't imagine the difference that Friday off made! And for the next 4 years, Fridays were Mommy and L boy day. Occasionally we would get to Sears on that day, but more often than not, it would be for his programs or other fun things to do. Just the two of us.
When our little princess was born, it brought renewed interest in Sears (after all, a baby girl can't spend all her time wearing her older brother's distinctively blue wardrobe). And now that I'm home full time, I'm poring over the grocery specials, doing a happy dance if I can save a buck on a 16-roll package of Cashmere toilet paper. Such is my sad existence (your heart bleeds ...)
I can't let it go, even though the kids are fast becoming less baby, more hard-to-please children. So perhaps that explains my flyer tradition. As that stage of our lives slips away, it's my weekly flashback of my life with baby.
17 comments:
We do that as a family on Saturday mornings...and Regan wanted the little Sears catalogue that came yesterday as her bedtime story!
I live for the flyers too! Hubby gets the paper and I get the flyers. Except I normally have to flip pretty quick, as my daughter likes to look too!
I collect those flyers too until I can't stand to look at them and then I trash them all at one time. I used to love Sears' kids section when my kids were all little. I still go every so often for The Princess' clothes, but we don't have a Sears real close by - I wish we did. I used to love their catelog. See ya.
Oh Karen, I am your OPPOSITE. I hate flyers and the local paper with a passion, and finally figured out last year that I could actually have delivery of it cancelled. It just used to fill up my blue box way to quickly.
I am not a good shopper to begin with, and sales, well, they just ENCOURAGE crowds. Which makes me very unhappy. I know, I know...I'm so bad.
My hatred of flyers drives Hae Yung crazy. That girl likes a good deal, too. You two should talk!
And while you out there shopping, maybe look for a good deal for me, too ?!
Heidi :)
My dh and I like the flyers. I do find them a bit overwhelming. I have to sort them into piles--according to priority of viewing. Often we don't get them delivered until Sunday, so some weekend sales are missed. I found and bookmarked the sites online for the fliers I am interested in. I can click my way through them pretty fast.
As for Sears, I never look at their flier because it is sooo huge. I'm very visual, but don't want to read oodles of small print. I like No Frills flier for having huge pics of whats on sale.
That being said, I think I fared well enough with 3 simple dresses costing a total of $125, including tax. The dresses aren't haute couture (sp?), but are versatile enough...
That toilet paper deal was exciting, I must admit...although I did not partake in it because it was more convenient to get my TP somewhere else at one-stop shopping...
I do get a hoot out of the furniture fliers that feature those models sprawled over the couches. They look so ridiculous and make me NOT want to buy that furniture!
Okay, so I'm not the only one - tee hee!
badness- Liam has stacks of catalogues and fliers as his bedtime reading especially around birthday time or Christmas.
Christy and Kellan-maybe it's a girl thing...
Heidi. or maybe not LOL! You'd think that as I'm in charge of recycling it be enough to turn me off, but no.
bec- nice dresses BTW. Thx again for dinner last night - betcha thought we would NEVER leave :)
oooo, thanks for the comment, now I will have a new obession! You have a fantastic blog, and you are a great writer!
So with you on the flyer thing too.
Hey, it's me again - come back over to my site - I have an award for you. See ya.
Oh, Karen! I live for flyers too! Of course, not for the same reasons as you...since we don't have any babies of our own yet.
I can't explain my flyer fixation. I just like looking at them every Friday. I check out the specials and all the cool sales. I have the horrible, horrible habit of saving the flyers. My excuse is that I use them in the classroom for lessons in "shopping". LOL! I kid you not. I actually teach a unit on shopping. Remember, I teach English as a second language.
My mother-in-law doesn't get flyers. She doesn't believe in wasting paper. I suppose if I wanted to be really 'green', I could always view flyers online. It's just not the same though....
C, you know what's really sad? I get some of the ONLINE as well LOL!
Kellan, thanks - you're a sweetheart!
Hey - the same back to you. And, you are welcome!!! Have a good weekend! See ya.
Thanks for stopping by my blog. You're not the only one who likes flyers. I end up with a stack to go through myself!
When I was a little kid living in the midwest, we didn't have much money. I used to take the HUGE Sears catalog and read it page by page, day dreaming of when I grow up, what would I have in my house, what would I wear, what would I buy!
Funny thing is that now I've grown up, I actually half that stuff!
Welcome Holly - who knew this was such a common obsession LOL!
Jaden- I used to shop from the Sears catalogue as a kid too. It's was the size of a telephone book - awesome!
OMG! I love the flyers. I get so excited. My husband thinks it's hilarious. Thank goodness there are more people out there!! Love this post!!
- Audrey
Anna-sorry, forgot to welcome you to my blog and my obsession - thanks for your comment!
Audrey-hey there; it makes me feel a lot better knowing that all these flyers are not going to waste and funny girls like us actually read them!
I love the flyers too!
A one-year maternity policy! I'm thinking that Mike and I have to move to Canada to have a child. My company has no written policy and should the day come where I find myself in need of such a thing, I will be only the 2nd woman since the company started in 1994 (the first woman left right after she had the baby because she was criticized for taking too much time off--6 weeks). I could take up to 12 weeks off at reduced pay through the Family Medical Leave Act, thankfully, but I know that I would have to endure daily phone calls from work, and a few male attitudes when I would come back. And I don't even do anything IMPORTANT! I'm babbling . . .sorry.
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