Gaw-bee Visit & Serious Deals

My mom was in town this past weekend and it was so nice. Those of you who have parents that live locally to spend time with the grandkids or just give you a break every now and then don't know how lucky you are! Or maybe you do.

Benjamin was beside himself with happiness that "Gaw-bee" was in town. I have no idea where he got that name, but he calls my mom that and my MIL "Gae-bee" (for Gramie I'm assuming). I have a trained ear to know the difference, but either way, he loves to "call call" them both and loves it when they are in town to love on him with 100% attention.

We took full advantage of the extra help and made our way to REI for their annual garage sale. I knew there was a very slim chance, but I was hoping to score a BOB Duallie Revolution jogger for a discount. That didn't happen. If we lived in Los Angeles, there would probably be a half dozen for the picking. Here, there was a single and that was even overpriced. I'm throwing down for one in the coming week. Let's just not discuss how many strollers I have owned. The Bumbleride Flite is about out the door via Craigslist, but yeah. I'm a stroller hoarder.

Since it was only 8:30 in the morning, we headed off to another sale. I was emailing back and forth last week with my friend Alli who is Crate.&.Barrel's biggest fan. I forwarded her this email that was blabbing about a warehouse sale and 75%+ off, etc. I feel like I get those emails from every company on a weekly basis and really thought nothing of this one. But apparently this one was different. We have an outlet store and distribution center here in the 'burbs and I almost never score anything of high value. Sure, a table runner and dishes here and there. But furniture? Nah. But when I told my friend about this sale, she said it was the real deal. Still, on Saturday I was not thinking we would bother. Until the REI sale was a bust and we decided to drive on over for the fun of it.

We got in line 5 minutes before the sale opened and there were a few hundred people in front of us. Once the doors opened, we entered the warehouse and saw tons of factory firsts, seconds, returns, and floor models in every furniture line they sell! People were throwing their hands up left and right and sold signs were being slapped onto couches worth thousands of dollars marked down to $500. We looked through and noted the gorgeous furniture. But really, we didn't need anything. I found a cute bowl and wineglass in their houseware department I wanted and got in line with my $5 bill. My husband and baby were off next door at Land.of.Nod Outlet store at this point. Just because it was fun, I asked the guy behind me what he bought. He told me he used to work there and this sale has never been done before and that he bought a King bed. He whipped out his phone and showed me a picture. I fell in love immediately. It's basically my dream bed. Reclaimed wood. Rustic. Cool shelving. The perfect mix of modern and contemporary. I asked if they had more and he told me they did. I paid for my kitchenware, ran over and found the bed. I called the husband who came running back and consulted the sales associate in the bedding area of the warehouse because the bed I chose wasn't tagged. I asked if it was sold and it wasn't. They tagged it as a complete bed and I threw my hand up to buy it. A $2,700 bed for $250. Sure, we did just complete our bedroom and buy a headboard and new nightstands, but this was a solid wood bed for cheaper than the price of wood itself!

At this point, the line to purchase was about 80 people deep. I fed Claire in the car while E waited in line and then headed across the street to Target to kill some time while E waited in line. He reserved a truck to transport the bed while waiting to pay and then we were off to get the truck. Just then, I received a call from the sales associate who tagged the bed and she told me the bed they sold me was incomplete. But, because they are awesome and I already paid for it, they will be honoring it as a complete bed and making it right. But that we didn't have to pick up that day (phew, you should've seen the line!). We headed back to Land.of.Nod Outlet and they were also having a bit of a sale. We scored a rug for Claire's room for $75. E loved it at first sight, but it took me awhile to love it. Now I really do and the quality cannot be beat.

We contemplated going back the next day for day #2 of the sale. Mostly because we live locally and my mom was in town still. We never get the opportunity to just shop without our toddler around! And, we were curious if there would be more stock put out. And of course we found about 10 things in our house we'd like to replace with better pieces of furniture for these ridiculously awesome prices.

So we went. We showed up earlier to get in line this time and were behind about 30 other people. Almost all of the people in line with us were also there the day before. All going in for the kill again. The guy who told me about his bed and is the sole reason we bought one? He was three people in front of us.

This time, we bought a queen bed to replace our 10-year old IKEA bed in the guest room that wasn't in the best shape. Still functional, but definitely seen quite a few moving vans. I sold it the next day for $100. This new bed was $1,100 and marked down to $250. We wanted to get a new media console for the living room, but we didn't find much. We liked a few, but the one we really wanted was already being claimed by another couple as we approached it. We were able to score a couple chairs for my friend Alli who wasn't there from the new stock they put out for day #2.

And the bed we bought the previous day that they have to complete for us? They are likely getting that shipped to us for the inconvenience. Man, I love deal shopping.

Benjamin had a blast with his Gaw-bee and is still on a detox from her visit. They had french fries and milkshakes and lots of playtime together. We even went to a special local chocolate dessert place together and split a few decadent cakes. And now it's Wednesday and the daily fun continues with tantrums and food throwing and overall fun 2-year old behavior.

Gaw-bee, come back.