Random Post: 1980s Bargain Hunter Game & Scrapbook Shopping Sprees

Hi all,

Today's post is totally random, but it just popped into my head so I thought I'd post it here.  I know many of you can relate... especially fellow scrapbook and paper hoarders (err... I mean enthusiasts). Do any of you remember the game from the 1980s by Milton Bradley called "Bargain Hunter"?  Here's what it looked like:

Image source: Amazon.com

I had this game... and I played it quite often.  I really wanted the game because of the credit card machine.  Keep in mind, this was back in the day when people had to run your credit card through a "machine" using carbon copy paper... it's very similar to the Sizzix Big Shot, actually.  Anyhow, as a kid, I thought it would be SO COOL to have my own credit card and credit card machine.  In the game, you have a shopping list and your goal is to go around to different department stores to pick up the items on your list.  You have a set budget and the goal is to purchase everything at the lowest prices.  The stores changed the prices every now and then, so you had to keep track whether an item was a "bargain" or "full-priced..."

Now, why am I posting this now?

Well, there are some stamps and dies I have on my wish list that I haven't purchased yet.  I'm waiting for that "bargain" to pop-up.  Case in point... I love Lawn Fawn stamps.  You've seen me use them quite often.  Usually these are NEVER on sale on the Lawn Fawn site... so I wait until Scrapbook Expos to purchase them.  There's a booth that usually has a Buy 3, Get 1 Free deal... so essentially the max discount is 25% off.  There are other sites out there that have 10% or 15% off deals now and then, usually around Black Friday.  Recently, I've encountered some sites that sold some (not all) Lawn Fawn products for 25-30% off.  I even purchased the new Best Pun Ever die set for less than $5 (retail price is $20)!  Yes, this was a rare occurrence, but I got lucky on that one.  

So, recently (today) a friend of mine told me that Lawn Fawn dies are on sale at Joann.com for 40% off.  What a deal, right?  Yes -- hurry and check it out if you're a Lawn Fawn fan.  I'm not sure how long the sale will last.  However, while digging a little deeper, I noticed that Joann's marks up the retail price for Lawn Fawn products.  For example, the retail price for the Best Pun Ever die set is $21.49 on Joann.com.  So the sale price ($12.89) is really just 36% off the MSRP.  I know it's not a huge difference and it's still a deal at the end of the day.  I've noticed other sites that "temporarily" mark up the retail price so it looks like the sale is a bigger deal than reality... I just think it's important to keep track of the items you're purchasing, especially when shopping online.  Remember that old Latin saying?  "Caveat Emptor" = Let the Buyer Beware.  I bet my Latin teacher would be proud of me for figuring out a way to weave that into this post.

All in all, this process is very similar to Bargain Hunter game... you want to get a "deal" but keep track of the prices for the products you're planning to purchase.  Then again, some sales happen so quickly where you blink and the item's gone.  Blitsy and Simon Says Stamp have some awesome sales and deals... but you have to act fast on those sales.

That said, I know I'm doing my part to keep this fun industry and awesome manufacturers in business with my crafter spending habits. Haha. Happy Shopping!