Clearance Sales! And OCC

I anticipate the day after any holiday: Valentine’s Day, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas. I like to shop and Operation Christmas Child through Samaritan’s Purse provides the perfect excuse. At midnight the starter gun sounds for 50, 75 and hopefully, eventually, 90 percent off sales. I begin looking for multiple items to fill the OCC shoeboxes. In December we managed to shop just two stores on the 26th as we traveled hours to an AirBNB for a family meeting. While I prefer 75 and 90 percent off, I will buy at 50 percent off before some items disappear. Five days later, after no shopping, as we left the AirBNB, my credit card itched to be used on even deeper discounts which allow me to buy three and four times as many items. By the time we entered the first store, we encountered many empty shelves or the seasonal changeover to Valentine items. I looked anyway and found stuffies and fillers. Samaritan’s Purse reports that they receive the least number of boxes for boys. So I look for: cars, balls, tools, toys and stuffies for the young ones. I grabbed a whole rack of jumping jack toys painted like soccer players. After several years of sewing shorts, skirts and dresses for OCC, I also gravitate to racks of one dollar shirts and shorts. I know how many hours go into sewing and how many boxes to which I would like to add clothing. I found Christmas pajamas at 75 percent off and put all the kid sizes left on the rack into my buggy. Then I rolled the cart over to the children’s clothing department and encountered an associate re-organizing a display of t-shirts. She was having a bad day. “Before I went on my lunch break, I had all these shirts folded and sorted. I come back and I may as well not have done a thing. People should be more proud of their town and the store,” she said as she flopped another shirt into place. “I came here from California thinking it would be different. But it isn’t.” “i’m sorry to hear. Perhaps you can help me? I’m looking for discounted clothing for the Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes,” I said. Her face brightened. “Let me show you something.” She led me to a special section of clothes, “Look here. Right now we have leggings for a dollar in all sizes.” I looked at the child friendly colors. “I do like these with shiny stars and these with patterns.” “Oh the orphans will really like that. I grew up in an orphanage and we older children always got the leftovers. People brought new things for the little ones, but not for the older ones. I was always happy to get something new.” “These aren’t for orphans. They are for children who receive Operations Christmas Child shoeboxes in other countries. They can only receive one shoebox ever.” “I think I have heard about that,” she said again emphasizing kids like to get new items. OCC agrees and asks that each box have at least one WOW! item. Soccer balls, tools, and cool game items, dolls, plush animals, a tea set, a sewing kit, a pretty little dress, etc.With the woman’s help, I gathered up leggings and some tops to match. At 60 and 75 percent off, I bought a lot. I added smaller items with holiday themes. When the discount hit 90 percent off a few days later, I piled up an assortment of little items as fillers for the boxes besides the suggested papers, pens, markers and crayons.We added a tote of items for the next OCC packing party. That will have to do until February 15 when I grab the credit card again and head for the clearance sales. Lucky me there are lots of holidays every year.