$5.00 AS IS

This past Saturday, I stopped at the local thrift store. I had noticed earlier in the week that they had a vintage Brother Knitting machine there, and, well, I was curious. I ran in on the way to my hair appointment and picked it up, for $5.00, AS IS, it was all mine. I loaded it into the car, and went about my business.

Upon arriving home, I pulled it out, tried to assemble it, and realized that a key part was missing, and essentially, I had paid $5.00 for an old metal box. I figured worse comes to worse, I could eBay it, because surely there was someone that had one that had that missing part, but was missing one that I had. I packed it back up and set it aside.

Monday, when I stopped for groceries, I was putting the bags into the back of the car, and found the missing piece, and when I did, I squealed and jumped and made an older gentleman stop me, to ask why I was so happy, and also, hey, do you like your car. That conversation degraded into talks about lost limbs and prothesis, somehow, but that almost always happens to me. I get the weird conversations and such when in public.

I hadn’t had time to get the knitting machine back out until this afternoon, when the kids were in school. I pulled it out and started to clean it up. It still had that sticker on it, but the case needed a good wiping down.  I pulled the sticker off, and not wanting to stick it anything else, stuck it to my shirt. I figured next time I walked to the trash can, I’d pull it off and toss it.

Except I didn’t, and Steve came in and started joking with me about it.

Steve :”$5.00, huh?”

Me: “Yep, as is, though. I’m broken.”

Steve: smirks

Later, he pulls my sweatshirt aside and says,

“I’ll give you a buck fifty.”

Me: ?

Steve: “yep, buck fifty, take it or leave it.”

Me: “you’re gonna bargain for your no warranty, broken down, bargain basement wife?”

Steve: “Yep”

Me: punches him in the arm

I’ll leave out the part where eventually we arrived upon $.75 or so, but I’m still wearing the sticker, so I suppose it’s up to the highest bidder. AS IS, though, buyer beware.

~ by xombie on December 11, 2008.