The good news for me is that I still managed to find something because my local Savers has a wonderful selection of used books. I know that some people look down on the word used but, while there are certain items I will always insist on buying new, I don't think books fall into that category (and if you have seen how much time I can spend in Newbury Comics used DVD section you know that doesn't apply to movies either). I may disagree with the book publishing community when it comes to the price of new hardcover editions, but the people who price the used books are clearly people after my own heart. In fact, I think if the price for a used book prices was how expensive a new book sold for then we would all read more. Browsing through the sports books I found two golf books for $1.99 each, which would be a deal at twice the price considering both were in nearly-new condition. It wasn't until I got the books home that I remembered the only problem with buying used is that sometimes you get more story than you bargained for, as inside one of the jackets was the following note:
And yet, a third book.
I expect you to read this cover to cover.
No excuses. You will have a quiz later.
:) Enjoy!!
Love, Heather.
First off, I hate to be the bearer of bad news for Heather, but there is no way the person she gave this book to ever read it. The binding was so tight I think the only time it was ever opened was when she wrote her note. As you can imagine finding this had me full of questions, such as what Heather's relationship was to the intended reader when she wrote that note versus what it is now. Also, did the person she gave this book to read the first two or give them away as well? For a half-second the part of my brain that loves a good mystery thought about how I could track Heather down and find out who she gave the book to but quickly decided against it because a) it would be a lot of work b) the story would undoubtedly not live up to all the time I put in and c) if Heather didn't know her gift had been donated the knowledge may have ruined her afternoon and I was in no hurry to do that. I don't care how long ago someone gives you a gift, they are never going to be pleased to find out it is no longer in your possession.
As I walked around the other parts of Savers the idea that this store is where well-intentioned gifts go to die seemed to be a common theme which kept popping up. In the clothes section I saw a lot of sports jerseys from teams which are not popular enough to have fans in this area, meaning they were bought by accident when a well-meaning grandparent mistook the Marquette Golden Eagles for the Philadelphia Eagles and then lost the receipt. Also, lots of shirts which had apparently been made for some special event that not everyone found so special. (I couldn't find any golf polos with logos for courses I have never played at, but if you are into that kind of thing there were plenty of shirts for bachelor parties or destination weddings you would have your pick of. This is just further proof that no one enjoys destination weddings, even if they tell you otherwise.) Don't get me wrong here, I know many people have more stuff than they know what to do with and it is not like I expect people to hang on to every single thing they have been given since they day they were born - that is how hoarders come to be. It's better to give something to a person who will use it than have it sitting in your house collecting dust. Also, donating your used items is certainly better than trashing them because you never know who could end up needing that item and will truly appreciate your generosity. Lastly, donating it to a store is better than selling it at a yard sale, where chances are quite high that the person who gave you the item could stop by, see you are selling a thing they gave you and that creates a whole other issue. As long as you drive a couple towns over no one should be the wiser.
If nothing else I am going to appreciate the timing of all this and take a life lesson away from it. We're about two weeks away from Thanksgiving and the unofficial start to holiday shopping, which can be a very stressful time for people. Like most shoppers I usually spend hours agonizing about what to get the people on my list, passing over what would be perfectly acceptable gifts in favor of trying to find one that will blow the recipient's socks off. This trip to a store which is filled to the brim with items, 90% of which were probably gifted to someone at one time or another (I'm making that statistic up but it feels right when you remember people usually lean towards selling something they bought with their own money to try and get a return on their investment. It is easier to give away something which was given to you for free.), was a good reminder that eventually even the best gift becomes clutter and therefore I should not kill myself in the pursuit of an unattainable goal - the "perfect" holiday present. If there is an item a person really had to have than chances are they found a way to get it before you came along. Besides, giving someone a gift only to gauge their reaction to is a very bad idea because that adds unnecessary pressure to the occasion, especially if that person tends to be mellow. It is the thought that counts, though perhaps the real moral to this story is that if someone asks you not to get them a gift maybe you should listen to them. Also, if you get someone a book leave the jacket note-free so that the next person to put it in their bookcase doesn't have to spend time wondering about the previous owners.
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