Flip Flop Frenzy

Try saying that three times fast.

For Girls Camp this year we are camping at the beach.  One of the fun parts of camp is showering them with little gifts throughout the week, so I’ve been on the lookout for inexpensive doo-dads for the girls, since I must be mindful of the budget as well…

I’ve been wanting to find flip flops for them, but even $2.50 at Target has been a little pricey given the volume of flip flops needed.  An ad for $1 flip flops at Old Navy started playing early last week.  I was stoked!  $1 is good, very good.  Old Navy flip flops are good quality as these things go, so even better!  I had it all set in my mind.  They were on sale for $1 on Saturday only so I’d head over early in the day and pick up the 25 pairs or so I’d need.  No problemo.

Only…then I read the fine print…5 pair limit.  AARGH!  Then, I hear that this was a THING.  You know, early queues, crowds, hair pulling, etc. AND, they were opening at 7 am.  Now, I was scared.  But an idea planted is an idea not easily discarded (if that is even possible).  I started scheming.  Jeff stayed away, he knows how I get when I have that look in my eye.

First things first, I needed a plan.  I called all the moms for shoe sizes and compiled my list.  Next, I needed co-conspirators and maybe someone to drive the getaway car.  Just kidding, but I did briefly consider disguises to move through the line multiple times (hair up, hair down, sweatshirt on, sweatshirt off, just enough to make them question…turned out not to be a problem—they didn’t care if you got back in line, but were firm on the 5 pair limit).

Angie and Corinna met me at 6:45 am (such early morning craziness, on a weekend no less, is a true sign of devotion!) I got there a few minutes early and made friends with people in front of me who were not buying their full quota, so they agreed to help me out.  Thanks Theresa and Katie!  I think we are now lifelong friends…Katie hugged me at the hand off.  I was the third person in line with my first 5 pairs.  Went to the car to drop them off then back in for my next batch (and locked my keys in the car!)  Somewhere along the line, I went off plan and got too many 9’s and missed the 5.  I looked like a flip flop scalper as we stacked them across the back of the car while waiting for AAA and we assessed the sizes in hand.   I sent Corinna back into the fray for that elusive 5.

Success!  Shh! Don’t tell the girls (I don’t think any of them read the blog…)  Course, then the boys complained they didn’t get any so we were back at 2pm for them.  Fortunately, boy colors (navy, black, brown) and sizes were still there but there wasn’t a brightly colored flip or flop for miles around!  Made me feel especially wily for getting there early and grateful for my flip flop frenzy friends!