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Managing the Umbra battlefield


I talked about the Umbra Factory Sale in The Shop Crawl. I have heard many good things about this sale, but I have never attended. This Sunday, I decided to give the sale a shot as curiosity got the best of me. I was on the lookout for a curtain rod and the famous Umbra picture frames. I arrived at the sale around 4pm; it's during the last dying hours of the sale that the final discounts happen.

I arrived at the Automotive Building and made my way on to the floor. It was a complete disaster area. There were groups of people watching their hauls. It was like little Umbra tent cities popping up in the corners. Worn out Dads and kids with dejected looks on their faces wondering when Mom is going to be finished. What could one family possibly do with 20 curtain rods? I stood in shock and contemplated leaving. I love a good sale and all but this is little too post apocalyptic for me right now. I decided to stay and give it the old college try. I joined the rest of the people dragging my big box behind me.

It was buy one get one free for items of the same kind. That was on top of the $5, $3 and $2 prices. I didn't pay more than $5 for anything I bought. I really wanted to find a room divider, but they were long gone, anything left was broken and useless. It wasn't easy finding anything, you really had to dig. In the end, I got some presentation boxes, frames, curtain rods and clips. The cashier line was long, but it did go faster than I anticipated. I have to think of a new strategy if I attend next year. I definitely would bring a friend with me. I would go earlier in the day, find my things and just camp out until they announce the final discounts. This sale is a battle and it definitely needs a war plan.


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