The rare perks of teaching.

This post isn't about teaching, per se.

This about one of the rare perks of teaching.

It is about Black Friday.

My boyfriend had to work.

I worked on my #NaNoWriMo for a couple of hours.

But I didn't want to sit around the house all day.

Most of my friends are with family for the long weekend.

No one was readily available to hang out.

I kind of wanted to go one of our fabulous local parks.

Walking around by myself isn't my favorite, though, it feels too much like exercise.

I kind of wanted to go shopping.

The problem is, I don't really have any disposable cash right now.

Late in the afternoon, I decided to go to the mall anyway.


The mall is the place I am least likely to spend any money.

I'm too cheap.

Even the best deals often seem overpriced to me.

I compare prices to my local thrift stores.

Anyway, I drove to the mall, realized it was far too busy for me.

My plan B was the nearest TJ Maxx.

An hour or so later I tried the mall again and it had calmed down some.

I wandered through the mall without much purpose.

The only thing I knew I was going to by was an Auntie Anne's Pretzel.

I love those things.

Not relevant.

I'm getting to the point, I promise.

I was pleasantly surprised to run into only one student.

And he was more eager to avoid me, than I him.

Not that I don't want to see my students, but it's weird sometimes.

That wasn't the good thing.

The good thing was the actual shopping.

Even though it was insanely busy, it didn't feel unpleasantly crowded.

I skipped the vast majority of the stores.

There are only a few I really like: The Limited, Ann Taylor, Ann Taylor Loft, Express, The Gap.

I visited those stores.

All of them were having big sales.

The best part is that the sales discount applied to already reduced items.

Generally, I skip the store floor and head straight for the final sales racks.

This time was no exception.

Honestly, I didn't buy much, a couple pair of pants, a sweater, a t-shirt with a cool Peacock on it.

Here is the good thing.

As I was preparing to check out I remembered something.

Last year, some colleagues and I stopped at the outlet malls on the way home from a conference.

Some stores offer a teacher discount.

So I asked about it.

And I got it.

Well, one place only applies one discount at a time and the current sale was a MUCH bigger percentage.

One of the rare perks of being a teacher:

A number of popular stores offer a teacher discount.

All you have to do is ask.

How awesome is that?

My best deal: A $60 shirt for seven bucks.

It was already discounted on the sales rack.

Plus 70% off for the holiday.

Plus 10% for the teacher discount.

This is a very good thing.

Dangerous for all we shopoholics, but good none the less!