I went to the Rainbow Foods in West St. Paul for my final visit to their liquidation sale. I bought just 6 items this time as there wasn't much left. Some aisles, actually most, were blocked off. I have already consumed 2 of the 6 items- a bag of BBQ wheat snacks, and a little cup of vanilla ice cream. Of the other four, notable was a box of Atkins granola bars. I had heard of the Atkins diet, but I haven't tried these before. It has 5 bars in the box. These are chocolate chip, and says it is distributed by Atkins nutritionals in Denver. I like knowing there is no sugar in these, as I have been trying to get food with less sugar since it helps with weight control. On the back is mention of other products with this name, including frozen meals, indulgent treats, and creamy shakes. It does direct people to their website to learn more about this diet and all the free tools to help with success in weight loss goals. The other three items were an 8-pack of Reese's peanut butter cups, a box of 4 sticks of Parkay margarine, and a frozen pizza. This is full-sized, the previous ones I was getting were 'For one'.
In the final analysis, it is no surprise what I saw as patterns from shopping there. I made four visits, once per week. The number of items declined each time- 19, 17, 15, then 6. Although the totals did not decline the same way. It was 31.91, 34.56, 28.39, and 11.40. But for the first two visits most of the items were still just 25% off, and for the third and fourth they were 50%. For visit #2, when the total went up, the total savings was 29%, as two general merchandise items were half-off, batteries and a DVD. I had to look closely at the final register tape, I think it explains why I normally don't get Atkins items. The 5 bars was still nearly $5, and this was half-price! This one item was nearly half the total. I did get a few more photos, but was more careful than before and saw that I did it when no employees were around. Based on past experiences, I found out photos near the check-out lines drew attention, so I didn't try any there. I did get one inside the bathroom after I paid for my order, for some reason I like getting pictures of bathroom fixtures. I am sure some consider it to be art. Also notable- of these four visits, I think this was the only one where the order was put in a paper bag. I don't recall being given a choice between paper and plastic this time, but considering it was a small order and nearing the end of the sale there likely weren't many bags of either kind left. Since most of what I bought was food, it has already been consumed which is what I prefer. The non-food items like the trash bags and shaving supplies will be used soon enough.
My day started early, going into the office just after 8:30am to do some overtime. I didn't get as far as I wanted, but it's also because I wanted to leave at 10am to get to the Iowa/Minnesota football game which started at 11am. I took the Green Line light rail from downtown and made it about 20 minutes before the game started. Iowa scored the first touchdown, but Minnesota definitely outplayed them after this as Minnesota went on to win 51-14. It was 35-7 at the half. I went into the concourse with less than a minute left in the half, and during that time the Gophers got another touchdown. I had a little Domino's pizza and some bottled water at the half. Veterans Day is in less than a week, so one of the ways it was being acknowledged was giving out American flags on a stick. I did not get one, but I already have five if I am not mistaken. It was tough to see how somebody threw away their flag, I saw it in a trash bin after I had finished my pizza. So I fished it out and hopefully somebody else will claim it. I got a photo of it, hard to do when it was rolled up around the stick in terms of having the flag stay flat for the picture.
In the evening I went to eat at taco bell, and when I got back I listened to a friend's radio show. The guests were involved with a play at Illusion Theater, 'Disenchanted': a Disney princess musical. And
I heard from a movie friend I met early in the year, on Facebook, about free tickets at a theater in Mounds View. I haven't been to this theater before. Will have to see what works in my schedule. I also inquired about helping out with an anniversary event at the Soap Factory, which is in a week.
In the final analysis, it is no surprise what I saw as patterns from shopping there. I made four visits, once per week. The number of items declined each time- 19, 17, 15, then 6. Although the totals did not decline the same way. It was 31.91, 34.56, 28.39, and 11.40. But for the first two visits most of the items were still just 25% off, and for the third and fourth they were 50%. For visit #2, when the total went up, the total savings was 29%, as two general merchandise items were half-off, batteries and a DVD. I had to look closely at the final register tape, I think it explains why I normally don't get Atkins items. The 5 bars was still nearly $5, and this was half-price! This one item was nearly half the total. I did get a few more photos, but was more careful than before and saw that I did it when no employees were around. Based on past experiences, I found out photos near the check-out lines drew attention, so I didn't try any there. I did get one inside the bathroom after I paid for my order, for some reason I like getting pictures of bathroom fixtures. I am sure some consider it to be art. Also notable- of these four visits, I think this was the only one where the order was put in a paper bag. I don't recall being given a choice between paper and plastic this time, but considering it was a small order and nearing the end of the sale there likely weren't many bags of either kind left. Since most of what I bought was food, it has already been consumed which is what I prefer. The non-food items like the trash bags and shaving supplies will be used soon enough.
My day started early, going into the office just after 8:30am to do some overtime. I didn't get as far as I wanted, but it's also because I wanted to leave at 10am to get to the Iowa/Minnesota football game which started at 11am. I took the Green Line light rail from downtown and made it about 20 minutes before the game started. Iowa scored the first touchdown, but Minnesota definitely outplayed them after this as Minnesota went on to win 51-14. It was 35-7 at the half. I went into the concourse with less than a minute left in the half, and during that time the Gophers got another touchdown. I had a little Domino's pizza and some bottled water at the half. Veterans Day is in less than a week, so one of the ways it was being acknowledged was giving out American flags on a stick. I did not get one, but I already have five if I am not mistaken. It was tough to see how somebody threw away their flag, I saw it in a trash bin after I had finished my pizza. So I fished it out and hopefully somebody else will claim it. I got a photo of it, hard to do when it was rolled up around the stick in terms of having the flag stay flat for the picture.
In the evening I went to eat at taco bell, and when I got back I listened to a friend's radio show. The guests were involved with a play at Illusion Theater, 'Disenchanted': a Disney princess musical. And
I heard from a movie friend I met early in the year, on Facebook, about free tickets at a theater in Mounds View. I haven't been to this theater before. Will have to see what works in my schedule. I also inquired about helping out with an anniversary event at the Soap Factory, which is in a week.
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