Thrift Store Score

I have mentioned here, many times before, that I love thrift stores. My mom tells me that the Idaho thrift stores are far better than the ones in Maine...I wonder why that is? Do we have better junk in Idaho? Or do Idahoans just let go of their junk, more easily than Mainers? Hmmm.

Anyway, there is a thrift store just a couple of blocks from our house, and the boys and I check it out on a regular basis. I seem to have a knack for stumbling upon the craziest thrift store finds, but that is another post in of itself. Stay tuned for that one.

So, the boys and I were out running errands the other day when we decided we would take a spin through the thrift store. So glad we did! While I was looking at dishes (the section I always go to first!) I heard Camden say, "Um, Mama? Come see this!!" Up on a top shelf was what I believed to be an interactive R2D2 robot. The boys were about coming out of their shoes. The price tag? $8.50. A bit more than I like to spend on something at a thrift store, but I knew a little bit about this particular item, as I am the mother of a couple of Star Wars Freaks, after all. I asked the clerk if it worked, and she assured me that it did. So, we made our purchase and headed home. I promptly fired up my computer and found that this little guy costs $199.95 new! Our final cost? $11.50 (after purchasing the 8 batteries it needed to operate, at the dollar store).

Now, I have to tell you that even I am amazed by this thing. It is the craziest toy I have ever seen. Essentially, it is a robot, and it understands 40+ voice commands. It struggles to understand children's voices (too high-pitched), but the boys have pretty much mastered getting it to respond. Completely hilarious!