Vintage Goodies #2

I have a love/hate relationship with America's Thrift Stores and it's usually more on the hate side.  But I can't stop going because every once in awhile, after I've elbowed little old ladies and migrant farm workers out of the way, I find an incredible bargain.  This is the ATS in Alabaster, Alabama.  It is creepy.  All the workers wear face masks to protect them from the scarey customers who quite obviously carry every disease known to mankind.  I would NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS buy any clothing from ATS, and whatever I buy there gets washed as soon as I unpack it.  Most of the shoppers hit the trash can prior to entering the store, just because you NEVER KNOW what someone threw in the trash.  Like a sandwich or something.  I think there's something wrong with me for going there but I can't help it.

And like I said, every once in awhile you'll hit the jackpot.  A Fire-King mug in that gorgeous green & black combo (74 cents).  Four ceramic Lazy Susan dishes (2 pink, 2 white) marked Made In California USA (74 cents each).  Two section serving dish ($6.88) stamped Authentic Vernonware Made In USA.  It's the "Raffia" pattern made 1953-54.  White ceramic Xmas sleigh planter ($2.10).  Green vase ($3.88), Imperial Glass diamond pattern, made 1951-1972.  Four section clear glass dish (79 cents) with white ribbed center knob.  I do not know what this is for. 
And how about those candleholders, boys and girls.  They are AWESOME!!!!  They were a bit pricey at $9.88 each and I had to act like an idiot know-nothing person to stop another woman from buying them (Me: "Oh man, these must have been made in a beginner's ceramics class for sure!").  They are beautifully glazed, the colors are rich and they are obviously handmade and handpainted.  Other than the cats being unidentifiable, these are keepers.  Husband likes them, too!

(click for a better look-see)

But wait!  There's more!  For the low low price of six dollars and eighty-eight cents, I got a beautiful California Pottery planter in these incredibly rich colors, with a wonderful drippy glaze.  There's a minor crack under the glaze in one corner but nothing that detracts from its beautemousness (made-up word to denote something waaaaay beyond beautiful).

These prices would have been lower had I remembered to ask for my, um, my (unintelligible muttering but you can make out the word "senior" if you listen really hard), OK, YES, THE SENIOR DISCOUNT, ALRIGHT?  Hey, it's 10% off on Monday and you only have to be 55 and anyway you can lie since the checkers don't ask for ID. 

I did find out a couple seconds later that I could take my receipt to the manager, show her my ID proving I was over 55 and she'd issue me a store credit.  When I explained what had happened, the nice young manager smiled and said, "Oh OK!" and started to write the credit.  I asked her if she needed my ID and she said, "Oh, no, ma'am (grrr), that won't  be necessary (grrrrrrrr) . . . I believe you (gaaaaacckkk!)".  Well of course she didn't go grrrr and gaack--those are my silent reactions to this young whippersnapper calling me "ma'am" and just ASSUMING I'm a senior.

Which, of course, I am.