It's that time of year to risk life and limb. Maybe I'm nuts to even bother trying to shop at CTS but sometimes, you gotta follow your muse and this year mine goes by the name "CHEAP". if they have what you're looking for, CTS's can have the best price around...but...
BE A ZEN SHOPPER: I have to warn you to think carefully. Use your yoga deep breathing techniques at all times. Surrender. Because you can lose your mind with shopping fever as you are engulfed by all the cheap stuff, stacked everywhere.
Your inner American consumer will whisper:
ooooo so glittery, so shiny! it's pretty!
and it's only $4.99!
yesssssss!
You spot an item. your mind is racing fast, there are many bodies crowded around and you're hot and the music is loud and in the moment the price seems reasonable, you don't want to lose it so you buy, get home and slap yourself silly remembering you saw the same thing for half the price at one of the other discount stores.
Then, remembering how small the return area is and the long lines of miserable people you know you will not go back and endure that hell. Besides, it wasn't THAT much more, was it? .
So it's paramount to be a calm controlled shopper and surrender to the insane energy of CTS. Then get your booty and get the hell out.
.....unless your thing is a mess of Chinese interpretations of every conceivable accessory or geegaw with a holiday theme. Then have at it! Dive in and take no prisoners.
Buy those garish rhinestone encrusted candles!
Snag that weird angel that does not look quite right!
CTS is Mecca for holiday "stuff:. They may be the prime reason Halloween isn't a simple " buy a bag of candy" holiday anymore.
LIFE SAVING ADVICE HERE: right off the bat you must SEEK AND FIND the fire exits and imprint their location in your mind before you do anything, because if there were ever a fire or an emergency that blacked out the lights, everyone in that store would be toast..
The aisles and stacks are cleverly arranged to divert you every few feet. There isn't an unobstructed path front to back or side to side. CTS is a labyrinth.. Plus this store is filled with Chinese made petrol based cheap junk, so it's a floor to ceiling recipe for disaster.
You go in and you are funneled by the crowds to the back because the aisles are so narrow and slanted you can't turn your cart around. By the time you're at the back, you are aware that turning back is impossible unless you work your way towards the other side and follow the milling crowds to the checkout areas.
If heaven forbid you're in one of those odd middle aisles, well....good luck.
SHOVE IT IN YOUR CART AND MOVE ALONG: if you're shopping for something specific and you happen to find a close second but you're not sure it's what you want, shove it in your cart anyway
1. because you don't have to buy it and
2. you may not find it again ever.
PRICES ARE TRICKY: they have good prices on certain items like refurb name brands appliances and Pfaltzgraft (skip the brands you've never heard of, especially the heat generating ones). However check out the sheets, blankets, curtains and other mill items and the low cost furniture. Truthfully the quality is not stellar, however there ARE bargains but you have to take the time to look.
LAST WORDS: Be shrewd, careful and fast. If you must make the trip - try to go early in the day when the crowds haven't arrived, especially during Christmas season when it's likely to be wall to wall crazy crowded and shoppers are a little intense. At that time of year DO NOT GO ON SATURDAY OR SUNDAY unless you're a shopping samurai warrior.
If you're a little claustrophobic, don't even look at the circular. It will only tempt you to your doom.
Go somewhere else, anywhere else.
Really - I'm not kidding. read more