I am admitting to everyone that I stole some garden pots from the supermarket. I can’t believe I got away with it! This is how I did it.

To the left of the entrance doors of my supermarket is the floral department. Its offerings are nothing special: your typical mini roses, gift azaleas and “foliage plants.” Oh yeah, they have balloons there, too.

On the day I stole the garden pots there was a big box jutting out into the entrance area. I had to walk around it to enter the store. A young, lanky clerk was busy moving the box and I could tell he was giving it his all. Whatever was in that box was HEAVY! His forehead was dotted with sweat and he spoke in short sentences as he tried to conserve his energy for the laborious task before him.

“What’s in the box?” I asked, typical of my nosey self.

“Ah, I don’t know … some stuff for gardening,” the teen answered with dispassion.

“What kind of stuff for the garden?” My curiosity was piqued. Anytime I hear the word “garden” I’m all ears.

“Some garden pots, maybe. I’m not sure. It’s a special shipment for a sale we are having,” he continued.

“A sale on pots? Since when do you guys sell garden pots? Can I see them?” I asked.

“Would you mind waiting until I take them out of the box?” The young clerk seemed to be running out of patience to continue the conversation with me. His impatience just made me more curious. The words “pots” and “sale” in the same sentence had a lot to do with it.

“Here, let me help you. I have to leave soon and want to see what you have.” I started pushing the box out of the way before he could accept my offer.

The clerk stood silently as I had my way with the box. The first thing I saw was a sign that read, “$39.99”. I picked it up to see what was underneath. There were some generous-sized glazed terracotta pots that looked good enough to warrant a closer look. I asked for his help to take one out. As the container was lifted, I could see that it was a beauty and not a bad deal for only $39.99! I started sweating … not from the heavy lifting, but from the excitement!

Now I was the one speaking with bated breath. “Wow, this is gorgeous. What a steal, for only $40 dollars. How many do you have?” I was willing to take the entire box.

“I have six of them but the price is wrong, I have to make a new sign.”

“Oh, great,” I thought to myself, the price did seem too good to be true.

The clerk continued, “They are supposed to be $9.99, not $39.99.″  I couldn’t believe my ears! There was no way these beautiful pots cost only $9.99. I buy pots all the time at wholesale prices and I have never paid $9.99 for pots of this size and quality! It had to be a mistake. I knew I had to make a fast move before anyone else saw them, and I did.

“Don’t take them out of the box, I’ll just take them all! (There was no way I was going to pass up this opportunity; the pots were beautiful, and large enough for my container-planted tomatoes!)

I could tell the young clerk thought I was weird, because he just looked at me with this surprised expression and didn’t say anything. Maybe I had a deranged look on my face. The kind of expression someone has before they are about to commit a crime … like “stealing” some garden pots from the supermarket! And even if I didn't technically steal them, they certainly were the deal of the century!

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