File Under: WTF?

After work today, I stopped at Caufield's, a huge costume place after work.  I had an errand to run a half a block from the place, so I thought I'd stop in to see what was going on.  Little did I know that I was walking into a circus.  As I was walking to Caufield's, I saw 2 vans from local TV channels.  They were broadcasting live on the 6:00 news from Caufield's.  Not a problem here - I was wearing a very cool new shirt, and felt very photogenic in case the cameras turned my way. 

When I got to Caufields, I was in for a surprise. There were two police officers standing watch at the door, only letting in a few people at a time.  WTF?  I had no idea buying Halloween costume stuff almost two weeks before Halloween would be reason for the police to be called out.  A  few minutes later, I realized why the police were there: there was major robbery going on inside the store.  I bought a plastic scythe for a friend's son's (the cheapest thing in the store, only $3.95)  and the woman in front of me paid $165 for a costume for her daughter.  Hand to heaven, that is the truth. And she only bought a pair of pointy-toed shoes, a witch's dress and a witch's hat.  Not a bargain in my book.  I almost started to tell the woman about our $3.95 plastic Halloween costumes that we wore as kids,  but I just kept my mouth shut as she gladly forked over almost 2 C-notes for her kid's Halloween outfit. 

For that kind of money, I would have expected something just shy of the Wicked Witch of the West's costume; not just a generic pair of pointy-toed black shoes, a chintzy polyester black dress and a pointy hat.  The woman was robbed the same as if someone put a gun to her head and demanded her purse.  And I just stood behind her in line, fascinated by  the animated deer head on the wall above the cash register.

I know my parents loved me, but I know they would not have paid $165 for my Halloween costume.  In fact, I don't know any parents that would have paid that for an outfit that would be worn for about two hours and then tossed in the bottom of the closet.  During my trick-or-treat years, there was probably only two or three Halloweens that I wore a store-bought costume; all the other years it was made up from make-up and things from home.  I guess today that's just out of hand.  The kids today have to have an expensive store-bought costume or they don't think they're cool. I feel very sorry for them.