One aspect of moving that I both dreaded and felt excited about was finding new places to save a few bucks. Especially when it comes to clothing and entertaining my children, since they grow out of the old clothes and toys so quickly (though my littlest gets to use a lot of pink items I saved from his sister....shhhh, don't tell him).
The first place I checked out is called Little Rascals, down on Highway 79 behind the DMV and visitor's center by a couple blocks. It was a very frustrating experience. Two days in a row I pulled in at 3pm and they were closed despite the sign on the door that said open from 10-4:00. The website listed the same hours. There was no note. The third day I called ahead of time and I was reassured the store would be open until 4:00. Pulled in at 3:00 again, and same story. Only this time I was truly peeved. Maybe they live in a different time zone? Like the Twilight Zone?
Finally made it through the door on the fourth day, after calling ahead immediately before heading in that direction. The closed sign was up again but a call to the owner got us in.
Frankly, it wasn't worth the trouble. We got a good deal on a used Bumbo seat and an activity center, but the customer service was less than ideal to put it nicely. And the clothes were priced a bit high for a thrift store. If I were renting items for a vacation, this would be the place to go. Otherwise, it's not my top pick.
Fortunately, I found an awesome thrift store over on 23rd St in Panama City proper. "This Little Piggy" wasn't easy to find the first (or third or fourth) time that I looked for it, but I finally found out it is by the Publix. Which happens to be across the road from TJ Maxx, one of my favorite discount stores, yay!
The service is friendly and efficient, the selection is excellent, the store is very nicely organized and the prices are great. The icing on the cake? There's a little kiddy
The store also hosts a free Story Time every Wednesday morning at 9am, and we'll be giving that a try in the near future.
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