I was curious as to who the other travelers would be. What kind of people take a Volunteers of America bus tour? And although all of my friends thought it sounded like a great idea, none of them wanted to go along with me. They had their "excuses." I didn't really have any shopping to do, my only mission being to get the cheesiest holiday pin I could find for Tracey in Classifieds. Even I was hesitant to commit to a whole day held hostage on a bus. So I made plans to rendezvous with a friend half-way through. And what type of bus would we be on? Please, not the "short" bus!

Saturday morning I arrived on time for me, knowing the tour wasn't leaving the Lake Ave store until almost 11 a.m. I walked inside and immediately found "the cheesiest" AND "the treasure" --- a silly pup popping out of a present and a handcrafted pin of a kitten dolled up in Christmas garb. It doesn't sound like much, but believe me, it's precious. I also found another pin and earrings for gifts. I felt like I was already done. What more could I want? I had just enough time to grab a cup of coffee to-go at the hospitality table, which also had other treats, before they announced the bus was ready to leave. Sure ‘nough, it was the short bus.

The ride to Palmyra was used for introductions, a history, and instructions on where we were going and how long we had to shop at each place. Our little tour group was made up of about a dozen women, including me and the two guides, one man, and the bus driver. One grandmother, daughter, and granddaughter were doing it as a way to spend the day together. Another woman had 10 grandkids to buy presents for. Only one woman had taken the tour before (the VOA runs them three times a year). The point of them seems to be to alter our perceptions of shopping at a VOA store so that we don't feel we are shopping at a thrift store. Yeah, I didn't get it either, but apparently they get lots of brand-new items donated by businesses and even list some of the big furniture items on Craigslist.

Having finished all my shopping, in Palmyra (after grazing at the hospitality table) I just strolled around to see if anything jumped out at me. On the bus I'd been fighting with trying to fit everything into my purse, so when I saw a likely candidate for a replacement I snatched it up. A brand new leather Liz Claiborne with pockets for everything, for only $3! While I was getting it rung up one of the women said she liked it and that I almost looked like an adult now. I'm not sure what she meant by that, but it didn't feel like a compliment. She was the same one trying to get me to buy a shower curtain, saying we all should have more than one so we can switch it up.

Back on the short bus we all played an excited game of show and tell. This was starting to get fun! Then we opened our provided box lunches --- which were actually in a festive bag --- and gathered the sustenance needed for the next round. Lunch was a turkey and cheese sub, chips, a Twix bar, and a bottle of water. Also in the bag was a magnet, a pen, some coupons, and promo material.

Next stop: Webster. This is where I planned on jumping bus, but I actually stayed longer than the tour. Once my ride came she started shopping and walked out a pair of pants and a suede jacket heavier. I took on some earrings and a bracelet. Next time I'm gonna stay for the whole tour and make someone go with me, for their own good, of course.

From there we hit the last half of Second Saturdays at Anderson Alley. I told you I'd go back, and I'm a woman of my words. I showed my friend the rugs and scarves; she loved them. I was disappointed that only about half the studios were open and there weren't many people there. I blame it on the sign.