I will always remember the place and time I bought my first TUMI leather bag. It was in Fort Lauderdale, Florida right before we went on a Christmas cruise with Princess Cruise Lines. Marc, my partner, and I went to an outlet mall and I could not believe the price once the product went on sale. Since then I have been, I'm embarrassed to say, a TUMI addict. I now own a large collection of wallets, carry on luggage, travel kits, luggage tags, totes, briefcases, and backpacks from this leather goods brand. Many I have yet to use, some with tags still on them. The truth of the matter is, how can I not buy any when they go on sale. In San Francisco, some goods and accessories from this luxury leather company make their way to discount stores all the time and they are sold at very affordable prices. Add that to their outlet stores scattered all throughout the country. Just last Christmas, I saw a bargain bin full of TUMI products inside Ross.

I always go over board shopping in San Francisco each and every time I return from a trip to Europe. My trips to Europe often make me realize how lucky I am to be able to afford goods here which I would otherwise probably not be able to buy had I lived there or elsewhere. Luxury goods are not limited to the rich in the US. This is the reason why I see many European tourists go absolutely crazy shopping in the US. I see them year after year buy extra suitcases in our department stores to pack all their purchases in.

I vividly recall a group of young female Spanish backpackers traveling from Zagreb to Banja Luka in Republika Srpska within Bosnia last August 2014. Marc and I were seated in the compartment next door and I could hear one girl state what her dad once said about goods in the US during a trip. "Todo es barato alli. Demasiado barato." (Everything is cheap there. Too cheap.)

How very true. I was in Denmark two summers ago and was I disappointed not to be able to buy a Skagen watch there. When I returned to San Francisco, I found a table full of Skagen watches on the push list in Nordstrom Rack and bought two for much less than what one would have cost me in Copenhagen.

This is but a normal scene in many US stores involving various high end brands all throughout the year. When I see this, I just look up in the sky and say, "God Bless America".