So I recently entered my sourdough era and have been hunting for a Dutch oven to bake in. Aldi had one for $20 back in September, but of course I missed the one-week window and they sold out fast. Everything online has been $35–$40 minimum… Amazon, Walmart, everywhere.

I’d just gotten off a night shift and really debated stopping anywhere, but on the drive home I thought, “Screw it, let me try Ollie’s.”

I walk in and spot a $29 ceramic one I almost settled for… until I notice this gorgeous enameled cast-iron Dutch oven sitting out of the box with no price. The sticker was partially scratched off and only read “their price” but not “Ollie’s price”, so I walked to the front to ask for help. The cashier asks for the manager overhead and she walks up. I explain and as we’re walking back to the aisle, we start talking — I mention I’ve picked up baking to destress from work, she notices I’m in scrubs and asks what I do, and I tell her I’m just “doing my best.” We chat the whole way there, and when we reach the shelf I jokingly thank her for taking that trek with me (it was all the way in the back of the store).

She asks, “What’s your budget?”

Me: “Honestly, anything under $30 would be a blessing. I was literally about to grab a $29 one… but then I found this and couldn’t find the price.”

She looks at the part of the sticker that wasn’t scratched off and goes, “Well, it says here ‘their price-$89’…let me see what we can do cause I’m not sure what we marked it as, and since it’s out of the box anyway… I can add a discount.”

👁️👄👁️

So I roll with it, take it to the register… and y’all…

THIS DUTCH OVEN RINGS UP FOR $15.89.

I get home, look it up, and the EXACT SAME ONE is listed for $79 on Amazon and $100 at Walmart.

I am officially an Ollie’s evangelist now. 🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️ Behold my $79 Dutch oven for fifteen. freaking. dollars.

Moral of the story: If you find something without a price, talk to the manager — apparently they can work a little magic… and being nice might just save you at LEAST sixty bucks. 🤯

More important moral of the story: Be kind to retail workers ANYWAY — not because you’re hoping for a discount, but because they deal with way more chaos than they get paid for. The fact that it also landed me a sweet deal was just a huge unexpected bonus I couldn’t wait to share.

So excited to bake !!

Be kind to retail workers...sometimes it unexpectedly becomes a massively discounted cast iron Dutch oven.