On the last weekend of winter break, I went with a couple of my friends to Market Place Mall. We were there to do our slightly late Christmas shopping.

So armed with a coupons and a few $20 bills, I entered the mall, hoping to not spend more than $100 on gifts. I had thought that all the holiday sales were over. So imagine my surprise when I saw signs advertising huge discounts, ranging from 30 percent to 70 percent. And it wasn't just a couple shops; most of the stores and stalls had those signs.

Gleeful at our luck, we went from store to store browsing discounted items. Some items were on discount and we didn't even realize it!

But even so, there were plenty of items that were out of my price range. Handbags for $149, after discounts, anyone? Gloves for $77? Granted, they were made by famous designers or companies. But really, is a little name tag and maybe some better material worth all that much? Sure, you can show them off to your friends. So what? I found a handbag for $9 and fur-lined leather gloves for $22 that were just as functional and cute.

Of course, not everything pricey was brand name. The mall's not a Wal-Mart, even when the stores want to get rid of their entire inventory of "old" stuff. Some items were so expensive, even after the discounts, that I could have sworn that the salespeople jacked up the original prices before slapping on those stickers and signs. The big capitalist companies still have to get their profits, especially with our current economic times.

As for me, well, I'm happy to get what I can. I mean, Christmas isn't a proper holiday if there aren't presents, right? And I'm sure that corporate America would agree.