Stocking up

I've had quite a few proofreading projects to do recently, which means frequent trips to the local office-supply company for ink cartridges and paper. Naturally, they are stocked at opposite ends, which means you have to walk through the entire store. And -- gee, what a surprise! -- inevitably you realize during that walk that you're out of rubber bands or mailing envelopes, or you spot some clever must-have office gadget. Today the Christmas card display caught my eye, and I was actually not outraged by the fact that Christmas wares were on sale a month before Halloween; rather, I made a mental note to check if I had any leftover cards from last year. Might as well buy them while there's a good selection.
(The friend who was with me was perturbed that you couldn't buy just one pen; he was baffled that they were sold by the dozen. Frankly, I don't understand why you would need to buy just one pen, much less ANY pens, in the first place: merchants and banks keep my home well stocked.)