As September rolls in and summer waves farewell, back to school and Labour Day sales hit the stores and merchandise has been flying off shelves everywhere. I’ve never been one for sales – there is no discount deep enough to tempt me to face bargain-hungry crowds – but I do love wandering through markets, corner shops and stalls when the crowds die down, with camera in tow. Here are a few merchandise-themed photos I’ve taken on my travels.  Some gorgeous south-western pottery in Santa Fe.

A London flower stall at night.

Charcuterie in Rome.

Hot sauces with spicy names in a Montana novelty shop.

Tea, herb and spice mixes at a New York farmers’ market.

An added bonus of taking my camera shopping with me is that I usually get so wrapped up in photographing objects that I forget to buy anything. It saves me a fortune! So embrace your inner shopaholic and join in with your own interpretation of this week’s theme (everyone’s welcome!) Here’s what to do:

• Create your own post and title it Travel theme: Merchandise
• Include a link to this page in your post so others can find it too
• Get your post in by next Thursday, as the new travel theme comes out on Friday
• Don’t forget to subscribe to keep up to date on the latest weekly travel themes. Sign up via the email subscription link in the sidebar or RSS!

xxx Ailsa

You know the value of every article of merchandise, but if you don’t know the value of your own soul, it’s all foolishness. – Rumi

Junk is the ideal product… the ultimate merchandise. – William S. Burroughs