I cautiously parked in front of the craft store, went inside and found the glue gun, which, back home, would cost $12.99. There in Arizona it was $1.29, which is to say, it was basically free, and at that price they should have just gone out to the freeway and hurled glue guns at passing cars.
The narrator describes their experience of visiting a craft store in Arizona, where they were surprised by the low price of a glue gun. Back home, they would typically pay $12.99 for one, but in Arizona, it was only $1.29, making it feel almost free. This stark difference in pricing makes the narrator humorously suggest that the store could simply give them away.
This moment in the book illustrates a broader theme of consumerism and the absurdity of market prices in different locations. The author, Douglas Coupland, uses this anecdote to highlight the quirks of shopping and the sometimes irrational nature of pricing in a light-hearted way.
