“Those shoes are amazing,” we said to a woman we ran into on Boston Common. “Thanks,” she said, with a little strut, “Marshall’s.” Our companion from the Midwest couldn’t hold back. “You people are so twisted,” she said, “always bragging about how little you pay for stuff, not how much.”

She got that right. We New Englanders love a bargain. And the bragging rights that come with getting something fabulous for next-to-nothing? Priceless!