...well, kinda. I had been trying to chase the elusive 22" Premium Target clearance price all over North Texas and kept coming up empty handed. It seems like everyone either had none in stock or if they did they were regular price. Then there was one incident of a wasted trip that resulted from "inventory issues".
Finally I decided to open my search up a little bit. After a phone call to ask that they could verify they physically had them in stock and asking them to hold the grill until I could make the 30 minute drive to get there, I headed off on another adventure. The display model they had on hold for me was awaiting my arrival, as promised. We had a bit more shopping to do after checking in to let them know I was there for my grill (so they wouldn't give up on me). Of course I had to check out the grill section, hoping for more deals. Eventually I stumbled upon the second grill inventory showed they had, but they couldnt locate, on a random shelf by (but not with) the grills. After asking if they would mind me taking the boxed one and not the display instead, I purchased the boxed grill and headed home.
I am officially the owner of an 18" Weber Original Kettle. It wasn't exactly what I had sat out after, but for $23.98 I sure wasn't going to complain. Now I have a grill and nothing to go with it. In the next few days I will be seeking out the basic stuff to get started. I'm just excited to finally own a Weber again. I'll keep an eye out this year to see if anymore 22" grills go on clearance, if not I'll try again next year and hope for better luck. But until then, I'll try to get the 18" geared up, and get back to charcoal grilling. It's been a while, so I'll have to learn to ride without training wheels again.