What woman can resist the allure of a day full of shopping? Add in food and transportation, and we are likely to call this heaven.

So it is no surprise that Tracy Dismukes, owner of three consignment boutiques in Birmingham, has found great success in her consignment bus tours. The trips have been running almost every month since the idea began in January of this year, and Dismukes plans to continue them as long as the demand is strong.

The bus tours stop at two Shelby County consignment stores, Second Hand Rose and Renaissance Consignment, as well as four other Birmingham-area consigners.

The upcoming Sept. 12 tour includes food from Ashley Macs, luxury transportation, special discounts, and goodies at every stop for only $29.

“We’ve done surveys on every tour,” Dismukes says, “and on a scale of 1 to 10, we almost always get a 10! The food is plentiful and always great; you can’t beat the prices, so the day is full of guilt-free shopping, but the key is that it is a fun day away from responsibilities and these women are treated like queens!”

With a range of clientele from daughters to moms to grandmothers, the love of shopping spans all generations. Dismukes adds that the common love of bargain shopping spans the group forming a general camaraderie among the women.

“The combination of the recession, budget tightening, recycling, and going green makes this the perfect time to discover the treasures you can find consignment shopping at really low prices,” Dismukes reasons.

With an Atlanta consignment tour wrapping up the tours this year, Dismukes has great expectations.

“There has only been one other tour to Atlanta,” Dismukes says, “and it was perfect in all aspects — the weather, the stores, the prices, the people on the bus — everything. Dinner and a movie were provided on the bus and CBS in Atlanta even captured the trip for their evening news.”

With seats filling up fast for both trips, Dismukes is already planning the tour offerings for 2010. Information for the trips, pricing, and contacts can be found at Consignmentchic.com.

Jessica Vance can be reached by e–mail at jvance86@hotmail.com.