To fill those slow days of August, I decided to have a garage sale. What a lot of work to rid oneself of once precious but now obsolete items! The ad had to placed early for newspaper readers, photos taken for the Facebook garage sale pages, and signs made for the local intersections leading to our home. The garage had to be cleaned and arranged to hold 8 tables and a tarp hung to cover the tools left. Everyone wants to buy anything they can see in the garage so it is necessary to hide the screwdrivers and even the nuts and bolts. I had to go to the bank for 10s, 5s, 1s and quarters for change in the money box.
The sale items came from leftovers in the girls' closets, ebay failures, unwanted auction boxes and 40 years of otherwise accumulated stuff. Boxes came down the stairs and up from the basement. All to never to return, I said. Well...
I invited two friends to join forces with me in ridding our lives of some clutter-Suzie and Joan. They thought they could find a few items to contribute. Suzie cleaned house, but Joan only had a few things. We arranged jewelry, linens, glassware, books, toys, Christmas and refrigerator magnets on the table and in floor boxes. Since nice weather was predicted, several tables stood on the driveway along with box lots, rider toys and rocking chairs. At first the pricing was discussed and meticulously placed. By the sale eve, stickers were haphazardly placed torn address labels. And everything cost a quarter.
On the sale day, the plan was to meet at 8AM. I started then, but Suzie's and Joan's 8AM starts much later. LOL. Anyway by 9 o'clock opening time, we were in place at the checkout table and the garage sale balloons were flying in the cool morning breeze. Shoppers were waiting and came in steady droves most of the day except for the noon lunchtime lull. Suzie constantly informed customers about her items and rearranged the cleared spaces. I was the main cashier and let my items stand on their own, believing that shoppers can decide on their own if an item is worth the $1 asking price. Most are either collectors or dealers, and they already have an idea of worth and need values. Early on, a customer swore she took four items off the 50cent table that I had placed on the dollar table. Not worth an argument if she needed to be dishonest that badly. I took her $2 and flatly told her to enjoy her bottles. All I can say is "There are many reasons people shop garage sales". Lots of acquaintances and neighbors came thru -some to buy and some just to look the place over. One customer thought he would enter the other side of the garage and had to be stopped by my husband. He just wanted to see what was there. Another asked to use the bathroom-crohns disease attack-and was advised to go to the gas station up the block. Garage sale rule #1: Make bathroom arrangements ahead of time. Even if you are pregnant, or have crohns or MS. Garage sale #2: Stay in the sale area. Just because you spent $1.25 on a stuffed Gund teddy bear does not give you any property ownership. Garage sale rule #3: Your kids can play with the toys, but not the china tea set. A good idea is to give the kids a toy as they arrive. They are then pleased and occupied and allow harried parents to shop for the good stuff.
Some buyers accept the 50cent price on grandma's china plate but others want to bargain. When I stood firm on a price, one gentleman refused the set price and told me I needed to learn to deal. I replied firmly that I had been dealing all morning. He left with a handshake and a "God bless". As I said people attend garage sales for all reasons. Even evangelism. I already know that I am truly blessed by God. It pleases customers to be given a reduced price at checkout. Sometimes they return and spend that saved money.
Garage sale rule #4: You will not make enough money on Saturday to stay open. Unless you are retired and enjoying the social aspect of garage resale with friends.
The real hard work of the sale is at closing. Then the real decision had to be made about nothing returning to the house. And what to do with the leftovers. Those last few customers are lucky. The prices were drastically reduced-often to free. The neighbor who was our best customer was called and given a box of freebies that I hope helped defray the amount of money she spent on some of my most precious vintage items. I feel like I know her better now. Some items were traded among friends. Kids books will go to the Head Start school. Boxes were made up for a local charity-not the local unethical Goodwill-and for a church rummage sale and ebay sales. Which unfortunately have to go back inside. I am left with the problem of what to do with all those empty plastic containers. Yes!!
We celebrate our success in lessening clutter by counting our profits. A mistake in recording is quickly reconciled among friends. Joan is paid out first since she made less money for her few items. Then I counted my earnings in 20s and 10s, leaving Suzie with many 1s and quarters. Oh well, it is the end and now she has to go to the bank. We are joyous in our new found money and meet at La Campesina for margaritas and spicy salsa and fajitas.
Our goodbyes are full of promises to do it again next year-or maybe at Joan's next month. Oh yeah!
