It was a fine Saturday morning in late June where I stepped out the front door to take my minions to the park, when I looked down the road and observed an opportunity for an early morning sale.
That’s right, garage saling - a weekend tradition I inherited from my mother. A reaction to consumerism where I seek to find great bargains on kids toys and equipment without paying retail prices.
Coffee in one hand, toddler’s hand in the other and pre-schooler leading the way - on we trooped toward the magnet pulling us to this yard side bonanza: a little red wagon.
Upon our arrival, I greeted the family manning the ship and immediately pulled the little red wagon out to take a look. Toddler climbed aboard to assume the position of captain whilst preschooler schemed how she would demote him to a lesser position with herself at the helm.
“How much is the wagon?” I asked the couple, who were busy directing their presumably teenaged sons to help set up their wares for sale.
They answered that it was $25.
“Would you take $20?” I asked the woman.
I cannot imagine any garage saler who would not agree with me that this was a reasonable counter-offer on such an item. I can imagine that most seasoned garage salers, including myself, would at least make a reasonable offer, rather than take face ticket value on a first shot. It is a garage sale after all - based in part on the bartering system.
“You have to ask him,” she gestured toward the tall man I could only assume was her partner in crime.
“Hi,” I voiced in his direction, as his back was turned and he appeared to be really busy. “Would you take $20 for the wagon?”
No response.
After an awkward minute-long silence where I did that thing you do when you’re not sure if the person heard you but at the same time, you’re not sure how they couldn’t have heard you or be aware of the present moment, given that you are the only shopper in sight.
So, I did what I assume most people would do. I inquired once more.
For some reason, this seemed to greatly irritate the tall man. He replied to me in an abrasive, annoyed tone of voice while shaking his head up and down as he spoke - as if I was incapable of understanding what he was saying to me.
“No, thanks (dripping with sarcasm) I think I’ll take $25 for it. I paid over $120 for it.”
Post-baby I must share with you that I hold back far more than a lifetime ago. With the children in mind, I simply answered, “you don’t have to be so rude”, turned and retreated.
There are any number of reasons you could speculate as to why I chose to share this story.
It’s an example of how rude people can be. It’s a glimpse into the mounting pressures on parents to take the high road and to avoid confrontation in front of their children.
It also has a message to all of you planning to host your own garage sale. Here are a few general rules to keep in mind:
1) It’s a garage sale. You are selling your used items to others in need of such items. Price accordingly and be flexible. Should someone low-ball your offer - don’t be insulted or act rude. Perhaps negotiate with the customer. Or politely decline their offer. The operative word here is ‘politely’.
2) Neatly label your prices on your items. If you forget to label an item, at least have all your salespeople up to speed on what items should be selling for. It reminds me of another garage sale I attended this spring, where I asked the man in charge for the prices of three different items and each time he had to send his teenaged daughter in the house to ‘ask mummy’. This is annoying to salers. We’re not shopping for a dress to the ball - we’re wondering if some well-used trinket is $2 or $3.
3) Be friendly. When people stop by to peruse your sale, your face won’t crack if you smile. If they have determined that the stuff you have deemed isn’t worth keeping is also not worth them purchasing it - no need to be insulted. After all, you don’t even find the item worth keeping.
4) Be realistic and think about your intention. Are you searching for top dollar for your items that may be better placed on a buy and sale website? Are you trying to get rid of the items rendered useless to you and collecting something is better than nothing? If you are moving and genuinely need to get rid of your old clothes, toys, books and furniture I suggest you price everything cheap and donate your leftovers to centres in need...do you really want to bother setting up a sale and still having to pack up that crap because you priced your items as though you were the proprietor of a boutique second-hand store?
5) Lastly (even though this has nothing to do with the story above) advertise your sale by using big signs with legible writing and use clear markers to direct traffic to your sale. And please remove your signs following your sale, rather than leave them up to misdirect salers on future weekends.
And to the tall man who checked his manners at the door. We did wind up buying a fantastic brand new wagon (a rare splurge) for far less than $120. I don’t know where you bought yours some years ago, but I think you may have been taken for a ride.
