YESTERDAY'S MEMORIES of a Bygone Time

Saturday, February 09, 2008

Garage Sale Rant

We're so used to our little routine of going to a few Estate Sales and garage sales every Friday on our Date Day that it's hard to break the habit. There's always this anticipation that we will see some unique items, even if the price is not such that we would buy them. Well, yesterday was a DUD to add to several other DUDS we've had lately! In fact, it seems to hold true that from about mid December until warmer weather that there just aren't enough interesting sales to make the gas money worth it. We came home yesterday with two baby toys, and that's it!! Spent less than $2.00, had gasoline and eating out expenses, and basically have nothing to show for it. We left most of the places we visited laughing at the pitiful excuse for a sale they had going. Don't they realize that they are paying $32 to list their junk in the paper, and they don't have that much for sale?

Our first stop of the day was a small rural church that was selling out their thrift store. That sounded like it would have great possibilities, since they get the items as donations, so the prices are usually good. There were three people there "working", and we were their only customers at the time. Not one of them greeted us, or said a word to us. If we were looking for a church home, it wouldn't be there!

Of course, we still have fun, just being with each other. We bought an inexpensive GPS device for Christmas, and that's made getting lost finding some of these places a thing of the past. But when we get there, there's nothing to look at but a few pile of clothes and some old stuff that the Thrift Store can't even sell. Pitiful. And then, such as yesterday, there's the occasional place that advertises in the paper, and then is closed up tighter than a vault, with no sign saying sale postponed, or anything. Strange.

We stopped at a particularly odd Estate Sale last week. Not a single thing in the house had been priced, and only a few items were moved from their original location! They didn't even have kitchen items out on the counter. Everything was still in the cabinets and drawers, just as their relative left it. People were getting in line with arms full of stuff, waiting their turn to haggle over the price! It was creepy, inefficient, and we left without even trying to buy anything.

We'll be having an Estate/Yard Sale of our own this Spring, and I hope we will profit from the mistakes we see other people making! I sure don't want anyone telling everybody about that terrible sale they went to!!!!

Labels: Date Day, Estate Sales

posted by Dirty Butter 6:37 AM

Comments:

I wonder if the estate sale where nothing was set out or priced made any money, or if that was even their goal? I sure can understand why you left without buying anything!!

BFF,
Miss T

# posted by

Miss Trashahassee : February 09, 2008 4:29 PM

I would love to know how they did! It's not unusual to go to an Estate Sale that the family is doing on their own and see several people totally exhausted! I think these folks thought this would be the easy way to do it. I bet they changed their minds in a hurry after hours of haggling.

# posted by

Dirty Butter : February 09, 2008 4:33 PM

I can't wait until warmer weatherwhen we start having outdoor sales again. Just too danged cold now.

# posted by

Dana : February 25, 2008 8:00 PM

We've had such a mild winter, Dana, that we really haven't stopped going out each Friday. And we've been in a drought condition so long that rain hasn't drowned out any Friday's either.

I saw your snow pictures on your blog, and I can sympathize with your Southern heart!

But I am ready for honest to goodness SPRING!

# posted by

Dirty Butter : February 29, 2008 4:14 PM

Thank you for telling us of that estate sale where almost nothing was moved of its location. I dream of walking into an old house with all the original content left there just as if people had merely walked away never to return, I love the idea of ghost towns for the same reason.I'd love you to check out my blog, I do plenty of scavenging myself :)
Cottagewoman

# posted by

Anonymous : March 18, 2008 8:02 AM

LOL! Everybody's different, anon, and this is a perfect example of it!! There very thing we hated, you would have loved. One of our church members passed away this last year and her children did that very thing. They even left her Bible out on the table open to where she had been reading. I know this from what other people told us, as we just felt too creepy to go inspect her house and buy things that way.

# posted by

Dirty Butter : March 18, 2008 10:30 AM

That is odd, just walking in a home and going through the drawers and closets. I've never heard of such a thing! I don't understand why they didn't at least get an auctioneer if they didn't want to be bothered with cleaning out the home...I notice the first yard sale here in town last weekend, so maybe it's time for me to drag all the leftover junk from our last storage unit last fall and have a sale of my own!

# posted by

jillbeth : March 18, 2008 12:12 PM

I had never heard of it until this year, Jillbeth. We are starting to get things together to have an Estate/Garage sale soon, too. I DREAD it!!

# posted by

Dirty Butter : March 18, 2008 4:15 PM

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