by Pa Rock
Junkman
My son and I have been having a yard sale for the past three days, and if the cloudless weather holds up, we are likely to continue our adventure in mercantilism for another few days.
I have junk - and books, and books, and books - littering the lawn, and Nick is clearing out a storage shed. Each day we add to what is for sale, a practice that draws in repeat customers. One fellow stops in daily asking if we have any old postage stamps because his grandkids collect stamps. I always tell him "no," but that I will look around. Nick has now found a few for when the guy stops by tomorrow.
One lesson that we are learning from this yard sale experience is that people of limited means seldom quibble over price - and we try to help those people out. People with plenty of money, on the other hand, want to keep it. They think everything should be pennies on the dollar compared to its real worth, and they will get indignant over a quarter. Nick suggested (politely, of course) to a pushy lady this morning that she might want to go next door and check their dumpster for items in her price range.
But most of the people have been nice.
A secret to drawing people in to the sale seems to be to place interesting things out front within view of the drive-by traffic. Things like yard art, planters, and home decor items stir interest. We have a few baby items out by the road, but they have not garnered much attention. This must not be baby season.
I have a very large cement bear (one that takes a minimum of three stout men to move) in the front yard, and that big bear has also been drawing in the customers - with several almost demanding to buy it. I also have some pink plastic flamingoes in the yard (white trash to the core!) that fascinate the little kids. The bear sand flamingoes are permanent residents of Rock's Roost and will not suffer the indignity of being sold on the lawn.
The experience of having a yard sale has been generally positive, and it has served as an introduction to several of the neighbors. It has also generated a few dollars - always a good thing for us retired folks. It is not, however, something that I would want to tackle every day.
After all, being "retired" should mean something!
Junkman
My son and I have been having a yard sale for the past three days, and if the cloudless weather holds up, we are likely to continue our adventure in mercantilism for another few days.
I have junk - and books, and books, and books - littering the lawn, and Nick is clearing out a storage shed. Each day we add to what is for sale, a practice that draws in repeat customers. One fellow stops in daily asking if we have any old postage stamps because his grandkids collect stamps. I always tell him "no," but that I will look around. Nick has now found a few for when the guy stops by tomorrow.
One lesson that we are learning from this yard sale experience is that people of limited means seldom quibble over price - and we try to help those people out. People with plenty of money, on the other hand, want to keep it. They think everything should be pennies on the dollar compared to its real worth, and they will get indignant over a quarter. Nick suggested (politely, of course) to a pushy lady this morning that she might want to go next door and check their dumpster for items in her price range.
But most of the people have been nice.
A secret to drawing people in to the sale seems to be to place interesting things out front within view of the drive-by traffic. Things like yard art, planters, and home decor items stir interest. We have a few baby items out by the road, but they have not garnered much attention. This must not be baby season.
I have a very large cement bear (one that takes a minimum of three stout men to move) in the front yard, and that big bear has also been drawing in the customers - with several almost demanding to buy it. I also have some pink plastic flamingoes in the yard (white trash to the core!) that fascinate the little kids. The bear sand flamingoes are permanent residents of Rock's Roost and will not suffer the indignity of being sold on the lawn.
The experience of having a yard sale has been generally positive, and it has served as an introduction to several of the neighbors. It has also generated a few dollars - always a good thing for us retired folks. It is not, however, something that I would want to tackle every day.
After all, being "retired" should mean something!
No comments:
Post a Comment