Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Everything One Dollar

Everywhere we look today, there are signs we are in a economic recession. Times are tough and money is tight - some of us feel it more than others, but regardless of our own financial situation, we are all very aware of what is going on around.

For many years now I have been taking our outgrown clothing to good will. Since we are now living in our new house (and not apartment) I decided to try something new...a yard sale. I began by digging out all of our old boxes of stuff ranging from infant clothes to size six in girls clothes and then I rummaged thru my closet for stuff. To say the least we had a ton of clothes that spanned all the seasons.

Personally, I am not a yard sale shopper. I don't think there is anything wrong with them, but growing up, I seem to remember that was the only place my mother ever took me to shop and so I grew to detest them. Much time has passed since those days and I don't detest them anymore, but I still don't feel the need to stop very often.

Taking into account my views of yard sales and the economic times we live in, I think selling it all for $1 is a pretty reasonable deal. There were name brand clothing, stuff with tags on it never having been worn, clothing sets, jackets ... all for only 1 dollar. I was convinced it was going to go and I was going to be rid of these boxes I have been piling up.

So we set out on our quest - DQ and I set up tables, signs and begin to unpack box after box. People stop by and leave, some purchase stuff and some do not. DQ is diligently keeping track of how many people stop by and how many don't purchase anything and then proceeding to let me know how to fix this problem. In the course of a few hours we had a woman stop by:

Lady - What a precious dress
Me - Thank you, all the clothes are $1
Lady - Is this new?
Me - Yes, see the tag is still on it
Lady - I buy the clothes for my nieces, but can't afford to spend alot of money.
Me - Ah, yes, I understand what you mean.
Lady - This dress was $50?
Me - Yes, but my girls out grew it before we wore it, so now it's just $1.
Lady - Just precious, I just can't afford stuff like this.
(puts it down and walks away)


Perhaps I didn't understand. I think a $50 dress, brand new with tags selling for $1 is an awesome deal, but no...no one bought it. Shortly after that incident I decided I had spent enough hours 'yard selling' and decided to pack it up. All in all, we made a little money, but the stuff I was certain would sell did not, sweaters, jeans, jackets and brand new with tags did not sell so well, but stuff with shorts and toys did. Go figure - who would've thought that summer stuff would sell after the season was over?!

Do you yard sell?

10 comments:

auntie said...

i'm not a big yard sale shopper, mostly because i don't have the patience to dig thru other people's junk to find a "treasure". it's the same problem i have with trying to buy clothes only when they're on sale - i HATE digging thru racks and racks of ugly crap that isn't my size anyway and that is obviously on clearance for a good reason, just so that i can save a few bucks. i'm a much happier gal when i can buy MY size at full price, and know that i'll be able to wear the item THIS season. (i'm all about instant gratification, in case you couldn't tell!)

that being said, my mom is the bargain-est shopper you ever did see. i wasn't fortunate enough to inherit that gene from her. sigh.

Anonymous said...

I think people who shop yard sells are 90% in it to see what kind of price they can talk the sellers down to. Mr. C's mom was VERY proud of the fact that she talked this woman down from $25.00 to $15.00 for a picture of a deer standing in a pond. She then gave US this picture and it is now sitting (backwards) on our backporch.

So, the woman was probably looking for handouts, even though obviously you were offering great deals. I've never done a yard sale, but I think it would drive me crazy.

Unknown said...

I have a yard sale about once a year, but I don't go to them, unless they in my neighborhood and the kids want to go....

Danyele Easterhaus said...

kel...i totally agree. peeps always look for used bathroom mats but leave the coach purse and the new dresses. just donate...it's better for everyone.

Aleta said...

I don't yard sale shop. I keep thinking about the stuff that I sold at my yard sale and say to myself, "I don't need any more stuff." Then again, I'm not a big shopper either.

I will say this though, we did fantastic for our yard sale. I even blogged about it (which is in the March section, "Trashcan Treasure)). I was shocked with how much we made.

Kellan said...

Oh, I have had many a yard sale at my house. I need to have one right now to get rid of some clothes and stuff. It is a big job, though. And ... it is very odd what people buy and what they are willing to pay.

Have a good afternoon - Kellan

Anonymous said...

I GO to yard sales but I haven't had one since I got in a tiff w/ some Amish lady who thought my Never-Used-Before Baby Bouncer was priced too high at $5 :P

I take out clothes to a consignment shop here. I can charge what they're worth and still get more profit than I would at a yard sale.

Putting the FUN in DysFUNctional said...

How weird, $1 per item sounds like a bargain to me! I yard sale sometimes, but not for clothes. Maybe you could try a consignment shop?

Skiplovey said...

My hubby loves yard sales because he's always looking for old records. I used to try to do yard sales but would get frustrated with people being so cheap. Now I take all our unwanted stuff to Salvation Army or Goodwill. I get a better tax write off then what I'd end up selling the stuff for.

Anonymous said...

I had about five yard sales this year.. all with the tags at a $1 as well.. and guess what? After about a billion people stopped I still have about 80% of it.. brand new stuff.. just crazy