SOCIAL COMMITTEE

WOODLAWN GARAGE SALE IS IN APRIL

Listen up, garage sale buyers and sellers! Here’s some hints to keep you out of trouble at this weekend’s garage or yard sale.

BUYERS

  • Don't be an "Early Bird". If the paper says the sale starts at 7am, don't show up at 5:30am or don't drive by the night before in hopes beating the other shoppers to the bargains. Yard sale shoppers who do this give the rest of us shoppers a bad name.
  • Please respect the seller's property. Walking unnecessarily through the yard, reeking havoc on the seller's merchandise displays, and blocking neighbors' driveways are definitely no-no's.
  • Don't carrying only large bills. Producing a $20 bill for a 25¢ purchase is extremely inconsiderate. Save small bills and change throughout the week for your Saturday yard sale trip.
  • Don't be "THAT" person. Just because the seller is up early for the yard sale doesn't mean his neighbors are. Driving a noisy vehicle or speaking and laughing loudly will not endear you to the seller. Aggressive haggling or obnoxious negotiating tactics aren't welcome, either.
  • Please respect other buyers. If you want to buy a large item or more items than you can carry, ask the proprietor to mark the item or start a "pile" for you in an out-of-the-way place. It is rude to claim an item as "yours" if you haven't made any effort to let the proprietor or other shoppers know you intend to purchase it.

SELLERS

  • Please price items clearly. Or worse yet, not pricing items at all. Buyers shouldn't have to work at figuring out the prices. If it's too confusing, some shoppers will get frustrated and leave without making purchases.
  • Don't Accommodating early birds. Allowing early shoppers to get the bargains is unfair to the shoppers who are careful to respect your start time. Accommodating early birds provides positive reinforcement for this inconsiderate behavior.
  • Don't try to sell used stuff at "New" Prices. If your stuff means that much to you, take it to a consignment store or sell it through a classified ad. Yard sale shoppers won't pay prices barely below what you'd find in a discount store.
  • Don't be careless in your preparations. There's nothing worse for a buyer than hearing, "How did that get out here? That's not for sale!" If you are working with someone else in preparing for the sale, communicate well so items don't get out that aren't supposed to be sold.
  • Please take down the old signs. After the yard sale is over, the signs you posted are litter that should be disposed of. Carelessly leaving old signs up is extremely inconsiderate to both future shoppers who will inevitably drive down your street looking for the sale, and the neighbors who must look at your weather-beaten signs for months to come.

If you have ever violated any of these social graces (as either a seller or buyer), take heart. Yardsalers are a forgiving bunch. Just make a silent vow that in the future, you will always be on your best bargain-shopping behavior.