Garage Sale are Popular and Profitable

 

I hate garage sales, especially ones held in my driveway by my wife. The stuff on display, stuff we no longer want, is embarrassing to see on display for the world to see. Oddly, if the stuff on display is good, worth having, it will as often as not go unpurchased.

My wife sold a 1950s portable record player that no longer worked. It sold and sold quickly. Two fine, antique depression-era chair with a steam-pressed designs were ignored. An old, glass lamp shade sold despite being slightly damaged. Yet, a brand-new, stainless steel fish poacher found no interest. None. It has been returned to our basement.

My wife earned hundreds of dollars from her weekend sale. My granddaughters sold homemade biscotti and earned in the three digits as well. A couple of neighbours also held garage sales and also did very nicely.

At times the street was packed with cars as passing folk followed the garage-sale signs posted about the neighbourhood and stopped to see if they could find a bargain or two.

I was surprised by the stuff people bought and by the stuff people didn't buy. I was surprised that despite COVID-19 cute little girls can sell oodles of cookies, biscotti and small cups of lemonade. And I was surprised that everyone wore a mask. The garage sale was outside and folk were practising social distancing. Yet, everyone still wore a mask and thanked the little girls, who were also wearing masks, for using tongs to server the treats.