Garage Sales

Victor Tunggal Irawan asked:


Do you find yourself lost within the clutter of your home? Or do you always feel that a few extra bucks could help you make ends meet? Then why not have a garage or yard sale, after all one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

First and foremost, you don’t have to have a lot of stuff to start selling. You could ask for handouts from neighbors, family, or friends, something they think they can part with, this way combined with your things you are sure to provide your customers with a variety of purchasable items.

When you think you’ve got all the things you need to get started, then you should begin planning, starting with the sale date. It would be most effective to schedule the sale on a weekend far from any holiday or any special day within your community. You should probably also anticipate the weather for that day so that you can adjust if ever the weather is uncooperative. Regarding the time, it would be best to hold it in the morning.

The next step is to make the event official by having it announced in the most popular periodical in your area, or by putting up posters, or both. If possible, maybe you could also have a local radio station mention the affair. Publicize the event on bulletin boards.

Buy several stickers, post-its, and different colored markers, and use them before the day of your sale. This would help you organize your products. You may need to borrow some tables and racks so that you can better display your merchandise. Also, prepare smaller bills and coins for change. If you have a container with several compartments then you should place the money there, keeping in mind that this should be something you can carry around. Clean and remove some of the things from the garage if you are having the sale there. Make sure that the garage is well lit on the sale date. Place electrical equipment for sale near an electrical outlet or set up an extension cord. If you are having a yard sale, then have the grass trimmed and rake the leaves that are scattered around the place. Check signage ordinances in your neighborhood and set some of them up on nearby street corners, make them noticeable with big and bold letters, and eye-catching colors.

Have a friend or two on the day of your sale. Put your goods in order one or two hours before you open. Organize your wares and have them presented beautifully, always have someone near your more expensive ones. Last but not least; don’t be afraid to bargain with customers.



JUNIOR

Victor Tunggal Irawan asked:


A garage sale could mean crowded people and lots of spectators. It is necessary that you follow safety measures to ensure that your garage sale is safe for you and your customers.

Thieves, robbers, shoplifters, and housebreakers could be lurking around waiting for their chance to pounce. Don’t give them that chance. Be on your guard. Follow these tips on how to make your garage sale a secure one.

1. Get an aide. If you are going to attend to your customers and man the cash at the same time, your attention will be divided. And bad people could seize that opportunity and rob you quite easily. Get some help. Maybe a friend or a relative would be happy to assist you with your customers. Not only would you have a safe garage sale, it will be manageable as well.

2. Designate a permanent cashier. There should be only one person getting payments for purchases. Doing so will eliminate problems like asking payment for an item twice from a customer, or customers claiming that they have already paid for the item with someone else.

3. Secure your house. Before attending to your first set of customers, make sure that your house is safe. All doors and windows should be locked. There is a big possibility that somebody would unknowingly slip into your house and rob you of your valuables. Make sure to check every possible entry point to your house and secure it properly.

4. Keep your money. Just leave a handful of loose change on the counter. For safety purposes, don’t accept large bills for small purchases. If you accept a large bill, you will have to count a lot of change in front of the customers, therefore drawing attention to you and your earnings.

5. Set-up some alarm system. Again, for safety purposes, maybe you can install temporarily a 15-foot buzzer system that could alert people of burglary and stop the offender in his tracks. You never know how powerful noise can be to prevent thievery.

6. Carry a phone with you all times. If and when an emergency situation does arise, you can easily call for help. Make sure that your phone has a full battery and has all the important emergency numbers stored.

These are some of the things you can do to make sure that there won’t be any unexpected incidents that could arise as you hold the garage sale. Follow these and you, your items, your customers, and your earnings will all be protected.



FABIAN