Attention:
Before you go on, please read my other garage sale adventure.
You will have a better understanding of what I am going through!
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August 7, 2010
Cloudy With a Chance of Failure...a garage sale story.
The night before the garage sale I was still running around my garage
seeing what else I could put out for sale. After all, I had not even
ventured into the storage room in the back of the garage, where we
keep all the tools, ladders, lawn care products, old paint cans,
suitcases, dusty boxes with Hilda's "stuff", Mayra and Raul's "stuff",
Sandra's "stuff", my "stuff". Boxes with Christmas decorations,
ornaments..wreaths, lights...also, forgotten plastic storage totes,
containing who knows what...from who knows who...from who
knows what year!
I didn't get to all, but I certainly made a dent in that storage room, leaving
it a lot more open and organized! However, there was a large tote
with tangled Christmas lights that I knew my nerves couldn't handle, so
I called Sandra downstairs to untangle them, and see which ones
worked. She wasn't a happy camper. I wasn't either, but I went on
organizing and pricing items. As she worked on them in the hall way
by the garage. Being separated by a door, I could hear her
complaining...whining...mumbling...cursing....and then, she said out
loud, real loud, with desperation, "Mom, can't you just throw everything
away or take it to Goodwill?.... What's it worth, please!!!".
Oh, that got to me!!! That's the easy way out...but what a waste. I
wasn't raised like that!!!
I responded in a loud voice, real loud voice, without opening the door
to the hall way, "NO, you know what? I have worked my but off so
that your sister, your aunt Hilda, your dad and I....and YOU my dear,
can have some extra cash. Do you realize that you can open your own
boutique with what you got down here? Blouses and shorts, jeans and
purses...WITH STORE TAGS STILL ON THEM!!! Why should I throw
it away? You can't be serious!
Pause. No reply.
-"DON'T GET ME GOING SANDRA...don't get me going... all I have asked
you to do is untangle the stupid lights! Justdo it please!...AND as
far as taking them to Goodwill...
Pause. No reply.
-"WHO would put it in bags?...WHO would make a hundred trips? ME!
I mean I have always donated...but there is sooo much, and IT'S WORTH
A TRY! I got a trip coming up...and I don't want to touch my savings...
SO, I AM JUST TRYING TO HAVE PEOPLE BUY SOME OF THIS AND
HAVE LESS TO GET RID OFF!!!".
Pause. No reply.
-"And....you don't have the same appreciation for money that I do. Why
shouldn't I try to make some cash? WHAT IS WRONG WITH THAT?,
Ughhh!!!" I said as I opened the door and gave her some large zip loc
storage bags to put a couple of strings per bag. She was untangling the
last set...and said, "Wow, it wasn't that bad"...I turned around and
rolled my eyes as I went back in the garage. A familiar breeze was
cooling the hot garage. I looked out...and I saw lighting in the
distance. "Oh, no...oh, no! A storm again the night before the sale.
FANTASTIC..." I said in disbelieve. I rolled the garage doors down
and called it a night!
6 A.M.
The alarm goes off...BEEP....BEEP....BEEP. I turned and stretched
over my husband's side of the bed to reach the clock on his night stand.
As I held the clock in my hands I stared at the red 6:00 A.M. and said,
"Deja Vu...like I've done this before"...and rubbed my just as red eyes.
I told myself to get up, make coffee, and get out there to put up the few
signs by the four way stop and the entrance of my subdivision. Thank
goodness for the add in the newspaper...it saved me so much running
around!
7 A.M
Made in just in time to get another cup of coffee and open the garage
doors! I stopped to observe a sad looking day. Cloudy, gloomy, with
high probability of rain....Yet, hoping for the best I dragged out some
of the totes with tools, stuffed animals, Christmas decorations, toys,
baby clothes, house decor, and much more. Now, if people read my
adds, they would start coming up that driveway! Yes!
8:00 A.M.
Sandra and I waited. Nothing. I thought, how strange....
8:15 A.M.
A couple of Mexican girls come up and buy a pair of Sandra's jeans and
a sun dress, $12.00.
8:30 A.M.
I told Sandra to go back to bed and not to worry, I could handle the
crowd....
8:40 A.M.
I starts raining! I dragged inside the garage ALL that was out in the
driveway. UNBELIEVABLE....rain again.The phrase "The rain in Spain
falls mainly in the plains." came to mind....don't ask me why.
9:00 A.M.
Sleepy and irritated. Do people read the newspaper in Barrow County?
Did my signs fall down? I wondered...
9:15 A.M.
A couple come in the garage looked and looked....then said "Thank you"
and left...
9:40 A.M.
Two loud, chirping blue jays came over and perched themselves on the
green lawn chairs for sale. They flapped their wings. Their tails went
up and down.... did some bird talk and pooped on my chairs before
taking off...
10:20 A.M.
I go up grab my self help book, "Feeling Good, the New Mood Therapy"
and my Bible...I read.
10:40 A.M.
Some people coming up! One couple snoops around and leaves. The
other man...is the same one that bought Raul's back scratcher last time!
This time he bought a salt shaker and white coffee canister. Sale 50 cents.
11:00 A.M.
ZZZ....ZZZ....ZZZ....SNORE....ZZZZ....ZZZ.....ZZZ....SNORE....ZZZ...ZZZ...ZZZ...
I must have been a sight in that lonely garage ...with my head on the
self help book, the Bible, and several empty coffee cups around me.
When I opened my eyes there was an orange cat with big round eyes
staring at me curiously! I stared back at him. We stared at each other.
I finally asked him, "Hi, good morning! Would you like to buy something?".
He quickly ran away....
11:05 A.M.
I realized it was a complete failure. I went upstairs and watched by
dining room window.
12:10 P.M.
I sell 3 DVDs. $15.00
12:30 P.M.
I roll down the garage doors. I am not happy.
IS THAT GOING TO STOP ME FROM DOING THIS AGAIN?
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
Sandra and I came to the conclusion that the signs had to be put a couple
of days in advance, so people can see them and make plans. Also, she
gave me a great idea to post signs, especially in the Hispanic stores.
So... with that in mind I decided to rest a couple of weeks before
trying again.
What do I have to loose? MY "STUFF"?
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