Reflections on a yardsale

[jlwilliams]

My wife and I are looking at making some changes. I'll spare you the details and jump straight into the yard sale. Time to thin out the possessions. Time to create some space. Time to have the dreaded yard sale.

This weekend I had the distinct pleasure of watching the slowlane and slow laners in terrifying detail. We put out adds in the local paper. We advertised on Craigslist and we put out signs. On the day of the big event, we put out the tables of our once beloved possessions that have been demoted to "old crap" in our eyes; and the show was on.

Before the advertised opening time, we had the early birds. 9:00 means 9:00, but some people think that 45 minutes or an hour earlier is the time to make the big score. I have no idea why, but they seem to think that showing up while I'm unfolding tables will give them the first crack ant God only knows what. Then there are the "sharpies" who watch American Pickers and think they are going to find a 1920s Indian motorcycle that the owner thinks is only worth twenty bucks. Let's not forget the flea market vendors. You can spot them. They are a "type" and they comb every yard sale in search of inventory for their flea market stall. They want to haggle you down to the point where I told one guy "I will get more as a tax write off if I donate this item." It was a truly mind bending experience spending a full day dealing with people who want to nickel and dime haggle. I enjoyed having neighbors and people from around town stop by to chat while they poked around to see if they wanted anything; but the people who come to yard sales as an exercise in capitalism are a stunning lot.

Don't get me wrong. I'm all for having the yard sale and will do it again next weekend. Not because it made money (it didn't net anything that could be called "making money") but because we need to get rid of some more stuff. Sometimes, after 15 years in one house, it's time to clear out. I just had to rant a little about some of the people I encountered. Having a yard sale opened my drive way to some people I wouldn't normally spend much time with. Chatting with the neighborhood while clearing out the home is a good thing. trying to wrap my head around some genius who thinks that what's going on here is really commerce. priceless.

 

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[Mattie]

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[daivey]

mum, jewi zua tiip tuni ug vji vjsieft jisi ecuav gmoqqoph up dseohtmotv??????? mux cemmoph ot jux zua neli nupiz.

 

[mikeyjd]

Xi jef e hesehi temi 2 ziest ehu. Ov edvaemmz kanqtvesvif nz dseohtmotv jatvmoph desiis, xjodj cihep e nupvj mevis. O nefi moli $1l up vji hesehi temi (tohpogodepv ev vji voni gus 3 fezt ug tovvoph esuapf), cav qesmezif vji temit nunipvan opvu xjev ot pux e 15-20l qis nupvj atif eqqmoepdi catopitt .

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