YARD SALE

They bought this yard pool from one yard
sale and then brought it to Grandpa & Grandmas's
house. The kids played in it until THEIR yard
sale was over.

        YARD SALE/GARAGE SALE/ESTATE SALE

   I had an interesting day today riding around the valley to look at or attend some of my families Garage Sales. Now I am not really into that kind of thing but I thought I would at least get to visit with kids, grandkids and yes even great grandkids. I am not sure if there is a correct name for the sales but it seems they are called Yard Sales, Garage Sales or Estate Sales as well as several others. I get the impression that if they call them estate sales they think they can sell the stuff for more money?

   My memory is not all it used to be but as I recall Yard Sales started becoming popular in the 1960/1970 era.

   A good definition might be to try and sell “something you have no more use for.” Then of course on the other end it might be “something you have been looking for and have never been able to find it.”

   Quite a few years ago someone coined the phrase, “One man’s junk in another’s treasure” and perhaps that is a very good definition of a yard sale.  

   I guess the first word (Yard, Garage, Tag, etc.) more or less describes where all the action is. It is usually in someone’s front yard, unless it is stormy and then it usually moved to the garage. It is interesting that the last few years they have moved out to Church parking lots, parking lots at family stores and the most popular kind now is when a bunch of neighbors get together for a REAL BIG SALE.

   There does not seem to be one type of people that go to yard sales. Today I saw older people, teen agers, and little kids. Some people were driving Cadillac Escalades, A LOT OF SUV’s,       and one Porsche. old pickups ( they ranged all the way from one that did not have a speck of dust on it and looked like it just drove off the showroom floor, to one that had the muffler held on with wire and the spare tied in the bed with a rope.

   The $1.00 items seem to sell the best. In fact one of the kids made the comment you can sell almost anything for $1.00. It was interesting to watch a lady with a couple of little girls. She was haggling over the $1.00 price of a piece of costume jewelry, but turned around and bought one of the girls a bottle of water for $1.00 and the other one a popsicle for $1.00. (Maybe there is a sales strategy there?)

   The variety of items for sale is also interesting. The majority of the items seem to be ladies costume jewelry and ladies clothing. They are followed as a close 2^nd by kid’s toys, kid’s books, clothing and outdoor kid’s toys.

   Then comes the cast off furniture, appliances and Real Antiques? A lot of these items will not fit in the cars, so they pay for them, in advance, and go home to get a truck to haul them off in.

   While I was at one of my daughters “Sales” a guy picked up something up out of a box. He asked how much it was and one of the girls gave him a price and he said OK I want it. Another guy was with him and ask him what it was and he said,”I don’t know for sure but it looks like a carburetor off of a lawn mower. So some guy got rid of some junk and maybe he will buy it back next year from the guy they sold it to this year?

   As I drove around today I decided that yard sales must be one of the biggest draws in town on a hot summer’s day. I also thought to myself that the “die hard’s” would not even mind a little rain or wind. They would probably just move into the garage. (However that could be another story.)   

   As the day wore on I thought to myself, maybe instead of rain last night we might have received a sprinkle of “garage sale moisture.’ This morning they have sprouted up all over the valley. There are all sizes, all kinds, all colors, and anything you can imagine, and some things you can’t that are for sale.

   An interesting thing, at least in Utah, is that when the garage, yard sale or whatever you want to call it, is over---- most of whatever is left is put in a pickup truck or an SUV for its final trip to the D.I..

   Awww,  yes that was my day as an observer in the life of a yard sale. I did not go with the intention of buying anything, but only to observe and to enjoy some time with my family. I did have a fun time observing people and yes B.T.W. I did buy a $1.00 worth of cookies.

Wally Baldwin

17 May 2014