Yard Sale Dictionary Terms

As the Rosies were preparing for the first Rosebud gathering at the Watauga Public Library, Rosie P. began to do some research regarding media and the garage sale phenomenon. The easiest information was located through a Wikipedia search and this unveiled the path to the "Yard Sale Dictionary." Somewhere in the past, I have run into these terms before, but they were long forgotten. I want to give credit where credit is due and let you know that the following information was uncovered on August 1, 2010 at www.thundergroundfilms.com/zen/ysdictionary.com. A film was made , but remains unreleased, in 2004 entitled "Zen in the Art of Yard Sailing." These names and definitions were created through that project. If it ever does get released, the Secondhand Rosies will do their best to get a copy of it for the viewing enjoyment of all.

Yard Sale Dictionary Terms

Bake Sale When an angry spouse, ex-girlfriend, or ex-boyfriend sells off their partner's belongings at ridiculously low prices out of spite. A classic example of a Bake Sale is the yardsale scene in Waiting to Exhale. Beaded (aka Munsoned) When a naive vendor is outfoxed by a savvy shopper resulting in a Manhattan. Lawn gypsies thrive and gain pleasure from Beading.Buffing When a vendor makes a point to emphasize even the most minute of qualities an item holds to justify his asking price. The neutralizer of Roasting. Bundling See Grouping. Creepers Drivers that slow down and disrupt traffic in order to gauge a yardsale. D-Man The driver or the wheel man of a yardsailing team, never leaves the car, keeps time, does preliminary sweeps, must be well-versed in the ways of the streets and their currents, and carries the majority of the spending money.
Dan Quayle An unintentionally comedic yardsale sign that may contain misspelled words or inaccurate information. DOE Date Of Excluded; a sign lacking in vital information such as address, date, time, etc. English Channel Two or more simultaneous yardsales across the street from each other. Golden Weekends (aka GW) Weekends that fall on the last two days, or first two days of the month. people generally need money pretty bad during these times in order to pay their rent or their bills. Results in more yardsales and better bargains. Grouping (aka Bundling) A method of lowering individual asking prices by offering to buy several items all at once. Haggling A tug-of-war method of bargaining that usually results in acquiring goods typically at plus or minus 75% of the original asking price. Very time consuming and unprofessional. Jack The raising of an item's price. Knock An attempted outbid on an item in mid-bargain, may result in a jack. Lame Duck An expired yardsale sign. Proper etiquette dictates that these be removed once they are rendered invalid. Larboard The left side of the car.

Lawn Gypsy (aka Dealers aka Early Birds) Someone who pesters the vendor, typically by being too pushy or showing up way too early. A professional yardsailor without etiquette. Known to secretly have second-hand, antique, or novelty shops at which they resell yardsale-bought items at a ridiculous mark-up. Lawn Jockey A name given to a vendor that runs a weekend store. Lost Dog A term used for a sign that resembles a yardsale sign from the distance but isn't. Usually lost pet notices, advertisements, weight loss programs, summer jobs, etc. Mambo Combo A yardsale with two or more vendor parties that may or may not live in the same neighborhood. May be a strictly business partnership between strangers. The end result of piggy-backing. Similar to but differs from multi-family yardsales. Not to be confused with the grip stand. Manhattan A type of transaction in which an item of great worth is acquired for almost nothing in comparison to its actual value. Miracle Mile The white unicorn of yardsales, an extremely rare case in which a steady stream of yardsales stretches on for miles on end. The 127 sale in Alabama is a great example of this. Murphied The unscrupulous act of withholding valuable information from a shopper in hopes of making a sale. Nomad A deceitful lawn jockey that switches locations weekly. Known to squat. Pearl Harbor An invasion of lawn gypsies while still working a yardsale. Perpendicular A driving pattern which allows for questionable yardsales of the day, including DOEs, to be hit only if driving clockwise towards a nearby promising yardsale. Pickers A term that the yardsailing community commonly uses to refer to [unscrupulous] people who turn a profit from reselling yardsale-bought goods. Pros resent being classified as pickers seeing as how it puts them in the same category as lawn gypsies. Prosumer The highest level a bargain hunter can hope to achieve. Recon (aka Preliminary Sweep) Early morning reconnaissance mission for freshly posted yardsale signs or traffic obstructions due to construction or public events.

I pick and chose my favorite ones in an effort to make the list shorter. If you are interested in viewing this in its entirety , it is available at the aforementioned link. I hope that this brought a nice chuckle to your day and a wide smile to your face. As always, we would love to hear from you on the fan page. Which one of these best describes you? Are you a blend of a few characters or are you a pure? Do you think that the author describes the yard sale tactics realistically? Let us know. Happy Hunting Folks!

The History of the Yard Sale

One afternoon, I decided that I wanted to look into the birth of the garage sale. What made folks decide to put their "junk" out in their yards and sell it? Being in my late 30's, I have been going to them for almost as long as I can remember. Rosie W. picked up the addiction in the early 1970's. Well, to my surprise, the entire phenomena began in the late 50's -early 60's . According to an article entitled "Garage sales are a big part of retailing", the author wrote that, " In the 1950's and 1960s America, increased affluence led many consumers to accumulate household goods in excess: concurrently, home -ownership created the venue from which to sell these goods. Suburbia became the fertile breeding grounds of garage sales, where unwanted items found new homes at the hands of housewives. A postmodern adaptation of the mid-nineteenth- century charitable fair or bazaar, the garage sale tapped a national romanticism toward history and nostalgia for used goods. During the 1970's , garage sales exploded into the mainstream consciousness, earning a permanent place in American iconography and legitimizing the concept of profiting from discarded items. " I think that it makes sense that economic prosperity led to over consumerism which led to garage sales. In today's economic times, you see folks who shun mainstream consumerism and shop at garage sales as a way to maintain a more green economy. It is no longer economic prosperity, rather economic disparity that leads folks to shop and have garage sales. Not everyone , of course, but those who may need to provide for their needs in a different marketplace.
Dr. Lori, a television show host of the "Trash or Treasure" program out of Philadelphia writes" An American institution, the yard sale picks up where the French flea market left off. Yard sales brought free trade to the front lawn. Initially, 1950s American suburbanites sold their wares in the self-proclaimed open-aire stores measuring from the threshold to the curb." Nowadays, the yard sale can also be termed a tag sale, rummage sale, garage sale, etc........ it has definitely taken hold in today's culture and is here to stay. If you would like to share your first experience garage saling-- we would love to hear about it. Feel free to post on the fan page and get the discussion started. As always, happy hunting!

The "Signature" Secondhand Picnic Basket

July 4th and picnics go hand in hand, and to create a “signature” picnic basket one only needs to hunt yard sales and thrift stores for special finds. Mine is a collection of goods from several sales; inexpensive and “funky elegant”, but most of all it supports a “green” alternative to hauling off a bunch of trash.
My picnic basket stays packed and ready to roll year round, and because it is a lovely old basket I keep it sitting on an old cane bottom chair in an upstairs bedroom.
Here’s how I put mine together. And remember, it’s all secondhand:

*One large woven picnic basket
*One large colorful cotton vintage tablecloth
*Six vintage cloth napkins
*Small covered box that holds a collection of 6 utensil place settings, and one corkscrew
*Large cutting knife (wrapped in a dish towel)
*Small, lightweight cutting board
*Six cake pans

Ok, you say….six cake pans, huh? That’s the trick. Instead of paper or heavy plates you can stock up on second hand cake pans. The trick is to line each one with a piece of wax paper before serving. Cleanup is done quickly by only having to toss the wax paper.

*Roll of wax paper
*Sponge
*Small bottle of dish soap

Our crew has their own reusable water bottles, so I have not factored in drinks. However, on a few occasions I’ve added a couple of second hand wine glasses to the basket. This was the case during a recent visit to FL. We had a picnic on the boardwalk with a cloth tablecloth, wine glasses, and cloth napkins. Several people stopped, did a double take and commented about how lovely and “civilized” it looked.

Wine out of plastic cup? Nah!

Appliances, alarm clocks, record players, and printers

This fine Saturday morning I was at a garage sale at the Doctor's Lot-- a popular place in town for locals to put up there sales. I was perusing the goods when I noticed that this young woman had a alarm clock radio like mine for sale. She wanted a few dollars and I told her that it was worth more than that if it worked. She indicated that it did. I smiled. In 1992, I was in college and lived in a quad dorm room. My roommate at the time, a biology major named Stephani, was graduating and getting rid of her stuff. She gave me her clock radio and asked me to think of her when I use it. 18 years later, that same clock radio sits next to my bed, I smack the snooze button 5 times everyday before getting up. That is my routine and has been for as long as I can remember. For 18 years, this clock has not let me down. The radio has a wire antennae that I string into a vases of dried flowers next to my bed. This allows me to pick up the local NPR station so I can listen to Garrison Keilor's morning almanac every morning. This radio has moved with me through graduate school, different states, summer camps, and now here in the mountains. What a treasure! Later on Saturday afternoon, I was purging and decided to finally get rid of the printer that I had bought last May because no matter if I stood on my tippy toes and held a ballerina pose for 10 minutes, this printer would no longer print. It had been a little over 12 months since I had purchased it and of course, the 1 year warranty was no longer applicable. I had no choice but to send it to recycling heaven. This printer had not been used everyday and spent most of its time in the guest bedroom, unplugged and waiting to be used. I qualify it as a piece of junk. I bought it brand new off the shelves at our local Staples store. What a shame that manufacturers no longer make quality products. It is too bad that the whole neighborhood could not share a printer like my office does. We will not replace the printer, rather we will use the local library or the university for our printing needs.Last weekend, a Sunday morning show on NPR had a discussion about this throw- away culture of manufacturing. They made the point that just 20 plus years ago, electronics, televisions, VCR's, stereos, etc...., were made to have replacement parts put into them. Now, all of these manufactured goods are glued together and no longer have replacement parts, rather the consumer has to buy replacement items. This turns my thrifty stomach. My husband is an avid vintage stereo equipment buyer. We have speakers that were built in the 70's and 80's. They might be larger than what people prefer today, but they sound great and they work and have worked for over 30 or 40 years. Our record players date back to the late 80's. My mother had the same stove for over 30 years. I drive a 95 Corolla because I don't like all of the things that go wrong with the electronic systems on new cars. It really does stop and make you think. It takes your breath away. It puts credence in the saying "An oldie but goodie". Amen to that......... and Amen to those of us who choose not participate in this type of consumerism. We would love to hear your stories about old appliances, cars, computers, etc... and your thoughts on the "throw away culture". Feel free to respond on the fan page and begin the conversation. Happy Hunting!

Rosie W. shares the same passion for “reuse and recycle”, and an enduring love for older well- made appliances. Our stove is more than 30 years old. It was in the house at the time of purchase in 1978, and with a few replaced elements it continues to simmer on. Same with the Oster blender; it must be from the early ‘60’s as it was won by my dad in a golf tournament. The glass container has been replaced due to breakage, but the motor purrs, whips and stirs like new; and I should note that I’ve been able to find all replacement containers by shopping with focus at thrift stores or sales.
I always stock up on coffee grinders when they appear for $1. Why spend $20? This provides extras for grinding spices or to pack for road trips.
During last winter’s ice storm I found solace in using the hand cranked LLBean radio I found at a sale. We sat by candlelight and cranked it every few minutes to catch the updates about storm damage.
And then there’s the old Philco tabletop radio, encased in wood, with the tubes in back. It’s basically a conversation piece, but if needed it continues to work. This was a treasure plucked from someone’s garbage in New England in the early ‘70’s.
My desk lamp is an old Tensor lamp. It was made in Brooklyn, New York, (my birthplace), and found at the West Jefferson Methodist sale several years back. It’s sturdy and shows no signs of pooping out any time soon.
If we can avoid big box stores, “stuff” made in China, and throwaway gizmos our landfills and the environment may stand a chance. Anyone else on board?

The Thrift Store Desert

When I was a child growing up in the flatlands of Illinois, I truly enjoyed roaming the freshly plowed fields looking for arrowheads. My family owned a piece of property that was known as an area full of Native American artifacts. Farmers had been finding them for years. I began hunting arrowheads at the young age of 6, often not finding anything, but always content to look. After school, on weekends, through the summer harvest, etc…… As I got older, I found that I could look in the stream at the bottom of the hill and find arrowheads and stone tools there as well. I could do this at anytime and it became my new hang out. I think that rock hunting served a purpose to get me out of a house of 5 children and give me some alone time. At times, I became tired of looking and my curiosity waned and wavered. Then, just as I felt distraught and ready to quit rock hunting for good, I would find that almost perfect arrowhead. With my new treasure to add to the collection, my vigor for the hunt would renew. I wanted to take a minute and reflect on this because I find myself going through the same cycle with the garage sale/thrift store hunt. I now search for other things (but if given the opportunity, I would still go out daily to look for rocks and arrowheads) and it seems that when you have to find something , like a pair of shoes for a wedding to match your nice dress, on a timeline—you can’t find it no matter how many places you look. And when you are least expecting it ---and don’t need it by Saturday---- the perfect pair of shoes will show up. Sometimes I wonder if it is kharma, sometimes I wonder if it is luck, sometimes I wonder if us hunters are really just “sick” and as Rosie W. says "need to go to a therapy group for our addiction”, but in the end when the hunt is satisfying, the sense of accomplishment is palatable. As Rosie W. commented that the beginning of the season has been lukewarm, I told her that for a couple for weeks there, I felt like we were in the desert of thrifting. No matter how early I got up on Saturday and how many counties I thrifted in, I could not find some precise items that I was looking for. Believe me, these items were not that unique and typically abundant. I had hit a level of high frustration and wondered, why was I putting all of this energy into the hunt and not getting anything out of it other than an empty tank of gas and a weary spirit. I know a lot of folks go through this and give up. My wonderful husband knew that I was feeling unsuccessful and decided to take me thrifting in Wilkesboro for my birthday and we hit the jackpot, an oasis in the middle of the thrift store desert. I was instantly renewed. Practice makes perfect is what I try and remind myself when the hunting gets tough. I am building skills looking. Honing in on how quick my eye can pick out certain fabrics, colors, styles, etc—I am training myself how to scan lots of items quickly and move in for the buy swiftly. Practice makes perfect even when you are tired and disheartened. Hang in there hunters, your oasis may be at the next stop.

Memorial Day Mis-Adventures

It was the sign. My heart sank, and I felt duped. The sign ( no color or pizzaz) was obviously one that has been reused many a time for a Yard Sale and I knew that chances for finding a treasure were slim. I followed the arrows anyway; drove up and down, around and around, finally ending up on a beautiful ridge top dotted with lovely homes. Sure enough, the sale was a wash out with everything way too neatly arranged, sterile, and awfully over priced. And I had driven miles beyond town for this one. Not good.
Even with this one a bust I gambled on one more sale on the back roads. Mistake number two. Deeper and darker I went into the countryside; the road turned to gravel, but eventually I found the spot nestled back in a holler. This sale at least had a “free” box so I picked up some plates for a friend, and feeling a tad guilty about taking something for free I bought a ceramic chip and dip platter.
These wasted hours followed an early morning arrival at the Boone Methodist sale where I stood in line with the crowd until the doors opened at 7:30 am. The initial “rush” of the hunt soon turned to disappointment .The usual treasures that one expects to find as an early bird customer were just not there. One signed print for $2 is the best I can boast for a bargain. Books were plentiful at this sale, but a strange range of subjects; biography of Pope John Paul XXIII and Manual for Animal Control Laws to name a few. I did return to the sale late Saturday morning when prices were reduced and I managed to stuff a bag for $5. While I stuffed, one of the ladies commented, “you look like you know what you’re doing”. Oh, if she ONLY knew. Bag sales mean that you have to master the art of tightly rolling up clothing to get your money’s worth, and these are the sales that I end up stuffing the bags with items for friends near and far.
The High Country Caregivers sale was “okay”, but again no treasures. The stuff a bag was $2 there and the best item I found was a beautiful FLAX top (not my size) that will go to a friend.

Overall, this season is not starting off with a bang in the High Country. Even the local thrift stores don’t seem to have the usual abundance of treasures. The economy maybe, or is it that the Rosies are just getting more selective? We will keep you posted.

Thrift Store Pricing: A Delicate Dance

She’s inspecting the red Doncaster blazer with a puzzled expression, and sighs, “oh what do you think? Trying on is my least favorite thing…” I’m thinking she’s the owner of the Lexus parked out front the thrift store, and I say, “How could you go wrong, it’s Doncaster, and it’s on the dollar rack!” Another costumer chirps, “And if it doesn’t fit just donate it back here!” Suddenly Lexus gal grins broadly, slaps me on the back, and says “thanks for helping with that decision”. She buys it. This scenario captures the thrill of thrift store bargains.
Dollar racks, half price Saturdays, dollar day Mondays, and “stuff- a- bag” are all examples of crafty Thrift Store marketing certain to draw a crowd and to turn over merchandise. Rosie P. had the pleasure of attending a Black Friday thrift store sale where they were giving purses, bags, and children’s toys away for FREE. Everything else in the entire store was half price. This non-profit moved inventory that day!
Along with these “specials”, standard pricing should be low enough to guarantee a steady inventory turn over. Many dedicated “thrifters” will often visit a favorite store at least once a week; if inventory remains stagnant the store risks losing its client base.
We consider Goodwill Stores to have a fair and workable model for pricing. Goodwill doubles the price if an item is new with tags still attached; example, dresses are normally $5 but you can expect to pay $10 for one with tags. Not a problem when the tag says $89.99 --that is one to write home about.
A recent visit to a local non profit thrift store set off alarms. The store was selling brand new jeans with tags attached for over $30. Yes, we want to see this non profit succeed, but those prices simply do not reflect what avid thrifters are willing to pay. Someone in this organization would do better putting the jeans on Ebay if this is a firm price. Most prices are firm at thrift stores. Very few will allow you to barter and many post signs that address this exact issue next to the checkout..
The Rosie Philosophy: Price according to what most people will pay. Single plates should be priced no more than $1 and silverware no more than a quarter for each piece. Coffee makers abound so to move them quickly don’t overprice. Top price for electric coffee grinders should not exceed $2. Cast iron cookware is always considered a special find, but if you are a non profit thrift store, please don’t try to sell for antique booth prices. Shoes cost $3.50 and linens are anywhere from .25 for a cloth napkin to $8 for a comforter.
Books generally move best if priced $1 for hardback and no more than fifty cents for paperback. The local library sells books on tape for $1 each which is a suggested price match. We all know that VHS tapes are dinosaurs; let them go cheaply. DVD’s can be expected to move quickly if priced around $2. Used music CD’s are usually $2 as well.
Some collectors are searching for vintage vinyl records, and this is why they visit your store. If you jack up the price to mirror that of a flea market booth these treasures may not sell; again suggest that you sell these on Ebay if you want a premium price, but keep in mind that if customers can’t find treasures in thrift stores then the base of “regulars” will slowly erode. Goodwill prices their vinyl for $1 a record whether that be a Christmas Album by Johnnie Mathis or a Rolling Stones album in mint condition. They price to sell.
It should be noted that there ARE some Thrift Stores that present as “boutique”. This is great as long as costumers plan for this price difference in advance. Many thrifters would choose to shop at a “boutique” thrift store for special occasion items. Enchanted Forest in Asheville is one such store as it stocks a variety of gently used FLAX, and we know that there is a “boutique” Salvation Army store in Greensboro.
We invite Rosebuds to respond to this blog. Tell us about some of your favorite stores and the marketing deals that they use to move merchandise. Some of you have firsthand experience in the pricing realm, we would welcome your feedback. As always, happy hunting!