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Ok, warning, this is gonna be long. Grab the popcorn, get comfy.
Had a garage sale yesterday. I'm not a novice at having sales, when you're a career military family, you get in a habit of de-cluttering periodically, to keep from accumulating more belongings than your weight allowance for the next move. And when ecologically minded, you can't bear to just toss anything that someone else might be able to use. And when you're, shall we say, of strained finances
, you can't do what you'd prefer and call the nearest charity that picks up to come get them 
So the annual or semi-annual garage sale.
So, even though we're civilian now, it's been a year of upheaval (hubby still looking for a better job, may mean another move, can use the cash, and just in the mood to get the clutter out of here), so it's garage sale time.
Lots of nice people, but the usual SCs & mildly annoying people:
The psychics - drive-bys who slow way down, lean way out of their cars, and somehow by ESP devine that whatever is it they're looking for can't possibly be inside the darkened, can't-be-seen-into garage
The lowballers who look at an item marked $50, early on the first day of the sale, and offer you $5 for it.
The clueless who pick up an item for 25¢, again at the beginning of the sale, and hand you a $20 or higher (or worse, the ones having their own sale later, who do so with a clearly change filled purse).
The indignant ones who act like you've taken out a full page ad in the paper calling them cheats, because you tell them you won't take a check from a stranger.
And similarly, the ones who make a huge pile, then oh-so-casually say "I'll just write you a check for all this" and upon being told no, act like they never heard of a garage sale not taking checks, then hand you the cash they had all the time anyway.
The WTF ones - who walk around with an item, ask dozens of questions about the item, ask if you'll take less than marked, and you agree, then a few minutes later you look around, there's the item sitting, and they're gone
Always a few "oh, I usually pay (ridiculous amount less) for these at garage sales. To which I just say, "wow, lucky you, I've never found them that cheap" and turn away.
I even had the little old lady who seemed to understand everything until time to pay, and had to be told three times that she hadn't given me enough money. As an added bonus, she came back a few minutes later, handed me an item she'd paid $1 for, then handed me something else she wanted instead - something I had told her was $6. Of course she couldn't seem to understand why I wouldn't just trade without her paying more.
But I had one first, the very first time, in all my years of garage sales, that I actually told someone to leave, in no uncertain terms.
First, this guy was really tall, looked like he worked out, clearly used to being able to intimidate people. Then everything he said, while not sounding all that horrible written down, was all said with the most condescending, smirking little smile that I have ever encountered in my entire life. I can't begin to describe how attrocious his attitude was.
He began by getting out his little handy-dandy phone with app to scan anything and everything (books, movies, etc) to check prices. I'm not impressed. He zeros in on a box of VHS tapes. Ok, for old movies, you can't give away the VHS tapes for 50¢ usually. But these are British TV series, the ones from PBS & BBCA, etc. Hard to find, and still desirable by a lot of people. I did a little general research on ebay, amazon etc. and most are still getting $10 to $50 (for a series) - which doesn't mean that there isn't the odd independent seller on amazon claiming to have it for pennies, or one that's sold for $1 on ebay. But in general, that's a decent ballpark figure. So I had them priced at $2 per tape - not exactly pie in the sky prices.
He proceeds in his most condescending voice, to announce what his little ap is telling him the cheapest each and every tape can be found for somewhere (of course, plus postage & handling, and still doesn't mean that's not an anomaly rather than the norm). "This one's worth $1, this one I can get for 50¢" and so on and on. First, I simply explain the price averages I've seen (whcih merited a "when did you check? Last year? This morning?" and a sneer along with the smirk (cause obviuosly I dont' have his state of the art little phone & app to get up the minute reports like he does). Finally, I tell him fine, whatever, if you get it cheaper, then go ahead and do so, but that's my price. And I walked off before I picked up something and threw it at him. I proceed to ignore him, as he goes on to the DVDs, the books, all the while making loud comments on how much he can find them for. Then he brings me a big stack of the VHS tapes. I add them up, $2 per tape, and give him the price - "But I'm buying so many, and I can get them for less and and....". I told him the price is on the sign, I told him the price, that's the price, take it or leave it. Unfortunately, I'd already told him a lower price on one DVD set, cause he asked before starting being such an a**, and I usually do lower things a little if asked nicely. So I actually let him have that for what I'd said, and told him that's the only reason he was getting it cheaper, because I'd told him earlier - but I would not discount anything else at all for him. So of course, that's the only thing he takes. And he continues to make comments about the prices, how much he can find them for with his little toy, all with that horrible smirk. And he keeps going on. I finally just told him that's it, take the one you've paid for, and get out, go, leave, NOW. And he still keeps standing there, literally looming over me, obviously trying to intimidate me, saying "I'm going, but....". Never have I seen anyone who can smirk in such a way as to make "you have the best blessed day now" sound like some sort of insult or threat.
I was literally seconds from pulling my phone from my pocket and asking if he thinks he can leave before I can photo him, his license plate, and dial 911.
Writing it down, it just doesn't sound anywhere as infuriating as it was. Oh, and hubby had gone out to put up signs, only came back in at the last, and was sort of lurking in the background, knowing I wouldn't be telling someone to leave if I didn't have a good reason, probably getting a kick out of watching his 5'1" grandmotherly-looking wifey telling off the huge young guy, and ready to jump in to my rescue should I need him.
Oh, and another example of this guy's arrogant attitude - we live on a residential street, wide enough for two cars to pass (barely), our lawn is set back to leave easy parking for two cars in front without even taking up street space, no one else was parked when he stopped at the sale, and he pulls up in a huge truck and leaves it sitting in the middle of the frigging street!!
Had a garage sale yesterday. I'm not a novice at having sales, when you're a career military family, you get in a habit of de-cluttering periodically, to keep from accumulating more belongings than your weight allowance for the next move. And when ecologically minded, you can't bear to just toss anything that someone else might be able to use. And when you're, shall we say, of strained finances
, you can't do what you'd prefer and call the nearest charity that picks up to come get them So the annual or semi-annual garage sale.So, even though we're civilian now, it's been a year of upheaval (hubby still looking for a better job, may mean another move, can use the cash, and just in the mood to get the clutter out of here), so it's garage sale time.
Lots of nice people, but the usual SCs & mildly annoying people:
The psychics - drive-bys who slow way down, lean way out of their cars, and somehow by ESP devine that whatever is it they're looking for can't possibly be inside the darkened, can't-be-seen-into garage
The lowballers who look at an item marked $50, early on the first day of the sale, and offer you $5 for it.
The clueless who pick up an item for 25¢, again at the beginning of the sale, and hand you a $20 or higher (or worse, the ones having their own sale later, who do so with a clearly change filled purse).
The indignant ones who act like you've taken out a full page ad in the paper calling them cheats, because you tell them you won't take a check from a stranger.
And similarly, the ones who make a huge pile, then oh-so-casually say "I'll just write you a check for all this" and upon being told no, act like they never heard of a garage sale not taking checks, then hand you the cash they had all the time anyway.
The WTF ones - who walk around with an item, ask dozens of questions about the item, ask if you'll take less than marked, and you agree, then a few minutes later you look around, there's the item sitting, and they're gone
Always a few "oh, I usually pay (ridiculous amount less) for these at garage sales. To which I just say, "wow, lucky you, I've never found them that cheap" and turn away.
I even had the little old lady who seemed to understand everything until time to pay, and had to be told three times that she hadn't given me enough money. As an added bonus, she came back a few minutes later, handed me an item she'd paid $1 for, then handed me something else she wanted instead - something I had told her was $6. Of course she couldn't seem to understand why I wouldn't just trade without her paying more.
But I had one first, the very first time, in all my years of garage sales, that I actually told someone to leave, in no uncertain terms.
First, this guy was really tall, looked like he worked out, clearly used to being able to intimidate people. Then everything he said, while not sounding all that horrible written down, was all said with the most condescending, smirking little smile that I have ever encountered in my entire life. I can't begin to describe how attrocious his attitude was.
He began by getting out his little handy-dandy phone with app to scan anything and everything (books, movies, etc) to check prices. I'm not impressed. He zeros in on a box of VHS tapes. Ok, for old movies, you can't give away the VHS tapes for 50¢ usually. But these are British TV series, the ones from PBS & BBCA, etc. Hard to find, and still desirable by a lot of people. I did a little general research on ebay, amazon etc. and most are still getting $10 to $50 (for a series) - which doesn't mean that there isn't the odd independent seller on amazon claiming to have it for pennies, or one that's sold for $1 on ebay. But in general, that's a decent ballpark figure. So I had them priced at $2 per tape - not exactly pie in the sky prices.
He proceeds in his most condescending voice, to announce what his little ap is telling him the cheapest each and every tape can be found for somewhere (of course, plus postage & handling, and still doesn't mean that's not an anomaly rather than the norm). "This one's worth $1, this one I can get for 50¢" and so on and on. First, I simply explain the price averages I've seen (whcih merited a "when did you check? Last year? This morning?" and a sneer along with the smirk (cause obviuosly I dont' have his state of the art little phone & app to get up the minute reports like he does). Finally, I tell him fine, whatever, if you get it cheaper, then go ahead and do so, but that's my price. And I walked off before I picked up something and threw it at him. I proceed to ignore him, as he goes on to the DVDs, the books, all the while making loud comments on how much he can find them for. Then he brings me a big stack of the VHS tapes. I add them up, $2 per tape, and give him the price - "But I'm buying so many, and I can get them for less and and....". I told him the price is on the sign, I told him the price, that's the price, take it or leave it. Unfortunately, I'd already told him a lower price on one DVD set, cause he asked before starting being such an a**, and I usually do lower things a little if asked nicely. So I actually let him have that for what I'd said, and told him that's the only reason he was getting it cheaper, because I'd told him earlier - but I would not discount anything else at all for him. So of course, that's the only thing he takes. And he continues to make comments about the prices, how much he can find them for with his little toy, all with that horrible smirk. And he keeps going on. I finally just told him that's it, take the one you've paid for, and get out, go, leave, NOW. And he still keeps standing there, literally looming over me, obviously trying to intimidate me, saying "I'm going, but....". Never have I seen anyone who can smirk in such a way as to make "you have the best blessed day now" sound like some sort of insult or threat.
I was literally seconds from pulling my phone from my pocket and asking if he thinks he can leave before I can photo him, his license plate, and dial 911.
Writing it down, it just doesn't sound anywhere as infuriating as it was. Oh, and hubby had gone out to put up signs, only came back in at the last, and was sort of lurking in the background, knowing I wouldn't be telling someone to leave if I didn't have a good reason, probably getting a kick out of watching his 5'1" grandmotherly-looking wifey telling off the huge young guy, and ready to jump in to my rescue should I need him.
Oh, and another example of this guy's arrogant attitude - we live on a residential street, wide enough for two cars to pass (barely), our lawn is set back to leave easy parking for two cars in front without even taking up street space, no one else was parked when he stopped at the sale, and he pulls up in a huge truck and leaves it sitting in the middle of the frigging street!!
Kinda surprised an old hand like you didn't pick up on the "preferred parking" = "gonna be a SC" thing though and not let him have the DVD deal. Hope the rest of your sale went well. Decluttered is always so uplifting.
) are allowed to give me checks now. Cause even with all the info, it's doubtful I'd ever be able to collect without spending more than the check. Used to be you only took the chance on the value of the check, all bounced check fees were charged to the person writing the check. Nowadays, most banks charge the person depositing it a big fee if it bounces as well. Nope, not taking chances anymore. We live near a major street with lots of banks & other ATM's, I just offer to hold something half an hour for them to go get cash if they need to.
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