Yardsale *and bonus car story*

[Safire]

Now, if any of you read the short, awkward intro I posted, you'd know I'm really not good with words at all. So forgive me any rhetoric transgressions, please

Cheapskate

My mother, grandmother, aunt and I were working a yardsale last weekend. I left after the first annoyance of the day--I'd had my fill

CS-Cheapskate
Mom-You can figure this out!

CS--*picking up $7 dollar outfit* Oh, this is cute! Would you take $3 for it?
Mom-- No, $4.50 is the lowest I'll go.
CS-- *Debates, then folded outfit over arm and continues shopping. She then came over to the table with above outfit and basket.* So, $4.50 for all of this?
Mom-- No ma'am, the basket is $1. Your total is $5.50.
CS then hands my mother a five dollar bill, and precedes to wait silently.
Mom-- *After awkward moment of silence* I'm still waiting on 50 cents, ma'am.
CS--Oh, of course! *continues to wait silently, then sighs, throws two quarters on the table, and leaves.*

Uhm, what? Did she really think we'd let her off paying if she stood there long enough??


Creepy old pervert

This one actually happened about a year ago, when I was 16, and before I got a dog and a passion for hiking. I was largely overweight (still on the heavy side, but improving)

CP-Creepy Pervert
CPW-Creepy Pervert's Wife
Me--I'm gonna leave you in the mystery

Bgn--CPW is shopping, while CP (Who's at least 50) waits in their car. CPW and I strike up a friendly chat while she shops, as so often happens at these things. My brother walks by the open door, and CPW notices /Bgn

CPW--So, I guess that's you're boyfriend in the house?
Me-- *Awkward laugh* No, that's my older brother.
CPW-- Oh, but you do have a boyfriend, right?
Me-- . . . . Noo.
CPW-- Why not?
Me-- *Wanting the convo to end* I don't know?
CP-- You should. I like larger women better-They keep you warm in the winter. Mmmhmmm *winks*
Me-- *Now feeling insulted and weirded out* Thank you, have a nice day.

I went in and sent my brother out to deal with them. Ick!


Southern roads are sidewise!

Bgn--This is actually a story my brother told me. He works at some tire place. A misinformed woman comes in, complaining that her car shakes when she drives it. Not a sucky customer, just a funny one /Bgn

MW-misinformed woman
Bro--brother


MW--I just got down here from (northern state) and my car started to wobble!
Bro--No problem, ma'am, I'll just (run some sort of test to figure out what's wrong)
MW--Thanks!!

Brother runs test, comes back, and explains the problem and solution to her.

MW--Are you sure?
Bro--Yes ma'am, but if it would make you feel better, I can run the test again.
MW--No, no, it's just that my brother told me that roads in the south are sideways.
Bro-- . . . Sideways?
MW--Yeah! He said you're roads were sideways, and not flat like northern roads.
Bro--I assure you, ma'am, our roads are just as flat as your's
MW--No, no! My brother said they were sideways! Can you fix my tires so they can drive on the sideways roads?
Bro-- Uhm. I can fix it to where your car won't shake when you drive, yes.
MW--Well, that's what I asked!

Bro fixes her tires and drives the car back out to her.

MW--Thanks sweetie!
Bro--


So, there's three stories for you! I have some more, but what fun would it be to tell them all at once? Hope you enjoyed it!

[EricKei]

to ! We're a friendly lot here, so make yerself at home and share lots of stories!

So forgive me any rhetoric transgressions, please

No worries ^_^ Just write however you feel comfortable doing, we'll figure it out.

Cheapskate
...
Me--I'm gonna leave you in the mystery

I've never understood that...why is it that people go to yard/garage sales, where 99% of everything is already selling for a microscopic fraction of its worth most of the time, and then try to haggle? ... "What? A nearly-new Brooks Brothers suit and you want TEN DOLLARS for it?! Pfaugh! Highway robbery! I'll give you three!"

...But who is this "Me" person? Mel Gibson? A meteorologist? A Metroid? ... Ya know, I like metroids, lets' go with that.

[Pixilated]

Okay, now I wanna come down south there to see your "sideways" roads ...

And !

[sms001]

There are certainly differences in the ways roads are engineered for different climates, but sideways? Glad the MW ran into your brother - she might have had to wobble all over the South!

And welcome aboard!

[Eevie]

Oh yay! Another 17 year old! I was getting lonely!

As for your garage sale cheapskate, I can sympathize. I was selling a box of my old teddy bear collection. At least fifty bears in that box. I had a sign saying "Teddy Bears - $1". A woman came up, saw the sign and grabs the entire box and puts a single dollar on the counter. Oh the screaming that followed... We were close to calling police with how ballistic she went.

[manybellsdown]

to ! We're a friendly lot here, so make yerself at home and share lots of stories!
No worries ^_^ Just write however you feel comfortable doing, we'll figure it out.
I've never understood that...why is it that people go to yard/garage sales, where 99% of everything is already selling for a microscopic fraction of its worth most of the time, and then try to haggle? ... "What? A nearly-new Brooks Brothers suit and you want TEN DOLLARS for it?! Pfaugh! Highway robbery! I'll give you three!"

That's why I don't hold yard sales for myself. I used to work for a YMCA in a very wealthy neighborhood that held a rummage sale every year. Besides the people banging on the gate at 7:45 screaming "My watch says it's 8am open up!11!11", there were the people trying to haggle down the practically-new designer clothes from $5 to $3... and then of course they'd pay with a $100.

I caught a woman once with a waist-length braid. She was trying to steal hair ornaments by the simple expedient of stacking them on her hair. She had at least a dozen scrunchies that were probably 10 cents each to buy.

[mjr]

Oh yay! Another 17 year old! I was getting lonely!

As for your garage sale cheapskate, I can sympathize. I was selling a box of my old teddy bear collection. At least fifty bears in that box. I had a sign saying "Teddy Bears - $1". A woman came up, saw the sign and grabs the entire box and puts a single dollar on the counter. Oh the screaming that followed... We were close to calling police with how ballistic she went.

The problem there is you left one word off of your sign. The word "each". I'm not saying you were in the wrong. The lady WAY overreacted.

Just a cautionary example, though. The word "each" (not that she would have seen it, since a lot of SCs have selective vision and hearing) might have prevented a lot of the issue.

Kinda reminds me of the Jeff Foxworthy routine. He said people will haggle over the smallest prices at a garage sale:

Customer: "How much are these Tupperware lids??"
Seller: "Ten for a dime."
Customer: "I'll give you a nickel for them..."

[Bob The Random Boy Wonder]

First of all, let me also welcome you to the board! Now to respond to a couple things...

Why is it that people go to yard/garage sales, where 99% of everything is already selling for a microscopic fraction of its worth most of the time, and then try to haggle? ... "What? A nearly-new Brooks Brothers suit and you want TEN DOLLARS for it?! Pfaugh! Highway robbery! I'll give you three!"

Storytime. A couple years ago, I was given an all-in-one color laser workgroup printer. I didn't have room for my current color laser, which was basically brand new, so I decided I'd sit it in the back of our garage and see what I could get for it. I paid nearly $900 for it at the time, and it still had over 90% of the toner left. It wasn't cheap. I decided to put $300 on it. I felt getting 1/3 of what I paid for it back was way more than fair.

Enter this asshole early on in the day. He stood there peering at the printer for the longest time. Then he called me over to ask me all kinds of questions about it: what kind of toners it took, how to load the toners, how to load paper in the tray, how long the toners lasted, etc. After all this, I'll never forget what followed.

"So I'm all set to buy it, then. Here's $50. Can you help me load it into my truck?"

FIFTY DOLLARS? Fuck. No. Most assholes would ask a stupid question like, "you have $300 on this. Will you take $50?" and act all surprised that you wouldn't take their offer because, damn it, they're a paying customer. But at this point this guy was basically saying, "you must give this $900 printer to me that you're already losing $600 on for $50, and I'm not even going to ask if that's fine with you." Seriously, if you're that much of a jackass that you think that's even 1% socially acceptable, go piss up a rope.

Cue the guy starting to yell. He seemed completely shocked that I'd refuse his money. We eventually told him to leave or the police would be involved. Since that day, I've never seen the guy again.

I've also told stories in the past of this same haggling behavior taking place on my eBay auctions. It might happen often, but it doesn't make it any less annoying to deal with after you're used to dealing with it. Trust me on that one!

Creepy old pervert

Believe it or not, I used to work with a guy exactly like this. He'd sit outside the retail plantation on his lunch break and hoot and whistle at girls 45 years younger than he was (read: girls that would be of a more suitable age for me to date). Not surprisingly, the guy was on an offender's list in our area for reasons of "lewd activity with minors" (don't ask me because I don't know what happened, and I don't want to know what happened). If that was me, I would be careful of who I was hooting at--especially if I was wearing clothes that were obviously the required work uniform of said establishment where the hooting was taking place.

And no, nobody had ever brought that up to management that I'd heard. If someone did, I'm sure the fit would've hit the shan pretty quick!

I enjoyed these stories. Looking forward to more!

[MoonCat]

Hey there, welcome! I've got brandy if you need it...oh wait, too young to drink...Cookies?

I take ads for a living, and had a customer placing a garage sale ad tell me this: When the antique dealers (read "pests") showed up two hours early for her sale, she talked them into helping her set up the tables in return for first crack at her merchandise.

[Safire]

...But who is this "Me" person? Mel Gibson? A meteorologist? A Metroid? ... Ya know, I like metroids, lets' go with that.

We'll go with the last one

Okay, now I wanna come down south there to see your "sideways" roads ...

And !

Really, they're the main attraction down here lol

There are certainly differences in the ways roads are engineered for different climates, but sideways? Glad the MW ran into your brother - she might have had to wobble all over the South!

And welcome aboard!

Wonder what she would have thought when she got back north and her car still shook?

Oh yay! Another 17 year old! I was getting lonely!

Woot!!! I'm not alone!!! I've had somebody try a stunt like that when I was selling books. Fun fun

I caught a woman once with a waist-length braid. She was trying to steal hair ornaments by the simple expedient of stacking them on her hair. She had at least a dozen scrunchies that were probably 10 cents each to buy.

Wow, some people... Goodness. Lol

If I had opted to resell the piece I could easily have netted at least $300...instead I gave it to my garage sale buddy to do whatever she wanted with it because I was moving across Canada. She still has it

I'm having a lot of yardsales lately, because I'm trying to move to a different state in a few months, which is far more expensive than I originally thought it would be. But I gotta get away from all these sideways roads

Customer: "How much are these Tupperware lids??"
Seller: "Ten for a dime."
Customer: "I'll give you a nickel for them..."

Ha, so accurate!!

Seriously, if you're that much of a jackass that you think that's even 1% socially acceptable, go piss up a rope.

I hate arrogant people who think the world revolves around them. Ugh. Also.. Eww.

Hey there, welcome! I've got brandy if you need it...oh wait, too young to drink...Cookies?

Cookies it is then Nice way to make use of nuisance, I guess, though I personally would have just wanted them gone




Thanks everyone, for all the welcomes!!

[Mongo Skruddgemire]

Bro fixes her tires and drives the car back out to her.

Lemme guess...Alignment, threw a balance weight or a busted belt in the tire?

[Eevie]

We'll go with the last one

Okay, the fact that you responded like that I can tell we'd really get along. Also as a little tip, try not to quote an entire response, only the part that's relevant to what you are responding to. The mods really don't like it. Just a heads up.

But I can't wait to hear more stories from you Safire, you seem pretty cool.

[dakhur]

Welcome . . . and hand over your pants.

[Safire]

Also as a little tip, try not to quote an entire response, only the part that's relevant to what you are responding to. The mods really don't like it.

More like that? Thanks for the heads up Haha, still getting used to this place.

You seem cool too

[Jay 2K Winger]

Wonder what she would have thought when she got back north and her car still shook?

Well, OBVIOUSLY, she needs to get her car recalibrated for the non-sideways northern roads.

OBVIOUSLY.