St. John's Group Email Community Wide Garage Sale Sat. July 30, 2011 in Warrenton

 

Greetings from your St. John's Board of Outreach!!

As you all may know, Sat. July 30th is our Warrenton Community Garage Sale.  This is a great time to get rid of those "extra" items in your home and make a few $$.  Also, it helps "shoppers" save $$$!!

We have listed some Garage Sale Tips below for you. 

Also, think about advertising that you are going to donate a percentage (your choice how much - OR ALL !) of your proceeds of the garage sale to:  Concordia Seminary (see our stewardship designation for July), Agape, our C.H.U.R.C.H. Ministry to help feed the homeless (watch for upcoming opportunities for this!), our Little Lambs Pre-School, God Cares Ministry in Warren County (contact: Kia Phillips) our ST. John's Youth Group, to name just a few.  This would certainly up your "customers and sales" and help so many folks and ministries in our community and our church.

Just a thought as you look around and think about how close you might be to being on the next segment of "America's Messiest House" or that show about "Hoarders"!!  I know I have!  LOL.

God bless your summer as you serve His people in so many ways.  And...always look around you - the Holy Spirit will help you SEE opportunities!

Sandy Robine, Molly Hendershot and Patty Sweet

Board of Outreach & Evangelism

 

Garage Sale Tips

BEFORE:

• Choose a good moneymaking day, such as a Saturday near the first or 15th of the month (typical

paydays).

• Organize your event as a multi-family sale. Lots of garage sales in the same area will create more of a

bazaar-type atmosphere.

• Signage is everything! The day before the sale, post signs near all the major streets and intersections, in

every direction, to direct people to your address. Use big, posterboard signs securely duct-taped to poles or

mounted in grass islands, with lettering at least 6 inches tall. Add arrows to point turn directions.

• Hang flyers with tear-off info in public spaces like your church or grocery store. Tip: Before posting,

consult area rules and ordinances.

• Often local newspapers and radio stations announce info for free, as does craigslist.org. *Include the date,

time, address, directions, and items of interest.

• Clean items up. Just as used car dealers spray "new car smell" into their vehicles and shine the exteriors

to make them more appealing. On the flip side: The more haggard-looking stuff you put out, the more

quickly browsers will get turned off. (No clothes with telltale stains)

• Display everything neatly. Take time to lay out your sale items in an inviting manner, as they might

appear in a store; books that are stacked and organized are easier to browse and will sell quicker than those

thrown in a cardboard box marked "BOOKS: 50 CENTS."

• Get change - at least $40 in bills and coin change. (You don't want to blow a sale because you can't make

change.)

• Make additional signs to point out particular bargain items in your garage.

• Make your sale like a shopping experience, and you'll have a much better chance of succeeding.

DURING:

• Greet people warmly and don't hover. Make people feel welcome, and once you have someone in your

garage or yard, don't stalk them in hopes of a sale. Let them browse at their own pace and offer to answer

any questions they may have.

• Price items clearly. If you have time, you really should label everything so that people know what they

cost. (Some people will be too shy to ask otherwise.) If you don't label everything, make sure to tell people

that items are priced to sell!

• Let people haggle. Take it from a veteran garage-sale shopper: People feel really good when they can get

an item at a discounted price. If you're really firm on getting a set higher price on an item, like a family

heirloom or stereo system, perhaps you should sell it on eBay instead. Most people will perceive a garage

sale as your attempt to empty your house of stuff. Their price expectations will adjust accordingly.