While it has been a largely score-less summer, I have had a couple of decent buys. At one church sale, I got a stack of 16 DVD's for 8 dollars, or 50 cents each. I like to sell DVD's but I use them as a draw to get people into the booth, kind of like a loss leader, except that I don't actually lose money on them. I can't afford to do that, so I sell my DVD's at the bargain bottom price of .99 each. This acts as a draw to encourage people to look around and shop more in my booth. It also serves as a way to help people remember my booth and shop with me again.
While I don't have any real data to support this conclusion, I do think it works. It seems like on days when I sell several DVD's, I also sell lots of other items. Of course, I don't have anyway to know who is buying what, but my gut tells me I'm on the right path.
Since I refuse to actually sell anything at a loss, I have to get my DVD's at the right price in order to sell them this cheaply. For me, that means 50 cents or less. I know that seems like a tall order, but it happens more than you'd think. These are yard sales after all. I've seen them for as low as a dime or a quarter before. And when they aren't that low, then sometimes I can bargain to get them down.
Take the batch of sixteen mentioned above. The original price on them was 3 for five bucks, which is not a bad deal at all, but wouldn't work for me. It was a good batch of movies, too. Lots of Oscar winners and other accolades. I decided to take a chance and see if I could get the price down.
First, I counted them out at their original price. 16 movies at 3 for 5 bucks = 5 batches of 3 movies and one left over = 25 bucks and maybe the last one thrown in for free. Then I did it at my desired price of .50 each. !6 movies at .50 each = 8 dollars. Quite a drop. Over two-thirds, in fact. In other words, my chances to get them at that price looked pretty slim. Still, I decided to go for it. Nothing ventured; nothing gained, after all.
The next step was to devise a strategy. I figured I wouldn't get anywhere by offering .50 each. That has worked for me in the past, but the DVD's have to already be a buck each. Then, an innocent "If I buy all your DVD's, can I get them for fifty cents each?" will usually work. I thought these were a little too much for the direct approach, so I decided to go another route.
I figured that if I asked the seller what kind of deal they would make me for all the DVD's, then we'd have a new platform from which to work. After all, they were naming the price, which would leave me free to make a counter-offer. I was thinking they would either say 12 bucks, which would be half-off, or 10, which would be the best case scenario. It's no problem to counter a 10 dollar offer with 8 and get what you're going for. 12 is a little iffier, but it can be done. Of course, there's always the chance I'm guessing wrong and they'll say 20, but that's the chance I'm taking.
So, I ask, and they say 12, which is better than 20, but not as good as 10. It's not always easy to get from 12 to 8. They can counter with 10, which would lead me to counter at 9, which, while acceptable, is not as good a deal for me. So, I offer my 8, and they accept. I pay and collect my DVD's. They got money. I got DVD's. We all won.
A little later on that same day, we were at another sale, where I saw two adorable child-sized chairs with the cutest paint job on them. They were marked four each, which is a little steep for me. It was getting late in the day, so I offered four for both. The seller had announced that she was taking offers when I walked up, and she was making deals for other people, so I decided to give it a shot. And got shot down. I was rather brusquely informed that she had "paid more than that" for the chairs. I resisted the urge to remind her that this was a yard sale and she had "paid more than that" for everything in her yard!
I could have countered with six and probably gotten the chairs, but the way she responded to my first inquiry really put me off. I decided I didn't want to deal with her any more and left. She didn't get money. I didn't get chairs. We both lost.
So, what made the difference in the two deals? I think that with the first one, the combination of the right approach and the right seller attitude made the deal happen. In the second case, I misread the seller and the situation. If I had started with a six-dollar offer, I probably would have gotten the chairs, but I tried instead to maximize my bargain based on the lateness of the hour and the perceived willingness of the seller to bargain. She wasn't as willing as she seemed to be, so I struck out.
On the other hand, the way she responded to me threw up a wall that I wasn't willing to try and climb. If she had countered with a five or six dollar offer, I would have jumped on it. Instead, I moved on. She effectively shut down the negotiation and I decided to head on down the street. After all, it's easier for me to find more stuff than it is for her to find another buyer. Bad approach plus bad seller attitude means no deal.
I've been yard saling for years, way before I ever had a booth. So, I've been bargaining and dealing for a long time. At first it was to get a good price and stretch my spending power. Now, it's to maximize my potential profit. Regardless of the reason, here are some of the things I have learned over the years.
Timing is everything. If you come into a sale making offers right after it opens, you're more likely to get shot down than if you try later in the day. I tend not to try and bargain until at least after 9.
Bulk buys get you better bargains. Offering to buy all of a certain item, say books or movies, will often get you a better price. Buying many different items also work, especially if you're not trying to get a discount on everything. I started the DVD negotiation as I was paying for several other items that I paid the asking price for. This gave the seller a better impression of me and made them more willing to deal.
Don't ask for a discount on everything you pick up. You'll only get on the seller's nerves and appear greedy and obnoxious. Pick and choose your requests. If something is already a good deal, buy it without haggling.
Be reasonable in your offer. Offering a dollar or two on something marked ten dollars is only going to irritate the seller. Sometimes, even a half price offer, like mine on the chairs, will have the same effect. Bargaining is one thing. Tacky lowballing is something else.
Be polite. Ask. Don't demand. Don't tell them what you're going to give them. If they turn down your offer, don't get rude. It's not going to change their mind. Last Friday, I saw a man tell a seller that he "really didn't want the item anyway" after the seller made a sensible counter to his ridiculous low-ball offer. In the meantime, I got a dollar off something at the same seller just by being polite and reasonable.
Be prepared. You may get a counter-offer. Be ready for it. Know how high you are willing to go. Remember, this is a negotiation, not an ultimatum. If you need to do any math, do it before you make your first offer. I nearly lost a deal on a bunch of vintage travel guides one time when I started to count them out to see if the offer a guy made me was a deal or not. It was embarrassing.
Let them make the first step. Asking what they're willing to take for something opens the door and gives the seller a little more control in the negotiations. This is sometimes helpful when you are dealing with big ticket items. It also helps you get a feel for the seller's willingness to barter.
Know when to move on. I've heard horror stories of sellers being hounded by persistent buyers to the point that it ruined the whole selling experience for them. If it's obviously not going to work, head on to your next stop. Remember, there's stuff everywhere. For everyone who won't deal with you, there are several who will. Why waste your time and energy generating bad yard sale karma?
Expect to fail sometimes. It's always worth a shot, but you won't always succeed. Don't take it personally, even if the seller gets rude. It's not worth getting into arguments with strangers over their stuff. I had a blow up with a seller who got smart with me one time over the price of a comic book. I thought he was high, given the condition, so I put it back. He then informed that I ought to know that was a good price, so I informed him he should have noticed it looked like an elephant gored it, ate it, then coughed it up. It didn't help things and really didn't win either of us any points.
Remember, the goal is not ultimate victory. It's to come to a result that both sides are happy with. You have to be willing to give a little sometimes to get what you want.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Truth in Advertising
I've already mentioned that this has been a rough year for yard saling. Too many sales are not living up to their hype. Too many sales with only a couple of things (maybe) worth buying. Even sure fire hits like neighborhood sales and church sales are not panning out. It's really sad.
So, in an effort to laugh through the pain, I present to you the following. Trust me when I say that it is wisdom born of experience. Bitter wisdom from even more bitter experience.
What they say: Yard Sale at 1313 Main Street!
What they mean: We're selling baby clothes at 1313 Main Street!
What they say: Huge Yard Sale!
What they mean: We've got LOTS of baby clothes!
What they say: Awesome Yard Sale!
What they mean: You won't believe there can be this many baby clothes in one spot!
What they say: Multi-Family Yard Sale!
What they mean: My sister and I are selling our baby clothes!
What they say: Something For Everyone!
What they mean: We've got baby boy and baby girl clothes!
What they say: Vintage Items!
What they mean: We're selling our five year old's clothes from when he was a baby!
What they say: Antiques!
What they mean: We're selling our sixteen year old's clothes from when she was a baby!
What they say: Many Unique Items!
What they mean: You won't find stains like these any where else!
What they say: Furniture!
What they mean: We've got a crib, a changing table, a high chair and a bouncy chair too!
What they say: Much Miscellaneous!
What they mean: Also, bottles and a diaper bag!
What they say: Too Much To List!
What they mean: How many more times do we have to say we have baby clothes?
Hope your saling days have been better than mine!
So, in an effort to laugh through the pain, I present to you the following. Trust me when I say that it is wisdom born of experience. Bitter wisdom from even more bitter experience.
HOW TO READ A YARD SALE AD
What they say: Yard Sale at 1313 Main Street!
What they mean: We're selling baby clothes at 1313 Main Street!
What they say: Huge Yard Sale!
What they mean: We've got LOTS of baby clothes!
What they say: Awesome Yard Sale!
What they mean: You won't believe there can be this many baby clothes in one spot!
What they say: Multi-Family Yard Sale!
What they mean: My sister and I are selling our baby clothes!
What they say: Something For Everyone!
What they mean: We've got baby boy and baby girl clothes!
What they say: Vintage Items!
What they mean: We're selling our five year old's clothes from when he was a baby!
What they say: Antiques!
What they mean: We're selling our sixteen year old's clothes from when she was a baby!
What they say: Many Unique Items!
What they mean: You won't find stains like these any where else!
What they say: Furniture!
What they mean: We've got a crib, a changing table, a high chair and a bouncy chair too!
What they say: Much Miscellaneous!
What they mean: Also, bottles and a diaper bag!
What they say: Too Much To List!
What they mean: How many more times do we have to say we have baby clothes?
Hope your saling days have been better than mine!
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Picking, Grinning and Bearing It
A few weeks ago, it was junk set out in our neighborhood. In Louisville, residents can set out large items twice a year, and Solid Waste will pick them up and haul them off for free. They used to do it once a quarter, but that got cut back due to budget deficits. I miss the quarterly schedule because I never can seem to get it together for the twice-yearly set outs. If I had two more chances a year, maybe I could hit one of them.
Anyway, different parts of town have different set out schedules. You can start setting out the weekend before your pick up week and have to have everything out by Monday. Some time during the next week, the trucks will be by to haul off your stuff.
Of course, with the setting out of junk, out come the pickers and the scrappers, looking for junk to sell and scrap to take to the recycling center. They start roaming the 'hoods in their pick up trucks start during the weekend set out and, by Tuesday, they'll have everything picked clean. All that's left will be disheveled piles of busted furniture and the scattered contents of opened boxes and ripped bags, which will sit in moldering heaps until Solid Waste comes through.
I usally try to get out at least once during the set out period to hunt for stuff. People will set out some really great stuff, sometimes in new condition, to be hauled away. It blows my mind when they could be selling some of the stuff in a yard sale or Craigslist, or at least donating it somewhere.
These are my finds for this go around. It's a small batch, because I just stayed in my immediate area and prowled around on foot. Space is getting kind of tight in my house, so I wanted to keep from getting too greedy. Sorry for the lack of pics, but I mislaid my camera and many of these items have gone through the booth on to new homes.
One good-sized box of Happy Meal and other small toys. (I sell these in bagged sets, concentrating on the most recognizable characters and toys. I culled out about half the box to donate on to Goodwill and kept what will be the best sellers for me.
An enameled stew pot, with the words "Soups and Stews" painted on it, surrounded by small images of assorted meats and veggies. It even had the lid. It cleaned up really nice and sold the week I out it out.
An old pic of a ship, which sold quicker than I thought it would.
A stash of old cans and bottles, many with labels and lids. Nothing super, super old, but everything was glass and pre-bar code. The coolest was a glass Windex bottle.
A stack of vintage women's magazines.
An old religious magazine.
Some old health pamphlets.
A paddle for a canoe. It was weathered and chippy, so I thought it would make a good wall hanging for the right person, who apparently was out looking for one, because it sold already.
The top to a trophy. It's solid metal and really heavy. Very cool.
Like I said, a small haul. but it was enough to slake my junk-thirst, yet keep me from getting into trouble at home.
The bottles and cans and magazines were all at one house. There was a huge pile of stuff at the curb. It looked like a basement that had not been touched in decades had been cleaned out and dumped in a pile. Apparently, the person saved everything, because I took two bags of cans and bottles, but only scratched the surface of what was there. (I debated going back the next day, but it started raining, which pretty much spells the end of junking. You don't want stuff once it gets wet.)
I ended up having to make two trips to this particular pile, because I reached the limit as to what I could carry. I had to run home, grab another bag and go back. When I got back, there was an old man, who had not been there before, sitting on the porch of the house next door. When I walked over to the pile, he started yelling at me.
Old Man: "There ain't nothing there for you."
Me: You never know. I like old stuff.
Old Man: "I said there ain't nothing there for you."
Me: (To myself, having decided that discretion was the better part of valor): "Crazy coot."
Old Man: "Get out of there. I don't want you spreading that mess out all over the place. Stupid people looking for shit."
At this point, I just decided to ignore him. It wasn't his stuff and it wasn't in front of his house. There really wasn't anything he could do, other than sit and cuss, which he continued to do. He did have a point about the mess, but I pride myself on picking neatly. I never leave the place in a mess and return everything I move to as close to its proper place as possible. Just because you're trying to make living off someone else's junk that doesn't mean you have an excuse to be a slob.
Actually, it's the way that so many pickers and scrappers go about collecting that causes so many people to resent them. I've got some guidelines I follow to try and set a new example. Maybe they can help some newby pickers.
1. Be neat. See above. Other people have to live and, especially, park on that street until the junk gets picked up. Have a modicum of consideration for the residents.
2. Be polite. It does no good to get into arguments with people who live there, which is why I chose not to engage the old dude. If he had chosen to get off the porch and get in my face, I probably would have backed down and moved on. It's not worth the risk of escalation for a bunch of junk. There's always more on the next corner. Besides, you can come back later.
3. Be discreet. Don't pick in the middle of the night and make a bunch of noise. Don't pick when the home owners are sitting on the porch staring at you. That's a personal preference of mine, but I think it feels really tacky to do that when they're watching you. Maybe I just need to get over it.
4. Don't get greedy. There's more than enough to go around. You don't have to have it all, especially if it makes you grabby around other pickers. Really, how much are you going to make on all this stuff anyway?
5. Know the law. Yes, it seems like everybody curb-picks, but in some cities, it might be against the law. Know the risks you might be running. This is another argument for being neat and polite. People tend to complain and call for penalties when they perceive a nuisance. If there's no nuisance, they've got no grounds to complain.
6. Be decent. Don't pick when it's pretty obvious someone has been set out or evicted. It's one thing to deal with items people are declaring they don't want. It's another to rifle through and take someone's worldly possessions. Remember, an eviction means that a person has forfeited the right to reside in a particular dwelling. It doesn't mean they've forfeited the right to their stuff.
7. Be careful. Watch where you stick your hands or step. Anything can hide in a junk pile. Go in pairs if possible.
That's my take on things, at least. Your mileage, of course, may vary. I just think that there are better ways to do this picking thing than I've seen some others do. Maybe if we all try a little harder to be more conscientious, it'll make a difference.
Anyway, different parts of town have different set out schedules. You can start setting out the weekend before your pick up week and have to have everything out by Monday. Some time during the next week, the trucks will be by to haul off your stuff.
Of course, with the setting out of junk, out come the pickers and the scrappers, looking for junk to sell and scrap to take to the recycling center. They start roaming the 'hoods in their pick up trucks start during the weekend set out and, by Tuesday, they'll have everything picked clean. All that's left will be disheveled piles of busted furniture and the scattered contents of opened boxes and ripped bags, which will sit in moldering heaps until Solid Waste comes through.
I usally try to get out at least once during the set out period to hunt for stuff. People will set out some really great stuff, sometimes in new condition, to be hauled away. It blows my mind when they could be selling some of the stuff in a yard sale or Craigslist, or at least donating it somewhere.
These are my finds for this go around. It's a small batch, because I just stayed in my immediate area and prowled around on foot. Space is getting kind of tight in my house, so I wanted to keep from getting too greedy. Sorry for the lack of pics, but I mislaid my camera and many of these items have gone through the booth on to new homes.
One good-sized box of Happy Meal and other small toys. (I sell these in bagged sets, concentrating on the most recognizable characters and toys. I culled out about half the box to donate on to Goodwill and kept what will be the best sellers for me.
An enameled stew pot, with the words "Soups and Stews" painted on it, surrounded by small images of assorted meats and veggies. It even had the lid. It cleaned up really nice and sold the week I out it out.
An old pic of a ship, which sold quicker than I thought it would.
A stash of old cans and bottles, many with labels and lids. Nothing super, super old, but everything was glass and pre-bar code. The coolest was a glass Windex bottle.
A stack of vintage women's magazines.
An old religious magazine.
Some old health pamphlets.
A paddle for a canoe. It was weathered and chippy, so I thought it would make a good wall hanging for the right person, who apparently was out looking for one, because it sold already.
The top to a trophy. It's solid metal and really heavy. Very cool.
Like I said, a small haul. but it was enough to slake my junk-thirst, yet keep me from getting into trouble at home.
The bottles and cans and magazines were all at one house. There was a huge pile of stuff at the curb. It looked like a basement that had not been touched in decades had been cleaned out and dumped in a pile. Apparently, the person saved everything, because I took two bags of cans and bottles, but only scratched the surface of what was there. (I debated going back the next day, but it started raining, which pretty much spells the end of junking. You don't want stuff once it gets wet.)
I ended up having to make two trips to this particular pile, because I reached the limit as to what I could carry. I had to run home, grab another bag and go back. When I got back, there was an old man, who had not been there before, sitting on the porch of the house next door. When I walked over to the pile, he started yelling at me.
Old Man: "There ain't nothing there for you."
Me: You never know. I like old stuff.
Old Man: "I said there ain't nothing there for you."
Me: (To myself, having decided that discretion was the better part of valor): "Crazy coot."
Old Man: "Get out of there. I don't want you spreading that mess out all over the place. Stupid people looking for shit."
At this point, I just decided to ignore him. It wasn't his stuff and it wasn't in front of his house. There really wasn't anything he could do, other than sit and cuss, which he continued to do. He did have a point about the mess, but I pride myself on picking neatly. I never leave the place in a mess and return everything I move to as close to its proper place as possible. Just because you're trying to make living off someone else's junk that doesn't mean you have an excuse to be a slob.
Actually, it's the way that so many pickers and scrappers go about collecting that causes so many people to resent them. I've got some guidelines I follow to try and set a new example. Maybe they can help some newby pickers.
1. Be neat. See above. Other people have to live and, especially, park on that street until the junk gets picked up. Have a modicum of consideration for the residents.
2. Be polite. It does no good to get into arguments with people who live there, which is why I chose not to engage the old dude. If he had chosen to get off the porch and get in my face, I probably would have backed down and moved on. It's not worth the risk of escalation for a bunch of junk. There's always more on the next corner. Besides, you can come back later.
3. Be discreet. Don't pick in the middle of the night and make a bunch of noise. Don't pick when the home owners are sitting on the porch staring at you. That's a personal preference of mine, but I think it feels really tacky to do that when they're watching you. Maybe I just need to get over it.
4. Don't get greedy. There's more than enough to go around. You don't have to have it all, especially if it makes you grabby around other pickers. Really, how much are you going to make on all this stuff anyway?
5. Know the law. Yes, it seems like everybody curb-picks, but in some cities, it might be against the law. Know the risks you might be running. This is another argument for being neat and polite. People tend to complain and call for penalties when they perceive a nuisance. If there's no nuisance, they've got no grounds to complain.
6. Be decent. Don't pick when it's pretty obvious someone has been set out or evicted. It's one thing to deal with items people are declaring they don't want. It's another to rifle through and take someone's worldly possessions. Remember, an eviction means that a person has forfeited the right to reside in a particular dwelling. It doesn't mean they've forfeited the right to their stuff.
7. Be careful. Watch where you stick your hands or step. Anything can hide in a junk pile. Go in pairs if possible.
That's my take on things, at least. Your mileage, of course, may vary. I just think that there are better ways to do this picking thing than I've seen some others do. Maybe if we all try a little harder to be more conscientious, it'll make a difference.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Return of the Ramble!
In which your Eddie-tor explains where he's been for the past month and a half.
I started a cat-sitting gig at the end of April and it ended up lasting most of May. One of the people I sit for has had some family medical emergencies to deal with, so she's been gone for extended periods of time, often with little to no notice. I spent most of the month at her house with her kitties, where my connectivity is pretty limited. After a couple of days, I stopped trying to fight with it and entertained myself in other ways.
And, of course, once I got out of the habit, it's been hard to get back in. Things have been pretty busy on other fronts as well, so I just haven't had the kind of time I normally do for stuff like blogging and planning and writing posts and such. Hopefully, that's easing up a little. We'll see.
I managed to make it through my first Mother's Day without a mother and the first anniversary of Mom's death okay. My brother's birthday fell on Mother's Day this year, so I had something happier to concentrate on and that helped some. I'm starting to get into my shed and deal with some of Mom's things, so my emotions are pretty wobbly sometimes. So many memories.
I went to the big flea market alone over Memorial Day weekend and realized how much I miss her at times like that. We used to do the flea market together at least once a year. It was kind of weird not to stop at vendors she would shop from. It was even weirder not being able to snark on stuff like we used to do. She and I were forever finding something to carry on about or make fun of. I had to do it all in my head this time.
Yard saling has been really lame for weeks now. Lots of traveling and sweating for little hauls. I made an awesome score this past weekend when I got a metric ton of Peanuts memorabilia for about twenty bucks, but it was the first rave-worthy score in ages and ages. Even many of the annual sales I love to hit have been mediocre at best. Not nearly as many opportunities to score a box of swag for five bucks.
Booth sales have been off too. I owe you all reports for April and May, which I will get on soon. I'll elaborate things in more detail at that time. I also owe a couple of book reports too. They'll also be forthcoming.
I even tried setting up at a community sale at a local church to pick up some extra bucks and clear out some booth duds. Turn out was lousy for some unknown reason, so I only made about fifty bucks. Did get rid of some stuff, though. The organizers were making plans to have leftovers donated, so I left several items there, rather than drag them all home again. I'd like to try the whole experience again, only with more buyers and better sales.
We've been having August in June for most of the month. Hotter than normal. More humid than normal. I so miss regular seasons.
I got a smart phone the other day, so I may start tweeting again. The "p" on my old phone only worked intermittently, which is why I stopped before. Apparently, most of the words I like to use have "p's" in them.
My latte tastes funny.
Chiquito had a little growth spurt a while back. Sometimes cats will have one last little burst of growth at around three, which he is. It's made him very hungry all the time. He's taken to trying to wake us in the middle of the night for a feeding. I've started to put out a little extra food for my growing baby.
Kosh on the other hand is pretty much the same. He wasn't well for my extended stay away from the house in May, but seems to have gotten over it. Little does he know I have three nights of cat-sitting this week. He's pretty clever in that he's learned the signs for when I'm prepping to leave for a few days. So he starts getting freaky and extra lovey whenever I start packing up or carrying things out. The problem is, he can't distinguish between my packing to leave and getting a booth run ready. I'm messing with booth stuff all the time and it frequently involves packing a box or taking one out, which starts him to worrying needlessly. Haven't figured out a way to explain things to him.
I also haven't figured out a way to end my Rambles posts, other than just stopping. Posts on particular topics can wind themselves to a good conclusion, but just sitting down and rambling on and on is harder to wrap up. The only way I really know to do it for sure is to shut up.
So I will.
I started a cat-sitting gig at the end of April and it ended up lasting most of May. One of the people I sit for has had some family medical emergencies to deal with, so she's been gone for extended periods of time, often with little to no notice. I spent most of the month at her house with her kitties, where my connectivity is pretty limited. After a couple of days, I stopped trying to fight with it and entertained myself in other ways.
And, of course, once I got out of the habit, it's been hard to get back in. Things have been pretty busy on other fronts as well, so I just haven't had the kind of time I normally do for stuff like blogging and planning and writing posts and such. Hopefully, that's easing up a little. We'll see.
I managed to make it through my first Mother's Day without a mother and the first anniversary of Mom's death okay. My brother's birthday fell on Mother's Day this year, so I had something happier to concentrate on and that helped some. I'm starting to get into my shed and deal with some of Mom's things, so my emotions are pretty wobbly sometimes. So many memories.
I went to the big flea market alone over Memorial Day weekend and realized how much I miss her at times like that. We used to do the flea market together at least once a year. It was kind of weird not to stop at vendors she would shop from. It was even weirder not being able to snark on stuff like we used to do. She and I were forever finding something to carry on about or make fun of. I had to do it all in my head this time.
Yard saling has been really lame for weeks now. Lots of traveling and sweating for little hauls. I made an awesome score this past weekend when I got a metric ton of Peanuts memorabilia for about twenty bucks, but it was the first rave-worthy score in ages and ages. Even many of the annual sales I love to hit have been mediocre at best. Not nearly as many opportunities to score a box of swag for five bucks.
Booth sales have been off too. I owe you all reports for April and May, which I will get on soon. I'll elaborate things in more detail at that time. I also owe a couple of book reports too. They'll also be forthcoming.
I even tried setting up at a community sale at a local church to pick up some extra bucks and clear out some booth duds. Turn out was lousy for some unknown reason, so I only made about fifty bucks. Did get rid of some stuff, though. The organizers were making plans to have leftovers donated, so I left several items there, rather than drag them all home again. I'd like to try the whole experience again, only with more buyers and better sales.
We've been having August in June for most of the month. Hotter than normal. More humid than normal. I so miss regular seasons.
I got a smart phone the other day, so I may start tweeting again. The "p" on my old phone only worked intermittently, which is why I stopped before. Apparently, most of the words I like to use have "p's" in them.
My latte tastes funny.
Chiquito had a little growth spurt a while back. Sometimes cats will have one last little burst of growth at around three, which he is. It's made him very hungry all the time. He's taken to trying to wake us in the middle of the night for a feeding. I've started to put out a little extra food for my growing baby.
Kosh on the other hand is pretty much the same. He wasn't well for my extended stay away from the house in May, but seems to have gotten over it. Little does he know I have three nights of cat-sitting this week. He's pretty clever in that he's learned the signs for when I'm prepping to leave for a few days. So he starts getting freaky and extra lovey whenever I start packing up or carrying things out. The problem is, he can't distinguish between my packing to leave and getting a booth run ready. I'm messing with booth stuff all the time and it frequently involves packing a box or taking one out, which starts him to worrying needlessly. Haven't figured out a way to explain things to him.
I also haven't figured out a way to end my Rambles posts, other than just stopping. Posts on particular topics can wind themselves to a good conclusion, but just sitting down and rambling on and on is harder to wrap up. The only way I really know to do it for sure is to shut up.
So I will.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Early Morning Monday Rambles
Got hit with a rare bought of insomnia about an hour ago. Watching an episode of Generator Rex, followed by another of Pawn Stars didn't help, so now I'm blogging. Maybe I can get some stuff set up for this week.
Can't figure out why I can't sleep. When I was working the old job, I used to have sleepless nights all the time, but I haven't really had more than a couple in the almost year since I got canned. I don't have near the level of stress with the PTG as I did before, but this is a pretty hectic week Most of my hours this session are in the evening, which really messes up my days. We've got two weeks to go, and the last days are always mote demanding, but it's never kept me up before. Oh well.
Thundery, stormy, rainy weather here for what seems like days on end. So tired of rain The Ohio is dangerously high. Want to ride my bike and go to yard sales that actually happen Is that too much to ask for?
Speaking of sales, we did find a "rain or shine" sale held in a garag on Saturday. They advertised comics, so I knew I had to be there I can't keep comics in stock in my booth. It doesn't seem to matter if it's old Bugs Bunny or 90's Image crap, it sells as soon as I put it out. Turned out they didn't have that many comics, and the few they did have were practically in shreds, so I didn't get any of them. But, I did get quite a few great graphic novels for 50 cents each, so it still worked out.
While we were there, I saw a really pretty mug sitting on a table. It was kind of dark in the garage, so I picked it up and tilted it so I could get a better look at it. All this coffee came spilling out of it! For some reason, I decided that meant it must be some kind of trick cup or a gag cup or something. So I decided the keep tilting it so I could figure out where the coffee was coming from. (Well, it made sense at the time!)
So after I pour a bunch more coffee out of the damn cup, the seller comes over and says "Uhm..that's my coffee cup.." I could have died! File this one under "Stupid Junker Tricks."
Well, the booth has been rebounding the past couple of weeks. Not really high sale days, but really solid ones that are pretty consistently in the range where I want them. I could still hit my sales goal, or at least come close It won't be an over 900 month, but it'll be better than it was looking earlier. As long as trends hold up, that is As long as being closed for Easter Sunday doesn't break the momentum. Sundays are usually good days for me. I'll really miss those sales.
Easter passing means I'll need to take my Easter display down when I go in. I sold a lot of it this year Last year, I waited too long to put Easter stuff out and ended up with a ton of eggs and stuff leftover. I'll have a few items left, but not many. I was actually kind of surprised that my vintage bunnies didn't sell. Neither did most of the religious items I added. Guess bunnies and Jesus don't mix after all.
Easter passing also means that the Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs will be fifty percent off when Walgreen's opens! Stay out of my way! They've been my favorite Easter candy ever since they first came out! Woo hoo! If I can find some marked down Easter toys and such, I'll probably pick up a few and store them until next year for the booth.
Since my display table is going to be empty, I've been pondering what to put there next. I think I'm going to try something different. I have a bin of what I call "household stuff": tools, a couple of telephones, and assorted odds and ends that have specific uses, rather than being just decorative. A lot of it came from my mother's stuff. It's not selling well mainly because it's in a bin under a table. Whenever anyone goes through it, everything ends up in a mess. I'm debating spreading the whole lot out on the table for a couple of weeks and seeing if any of it moves. It's worth a shot. I may mix in some dishes or older items, just to make it interesting.
Maybe I'd better try to get some sleep now.
Can't figure out why I can't sleep. When I was working the old job, I used to have sleepless nights all the time, but I haven't really had more than a couple in the almost year since I got canned. I don't have near the level of stress with the PTG as I did before, but this is a pretty hectic week Most of my hours this session are in the evening, which really messes up my days. We've got two weeks to go, and the last days are always mote demanding, but it's never kept me up before. Oh well.
Thundery, stormy, rainy weather here for what seems like days on end. So tired of rain The Ohio is dangerously high. Want to ride my bike and go to yard sales that actually happen Is that too much to ask for?
Speaking of sales, we did find a "rain or shine" sale held in a garag on Saturday. They advertised comics, so I knew I had to be there I can't keep comics in stock in my booth. It doesn't seem to matter if it's old Bugs Bunny or 90's Image crap, it sells as soon as I put it out. Turned out they didn't have that many comics, and the few they did have were practically in shreds, so I didn't get any of them. But, I did get quite a few great graphic novels for 50 cents each, so it still worked out.
While we were there, I saw a really pretty mug sitting on a table. It was kind of dark in the garage, so I picked it up and tilted it so I could get a better look at it. All this coffee came spilling out of it! For some reason, I decided that meant it must be some kind of trick cup or a gag cup or something. So I decided the keep tilting it so I could figure out where the coffee was coming from. (Well, it made sense at the time!)
So after I pour a bunch more coffee out of the damn cup, the seller comes over and says "Uhm..that's my coffee cup.." I could have died! File this one under "Stupid Junker Tricks."
Well, the booth has been rebounding the past couple of weeks. Not really high sale days, but really solid ones that are pretty consistently in the range where I want them. I could still hit my sales goal, or at least come close It won't be an over 900 month, but it'll be better than it was looking earlier. As long as trends hold up, that is As long as being closed for Easter Sunday doesn't break the momentum. Sundays are usually good days for me. I'll really miss those sales.
Easter passing means I'll need to take my Easter display down when I go in. I sold a lot of it this year Last year, I waited too long to put Easter stuff out and ended up with a ton of eggs and stuff leftover. I'll have a few items left, but not many. I was actually kind of surprised that my vintage bunnies didn't sell. Neither did most of the religious items I added. Guess bunnies and Jesus don't mix after all.
Easter passing also means that the Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs will be fifty percent off when Walgreen's opens! Stay out of my way! They've been my favorite Easter candy ever since they first came out! Woo hoo! If I can find some marked down Easter toys and such, I'll probably pick up a few and store them until next year for the booth.
Since my display table is going to be empty, I've been pondering what to put there next. I think I'm going to try something different. I have a bin of what I call "household stuff": tools, a couple of telephones, and assorted odds and ends that have specific uses, rather than being just decorative. A lot of it came from my mother's stuff. It's not selling well mainly because it's in a bin under a table. Whenever anyone goes through it, everything ends up in a mess. I'm debating spreading the whole lot out on the table for a couple of weeks and seeing if any of it moves. It's worth a shot. I may mix in some dishes or older items, just to make it interesting.
Maybe I'd better try to get some sleep now.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Happy Birthday Keith!
Tomorrow is Keith's birthday, so I'll be taking the blog-day off. I thought I'd give him some early presents here. There's a wee bit of irony at play here, since he doesn't like it when I do video posts. In fact, he usually ignores them. Hopefully, there's something here that will get his attentnion.
First up, some older clips from one of his favorite singer/songwriters, John Prine. I totally love seeing long-haired, shaggy John! Of course, all of these videos are way pre-cancer surgery. His voice sounds completely different these days.
This song is one of my favorites. It pretty much sums up everything that makes Prine a true musical treasure.
And, this one is just fun!
To wrap the Prine section up, I thought this one would be appropriate. Back when our beloved Basil was still with us, Keith used to pick her up and dance with her with this one would play. He was the big old goofy man and she was the big, old goofy girl. Still makes tear up thinking about it. But, it kind of sums up everything I love about him.
This is Verlon Thompson doing a live take on one of his songs. I don't think Keith has heard this song before, but I know he's going to love it. Thompson may be better known to folks as Guy Clark's guitarist, but he's a fine songwriter in his own right.
Kris Kristofferson. 'Nuff said. Oh yeah, and Johnny Cash too. What more do you need?
Nanci Griffith doing Townes Van Zandt:
And finally, the one song this one sums up my feelings pretty well, performed by John Prine and Emmylou Harris. (You knew I'd work her in here somehow, didn't you?) It's their version of a Guy Clark classic.
The other night, Keith told me that he'd taken a liking to me. After nearly twenty years, that's kind of nice to know. Happy Birthday, Keith! I've taken a liking to you too!
First up, some older clips from one of his favorite singer/songwriters, John Prine. I totally love seeing long-haired, shaggy John! Of course, all of these videos are way pre-cancer surgery. His voice sounds completely different these days.
This song is one of my favorites. It pretty much sums up everything that makes Prine a true musical treasure.
And, this one is just fun!
To wrap the Prine section up, I thought this one would be appropriate. Back when our beloved Basil was still with us, Keith used to pick her up and dance with her with this one would play. He was the big old goofy man and she was the big, old goofy girl. Still makes tear up thinking about it. But, it kind of sums up everything I love about him.
This is Verlon Thompson doing a live take on one of his songs. I don't think Keith has heard this song before, but I know he's going to love it. Thompson may be better known to folks as Guy Clark's guitarist, but he's a fine songwriter in his own right.
Kris Kristofferson. 'Nuff said. Oh yeah, and Johnny Cash too. What more do you need?
Nanci Griffith doing Townes Van Zandt:
And finally, the one song this one sums up my feelings pretty well, performed by John Prine and Emmylou Harris. (You knew I'd work her in here somehow, didn't you?) It's their version of a Guy Clark classic.
The other night, Keith told me that he'd taken a liking to me. After nearly twenty years, that's kind of nice to know. Happy Birthday, Keith! I've taken a liking to you too!
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Booth Report: March 2011
This is the month that nearly killed me. I've got to find a way to stop totally stressing over the sales reports. I'm learning a lot about how unpredictable the retail business is--way up one day and way down the next. I'm also learning that, maybe, just maybe, one or two bad days don't really matter that much. Or maybe not. Quite possibly, I obsess over things just a bit too much.
I'm making some plans for this year that involve kicking myself as a reseller into a whole new level by the end of the year. I think I can do it. I'm pretty sure I can do it, in fact. But, I have to have the booth on consistent, solid footing before that can happen. And, I just don't feel confident that it's there yet. We're passing out of tax season, which is a boom time for re-sellers, into the summer, which is a slow time of the year for us. There's too much competition from yard sales and such, plus vacations and nice weather and who wants to be cooped up in an old flea market when you can go to the lake? This is the test time to see if I really can maintain the ground I've gained.
The good news about March is that it ended up being my best month EVER. I set a new sales record and am thisclose to hitting four digit gross sales. I'm getting a good balance of price points in and out these days, and that surely helps a lot.
But it wasn't without its struggles. I'm going to break my own rules here and actually use some specific numbers for specific days. It seems on the one hand kind of crass to do so, and on the other kind of un-business-like, but I can't tell the story without it. And it's a story that I think is worth telling. I go back and forth a lot on these booth posts all the time, anyway. I'm never sure if I'm giving away business secrets that shouldn't be told. For that matter, I'm never sure if there are secrets in this business. So, if I'm makingan error, so be it.
Last weekend of the month was simply killer. Saturday sales were 85 dollars and Sunday's were over 100. Awesome! I was going into the last week of the month knocking the door of 900 dollars in gross sales. To say I was psyched was an understatement. Then came Monday. Now, I know Monday is a slow day and sales always drop on Monday but to $2.34???? So much for 900. And then Tuesday was only $1.58! I nearly had to be scraped off the floor after that. With only two days left in the month, 900 was looking a bit doubtful. I was honestly expecting .99 for Wednesday and .50 for Thursday. Clearly, I had offended the re-selling gods with my hubris or something.
Fortunately, it dod bounce back for Wed and Thuirs and I did break 900, which was a great relief. Man, there ain't nothing like the highs and lows in this business, let me tell you.
So, anyway, here's the charts:
I'm making some plans for this year that involve kicking myself as a reseller into a whole new level by the end of the year. I think I can do it. I'm pretty sure I can do it, in fact. But, I have to have the booth on consistent, solid footing before that can happen. And, I just don't feel confident that it's there yet. We're passing out of tax season, which is a boom time for re-sellers, into the summer, which is a slow time of the year for us. There's too much competition from yard sales and such, plus vacations and nice weather and who wants to be cooped up in an old flea market when you can go to the lake? This is the test time to see if I really can maintain the ground I've gained.
The good news about March is that it ended up being my best month EVER. I set a new sales record and am thisclose to hitting four digit gross sales. I'm getting a good balance of price points in and out these days, and that surely helps a lot.
But it wasn't without its struggles. I'm going to break my own rules here and actually use some specific numbers for specific days. It seems on the one hand kind of crass to do so, and on the other kind of un-business-like, but I can't tell the story without it. And it's a story that I think is worth telling. I go back and forth a lot on these booth posts all the time, anyway. I'm never sure if I'm giving away business secrets that shouldn't be told. For that matter, I'm never sure if there are secrets in this business. So, if I'm makingan error, so be it.
Last weekend of the month was simply killer. Saturday sales were 85 dollars and Sunday's were over 100. Awesome! I was going into the last week of the month knocking the door of 900 dollars in gross sales. To say I was psyched was an understatement. Then came Monday. Now, I know Monday is a slow day and sales always drop on Monday but to $2.34???? So much for 900. And then Tuesday was only $1.58! I nearly had to be scraped off the floor after that. With only two days left in the month, 900 was looking a bit doubtful. I was honestly expecting .99 for Wednesday and .50 for Thursday. Clearly, I had offended the re-selling gods with my hubris or something.
Fortunately, it dod bounce back for Wed and Thuirs and I did break 900, which was a great relief. Man, there ain't nothing like the highs and lows in this business, let me tell you.
So, anyway, here's the charts:
Look at how low Fridays are! Just as slow as Mondays for the whole month. That really caught me off-guard. Hasn't happened before.
Lots of over 25 days, for sure, but all the 10-20 days and especially those under 10 days drug everything down. Worse yet, the under fives returned! Aigh! But, despite all this we set a record. Go figure. Final average for the month was 30 bucks, which ain't too shabby.
Monday, April 18, 2011
The Return of Monday Rambles
I lost a week or so in there somehow. Please accept my apologies. Life got a wee tad hectic for a bit. It'll probably happen again. I'm willing to bet on that at least.
Anyway, April has been a difficult booth month, but it seems to be picking up a bit. There's still some time left to turn things around, but, man, the start was dismal. It didn't dawn on me until the middle of the first week of the month that it was Spring Break! No wonder sales were in the toilet. I actually had the aggravation of a 99 cent day, which is not as bad as a no-sale day, but not by much. To make matters worse, there was an email snafu that night and no reports got mailed. Which is worse: not receiving the 99 cent sales day report or receiving it? The re-sale philosophers will be arguing about that one for decades to come.
I'm actually concerned about not hitting my sales goals this month. There's not much month left and there's too much ground to make up. Sometimes it happens, I guess. Not that there haven't been some good moments this month, just not enough of them. Weekend before last, the Easter Bunny came to visit and brought lots of customers, despite severe thunderstorms. The mall asked dealers to come to their booths to meet customers and make deals. I managed to unload a couple of pieces that had overstayed their welcome. (Although not as many as I hoped to.) I also met a couple who are just starting to collect religious articles and they bought quite a bit from me. The conversation with them was almost as much fin as the commerce.
We're also now in the midst of Derby Festival madness, which will undoubtedly drag on sales. If you don't live here, it's a two-minute horse race. If you do live here, it's a three and a half week party. The kick off was the mega firework show downtown. Big noisy crowds of drunk people watching noisy explosions ain't my thing, so I've never been. I was expecting a sales drag, because everyone (and I mean everyone) goes and spends the day down there. Fortunately, it was rainy and cold, so people stayed in their own parts of town and shopped instead.
Our cable carrier switched digital music services again, so we have a decent Americana/Alt-Country channel again. The last one was a little too tied to the Wide Open Country show on CMT, which meant we got lots of Alan Jackson slipped in, which did not make me too happy. I spent more time listening to the alternative Latin rock channel instead. I'm enjoying the new one quite a bit. I like to flip over to the music when I'm doing stuff like cleaning or working on merchandise.
Speaking of merch, I've signed up for a free spot at a church sale that's coming in a couple of weeks. I'm planning on using it to clear out more of my still too large backlog, and maybe a few booth duds as well. I might ask a friend to join me so I'll have someone to talk to. Ms Jackie seems to do well at these kinds of things, so maybe I will too.
March Booth Report is coming this week for sure!
Anyway, April has been a difficult booth month, but it seems to be picking up a bit. There's still some time left to turn things around, but, man, the start was dismal. It didn't dawn on me until the middle of the first week of the month that it was Spring Break! No wonder sales were in the toilet. I actually had the aggravation of a 99 cent day, which is not as bad as a no-sale day, but not by much. To make matters worse, there was an email snafu that night and no reports got mailed. Which is worse: not receiving the 99 cent sales day report or receiving it? The re-sale philosophers will be arguing about that one for decades to come.
I'm actually concerned about not hitting my sales goals this month. There's not much month left and there's too much ground to make up. Sometimes it happens, I guess. Not that there haven't been some good moments this month, just not enough of them. Weekend before last, the Easter Bunny came to visit and brought lots of customers, despite severe thunderstorms. The mall asked dealers to come to their booths to meet customers and make deals. I managed to unload a couple of pieces that had overstayed their welcome. (Although not as many as I hoped to.) I also met a couple who are just starting to collect religious articles and they bought quite a bit from me. The conversation with them was almost as much fin as the commerce.
We're also now in the midst of Derby Festival madness, which will undoubtedly drag on sales. If you don't live here, it's a two-minute horse race. If you do live here, it's a three and a half week party. The kick off was the mega firework show downtown. Big noisy crowds of drunk people watching noisy explosions ain't my thing, so I've never been. I was expecting a sales drag, because everyone (and I mean everyone) goes and spends the day down there. Fortunately, it was rainy and cold, so people stayed in their own parts of town and shopped instead.
Our cable carrier switched digital music services again, so we have a decent Americana/Alt-Country channel again. The last one was a little too tied to the Wide Open Country show on CMT, which meant we got lots of Alan Jackson slipped in, which did not make me too happy. I spent more time listening to the alternative Latin rock channel instead. I'm enjoying the new one quite a bit. I like to flip over to the music when I'm doing stuff like cleaning or working on merchandise.
Speaking of merch, I've signed up for a free spot at a church sale that's coming in a couple of weeks. I'm planning on using it to clear out more of my still too large backlog, and maybe a few booth duds as well. I might ask a friend to join me so I'll have someone to talk to. Ms Jackie seems to do well at these kinds of things, so maybe I will too.
March Booth Report is coming this week for sure!
Friday, April 08, 2011
Book Report: March 2011
Murder at the Masque by Amy Meyers: A classic whodunnit in the style of Agatha Christie, which plays homage to the mysteries of the past, while remaining wholly original. Larger than life characters caught up in an array of sub-plots and sly humor make this one highly recommended. This was a new one to me, but I'll be looking for more of this series.
All Gone by David Seidman: Pop culture study of toys, foods, fads, buildings, and many other things that outlived their usefulness and faded away. This was written in the late nineties, so it doesn't quite have the wistful nostalgia that similar books published since the turn of the century have. It also lacks the flash of contemporary graphics, which is not a bad thing. However, it could use a few more (and larger) photographs.
The Tarot Murders by Mignon Warner: I was with this one all the way up to the end and then it lost me. It's an older mystery (printed in 1978) and just a little bit dated in places. The heroine is mostly referred to as "Mrs. Charles" for example, instead of any sort of first name. Personally, I think this gives the book a kind of quaint charm, but that's just me. Still, the reveal of the killer came totally out of left field and, in looking back into the book, I still can't figure out how Mrs. Charles figures it out. I don't mind being fooled by my mysteries, but I should be able to look back and see the signs I missed because my attention was directed elsewhere. It doesn't happen here. I call foul.
Make Music Go Bang! by Don Snowden: This is a look back at the LA punk rock scene in the early 80's by those who were there. Snowden has assembled a collection of essays from prominent fans, performers, journalists and others who were involved. The caliber of the essays ranges from quirky, but not very informative to insightful and nostalgic. What I enjoyed about the book was its scope. The early LA punk scene was a lot more eclectic than people realize. The Go-Go's and X both came out of it, for example. It was also home to classic roots-rockers The Blasters (alt-country before it had a name) and Los Lobos. I really liked that the book didn't gloss over this diversity, but celebrated it. I do wish that there had been more than passing mentions given to The Go-Go's though.
An Old School Tie by Andrew Taylor: Mystery the way I like it. Hidden backstories. Nothing as it seems. And clues hidden in plain sight. Perfect way to waste an afternoon.
Clerkenwell Tales by Peter Ackroyd: I started this one the last week of the month, but wasn't sure if I would be able to finish it before March was over. I ended up devouring it. Could not put it down. Hands down, this is the best book I've read in ages. Good historical fiction is so hard to find, and this is some of the best. Ackroyd has a great knowledge of his setting and timeframe, London in 1399, and uses it to great effect. Every piece of info and bit of dialogue rings true, but he avoids endlessly lecturing the reader. He uses the character types from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales to tell a mesmerizing tale of church, state, and common people all caught up in a game of plot and counterplot with each other. Highly recommended.
Didn't read as much in March. It was a busy month. No graphic novels at all this time around. Only two non-fiction books too. I seem to get stuck in a genre fiction groove a lot and can't get out of it. I'll have to try harder at that. Still, nothing beats a good whodunnit for bus reading. I just have to remember to actually read when I'm on the bus.
All Gone by David Seidman: Pop culture study of toys, foods, fads, buildings, and many other things that outlived their usefulness and faded away. This was written in the late nineties, so it doesn't quite have the wistful nostalgia that similar books published since the turn of the century have. It also lacks the flash of contemporary graphics, which is not a bad thing. However, it could use a few more (and larger) photographs.
The Tarot Murders by Mignon Warner: I was with this one all the way up to the end and then it lost me. It's an older mystery (printed in 1978) and just a little bit dated in places. The heroine is mostly referred to as "Mrs. Charles" for example, instead of any sort of first name. Personally, I think this gives the book a kind of quaint charm, but that's just me. Still, the reveal of the killer came totally out of left field and, in looking back into the book, I still can't figure out how Mrs. Charles figures it out. I don't mind being fooled by my mysteries, but I should be able to look back and see the signs I missed because my attention was directed elsewhere. It doesn't happen here. I call foul.
Make Music Go Bang! by Don Snowden: This is a look back at the LA punk rock scene in the early 80's by those who were there. Snowden has assembled a collection of essays from prominent fans, performers, journalists and others who were involved. The caliber of the essays ranges from quirky, but not very informative to insightful and nostalgic. What I enjoyed about the book was its scope. The early LA punk scene was a lot more eclectic than people realize. The Go-Go's and X both came out of it, for example. It was also home to classic roots-rockers The Blasters (alt-country before it had a name) and Los Lobos. I really liked that the book didn't gloss over this diversity, but celebrated it. I do wish that there had been more than passing mentions given to The Go-Go's though.
An Old School Tie by Andrew Taylor: Mystery the way I like it. Hidden backstories. Nothing as it seems. And clues hidden in plain sight. Perfect way to waste an afternoon.
Clerkenwell Tales by Peter Ackroyd: I started this one the last week of the month, but wasn't sure if I would be able to finish it before March was over. I ended up devouring it. Could not put it down. Hands down, this is the best book I've read in ages. Good historical fiction is so hard to find, and this is some of the best. Ackroyd has a great knowledge of his setting and timeframe, London in 1399, and uses it to great effect. Every piece of info and bit of dialogue rings true, but he avoids endlessly lecturing the reader. He uses the character types from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales to tell a mesmerizing tale of church, state, and common people all caught up in a game of plot and counterplot with each other. Highly recommended.
Didn't read as much in March. It was a busy month. No graphic novels at all this time around. Only two non-fiction books too. I seem to get stuck in a genre fiction groove a lot and can't get out of it. I'll have to try harder at that. Still, nothing beats a good whodunnit for bus reading. I just have to remember to actually read when I'm on the bus.
Wednesday, April 06, 2011
Monday Rambles on a Wednesday
I don't have any action from the Part-Time Gig (PTG) going on this week, so I'm trying really hard to get some posting done and end up with several set to go over the next few days. I've gotten used to blogging several times a week now, so I really hate lapsing back into old habits. I didn't even do an April Fool's post. Sigh!
Of course, I'm posting this on Wednesday evening, even though it was all written and ready to go, except for the links, on Sunday night. Guess you can see how well that plan worked. Sigh!
The one wrinkle in this plan is that I'm also cat-sitting this week. I've got spotty wifi access in that location, which may throw me off a bit. I'm needing to stop by the house on several days, though, so maybe that will help me overcome those issues. I have some things at home I'm needing to get done, including a large booth load (more on that in a minute), and I'm hoping if I come home and spend sometime with Kosh, he won't be quite so panicked while I'm gone. I'll probably just end up confusing him even more when I leave. Who knows what goes on in that furry little head?
Okay, now that I've kept my promise from last week, here's the weather report. Lots of cold, cloudy days last week gave way to a nice weekend. We're supposed to be in for some warmer, sunny days this week. I'm looking forward to it.
Expect the March Booth Report and March Book Report by the end of the week. Both are quite different from previous editions. There was a lot of drama and suspense along the way, but I did set a sales record last month. That's all I'll say for now.
Nasty rumors are going around that ABC is going to cancel All My Children and One Life to Live. I do hope not. I've never quite gotten into AMC--Susan Lucci's appeal as an actress eludes me--but I do like to catch OLTL when I can. If it happens, that will leave just four daytime soaps on the air, and ABC will join NBC as a one soap network. NBC still has Days of Our Lives and General Hospital would be ABC's sole offering.
The budget restraints NBC has placed on Days and really taking its toll on the show these days (sorry about that). I'm watching less than ever. I'd hate to see GH go the same way, even though it's pretty well down that path. The loops they had to twist into the story in order to keep Tony Geary out of recent scenes where Luke Spencer's grandson was dying were enormous. But, if he'd set foot in the hospital, it probably would have driven the day over budget, so we had endless scenes with Geary and one other person begging Luke to go to the hospital and him resisting. (There was some good acting from Liz Herbst, Jonathon Jackson, Steve Burton, and Laura Wright, throughout that story though.)
That's the huge catch-22 that soaps are caught in right now. Fans of all ages want to see the veteran actors and characters involved in major story, but the shows can't afford to play them. I'm not blaming Geary or Lucci or OLTL's Erika Slezak, mind you. They've done their time and are part an parcel of what has made their shows last over the years. They certainly deserve everything they make. The problem lies with network bean counters who are demanding that shows increase their rating revenue, but don't give them the tools they need to do so. It's only going to keep getting worse at NBC and ABC until someone takes a look at CBS and realizes that Young and Restless plays its major veteran characters in scenes with more than one other character, involves them in constant major story and the world doesn't end.
This Saturday is another special event at the mall where I have my booth. They'll have hot dogs and stuff for sale, and vendors are encouraged to be on hand to make deals with customers. I did pretty well at the last one in December, so I'm on board for sure. I'm planning to spend Friday at the booth getting ready. I'm going to let everything ride this week in the hope that a lot of stuff will clear out, then I'll swoop in and restock, foof, move things around and add some signs to point out some stuff I really want to see go home with someone.
Hit one of my favorite church sales over the weekend. Got an overstuffed box o' goodies for about fifteen bucks. You can see the pic here and read a little more about it. It's pretty much a given that I'll end up with a box at a church sale. The real question is what kind of check out person I'll have. There are two types.
Type One: The "I really don't want to unpack and repack that whole box of stuff, so I'm going to make an offer of 10 or so dollars" type. I really like these folks!
Type Two: The "I have to do my duty to this sale and check every item and total it" type. This is the one I got and I think she ended up regretting her approach about halfway through. I can pack me a box, folks. In fact, at this sale, I had to upgrade to a larger box two times! Plus, I have smallsphasia, which means I'm driven to sell lots of small items in the booth. That means I have to buy lots of them.
Then, there was the presence of another church sale volunteer type throughout my box: The volunteer who never gets the memo that it's easier for the checkers to add if everything is priced in increments of .25. So, this poor woman had to deal with my box stuffed with smalls, many marked at prices like .10, .05, or .35. I did feel sorry for her. Not enough to put anything back, mind you, but enough to try and help her out.
There's a story that explains why this is one of our favorite sales, by the way. And it's got nothing to do with stuff or prices. I'll get around to telling it some time.
And on that, I'll say: "Goodbye until next time!"
Of course, I'm posting this on Wednesday evening, even though it was all written and ready to go, except for the links, on Sunday night. Guess you can see how well that plan worked. Sigh!
The one wrinkle in this plan is that I'm also cat-sitting this week. I've got spotty wifi access in that location, which may throw me off a bit. I'm needing to stop by the house on several days, though, so maybe that will help me overcome those issues. I have some things at home I'm needing to get done, including a large booth load (more on that in a minute), and I'm hoping if I come home and spend sometime with Kosh, he won't be quite so panicked while I'm gone. I'll probably just end up confusing him even more when I leave. Who knows what goes on in that furry little head?
Okay, now that I've kept my promise from last week, here's the weather report. Lots of cold, cloudy days last week gave way to a nice weekend. We're supposed to be in for some warmer, sunny days this week. I'm looking forward to it.
Expect the March Booth Report and March Book Report by the end of the week. Both are quite different from previous editions. There was a lot of drama and suspense along the way, but I did set a sales record last month. That's all I'll say for now.
Nasty rumors are going around that ABC is going to cancel All My Children and One Life to Live. I do hope not. I've never quite gotten into AMC--Susan Lucci's appeal as an actress eludes me--but I do like to catch OLTL when I can. If it happens, that will leave just four daytime soaps on the air, and ABC will join NBC as a one soap network. NBC still has Days of Our Lives and General Hospital would be ABC's sole offering.
The budget restraints NBC has placed on Days and really taking its toll on the show these days (sorry about that). I'm watching less than ever. I'd hate to see GH go the same way, even though it's pretty well down that path. The loops they had to twist into the story in order to keep Tony Geary out of recent scenes where Luke Spencer's grandson was dying were enormous. But, if he'd set foot in the hospital, it probably would have driven the day over budget, so we had endless scenes with Geary and one other person begging Luke to go to the hospital and him resisting. (There was some good acting from Liz Herbst, Jonathon Jackson, Steve Burton, and Laura Wright, throughout that story though.)
That's the huge catch-22 that soaps are caught in right now. Fans of all ages want to see the veteran actors and characters involved in major story, but the shows can't afford to play them. I'm not blaming Geary or Lucci or OLTL's Erika Slezak, mind you. They've done their time and are part an parcel of what has made their shows last over the years. They certainly deserve everything they make. The problem lies with network bean counters who are demanding that shows increase their rating revenue, but don't give them the tools they need to do so. It's only going to keep getting worse at NBC and ABC until someone takes a look at CBS and realizes that Young and Restless plays its major veteran characters in scenes with more than one other character, involves them in constant major story and the world doesn't end.
This Saturday is another special event at the mall where I have my booth. They'll have hot dogs and stuff for sale, and vendors are encouraged to be on hand to make deals with customers. I did pretty well at the last one in December, so I'm on board for sure. I'm planning to spend Friday at the booth getting ready. I'm going to let everything ride this week in the hope that a lot of stuff will clear out, then I'll swoop in and restock, foof, move things around and add some signs to point out some stuff I really want to see go home with someone.
Hit one of my favorite church sales over the weekend. Got an overstuffed box o' goodies for about fifteen bucks. You can see the pic here and read a little more about it. It's pretty much a given that I'll end up with a box at a church sale. The real question is what kind of check out person I'll have. There are two types.
Type One: The "I really don't want to unpack and repack that whole box of stuff, so I'm going to make an offer of 10 or so dollars" type. I really like these folks!
Type Two: The "I have to do my duty to this sale and check every item and total it" type. This is the one I got and I think she ended up regretting her approach about halfway through. I can pack me a box, folks. In fact, at this sale, I had to upgrade to a larger box two times! Plus, I have smallsphasia, which means I'm driven to sell lots of small items in the booth. That means I have to buy lots of them.
Then, there was the presence of another church sale volunteer type throughout my box: The volunteer who never gets the memo that it's easier for the checkers to add if everything is priced in increments of .25. So, this poor woman had to deal with my box stuffed with smalls, many marked at prices like .10, .05, or .35. I did feel sorry for her. Not enough to put anything back, mind you, but enough to try and help her out.
There's a story that explains why this is one of our favorite sales, by the way. And it's got nothing to do with stuff or prices. I'll get around to telling it some time.
And on that, I'll say: "Goodbye until next time!"
Monday, March 28, 2011
Monday Rambles
Well, we went from near 80's to wintry mix in the course of a week. Welcome to Spring in Kentucky! Forecast looks more typical for this time of year this week, which means showers at some point. Still, better showers than more wintry mix.
Next week, I promise I'll lead with something other than a weather report.
Cold, windy weather didn't stop the yard sales from happening over the weekend, thankfully. I'm still on limited buying mode right now, but I picked up a few things, including a basket of vintage flower frogs, some vintage Christmas stuff, and a stack of ValueTales books. Not too shabby.
Sales were pretty awesome over the weekend, after a so-so week. The analysis is going to be interesting this time around. I've got lots of holes to fill when I go in to re-stock, which means that some of this overstock will be going away. That's also a good thing.
As a part of the good weekend, by the way, the most expensive item I've ever had in the booth sold!
The trees all around town, including the one in front of our house, are blooming. Thankfully, the colder weather doesn't seem to have affected them.
I do apologize for the lack of posts last week. It might continue for the next couple of weeks. I'm not sure. I'm having a hard time getting a handle on the Part Time Gig this time around. It's a good deal more challenging, which I'm enjoying because I'm getting to do some different things, but it's cutting into other time. Maybe I can carve out a little time to get some posts scheduled. If nothing else, I'll have a bit of a break next week, so I can get something done then.
I'll also have another round of cat-sitting that week (for the whole week), so poor Kosh will have a rough time of it. Keith says that when I'm gone, Kosh seems to think that, if he's just sweet and loving enough, Keith will go get me and bring me home. Poor guy.
One thing I need to do this week is get the bike out, check it out, and get it ready for riding. It's been too long.
Oh dear. I have no way to end this one, so I guess I'll just stop typing. Rambles, indeed.
Next week, I promise I'll lead with something other than a weather report.
Cold, windy weather didn't stop the yard sales from happening over the weekend, thankfully. I'm still on limited buying mode right now, but I picked up a few things, including a basket of vintage flower frogs, some vintage Christmas stuff, and a stack of ValueTales books. Not too shabby.
Sales were pretty awesome over the weekend, after a so-so week. The analysis is going to be interesting this time around. I've got lots of holes to fill when I go in to re-stock, which means that some of this overstock will be going away. That's also a good thing.
As a part of the good weekend, by the way, the most expensive item I've ever had in the booth sold!
The trees all around town, including the one in front of our house, are blooming. Thankfully, the colder weather doesn't seem to have affected them.
I do apologize for the lack of posts last week. It might continue for the next couple of weeks. I'm not sure. I'm having a hard time getting a handle on the Part Time Gig this time around. It's a good deal more challenging, which I'm enjoying because I'm getting to do some different things, but it's cutting into other time. Maybe I can carve out a little time to get some posts scheduled. If nothing else, I'll have a bit of a break next week, so I can get something done then.
I'll also have another round of cat-sitting that week (for the whole week), so poor Kosh will have a rough time of it. Keith says that when I'm gone, Kosh seems to think that, if he's just sweet and loving enough, Keith will go get me and bring me home. Poor guy.
One thing I need to do this week is get the bike out, check it out, and get it ready for riding. It's been too long.
Oh dear. I have no way to end this one, so I guess I'll just stop typing. Rambles, indeed.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Monday Rambles
March is such an unpredictable month. Bright, sunshiny fifties one day and dismal damp mid-thirties the next. Sigh! We had a lot of rain early last week. I'm so tired of rain. I need to get out in my shed and organize the stock I have out there, but it's been just too damn damp.
I nearly sold out my limited stock of furniture last week--two of three pieces are gone. I'm psyched to see one of them go. It had been there nearly a year, and I was getting far too comfy using it as a display piece. Thankfully, most of the items I was keeping on it sold a few days before it did,so not very much was displaced. Good-bye outdoor bench!
The other wasn't really for sale, at least, not yet. I bought a small bookshelf a few months ago for 2 bucks at a yard sale intending to use it to hold paperback books. I was intending to keep it around for a long while, then sell it when I found something better to use. Since it was kind of nice looking, I put a price tag on it to keep people from dismantling it trying to find a price. I hate to mark things as not for sale in my booth, unless it's inconsequential (but necessary) thing like metal bookends and doll stands.
Since I didn't want it to sell, I priced it high enough that I thought no one would be willing to pay for it. And it worked, until last weekend. My first thought when I saw it sold was "I can't believe anyone would pay that price for that shelf." My second was: "Oh shit! There are books all over the floor at the booth now!"
I'm having a bit of a moral booth dilemma right now, too. I have a card table that I have designated as my "seasonal" table, so that I can include more timely bits of merch in a more prominent fashion. For a few weeks now, it's been split in between St Patrick's Day and Easter. I'm going to be putting the St Pat's stuff away this week, so the whole table can be dedicated to Easter. I sold a lot of Easter stuff in recent days, which leaves me some holes to fill and not a lot of stuff to do it with.
Up to now, it's been pretty much baskets and bunnies for my Easter section, but I got to wondering about some of the items I have on my religion wall. I have, of course, a ton of crucifixes, a couple of Last Supper and Jesus in the Garden pictures, and a whole lot of Easter devotional and Way of the Cross booklets. Is it appropriate to mix all that in with the bunnies and stuff? I don't want to commit some kind of religious faux pas. It seems like it's all right at Christmas to mix Santas and Nativity sets, but Easter has a different vibe to it. What do you all think?
Sales are all over the freaking place right now and I have no clue what's going on. The booth report this month will be interesting.
Went to the most disorganized, terrible estate sale this past weekend. I got a few things, but left other ones, because I just did not want to deal with the woman running the show. Too many things were not priced. Everything was cluttered and all over the place. Drawers in furniture had not been cleaned out. She was snapping at customers that they were taking too much of her time. And she tried to get away with handing a friend of mine a bunch of artist sketch pads to get out of giving me four dollars in change. It was a nightmare and I most certainly will not attend another of her sales in the future.
I may end up being a little quiet here this week. The new round of the Part Time Gig starts Monday and most of my hours are evening this time. That'll take a little bit to get used to. Plus, I have a lot of new stuff to prepare for the PTG this time around, so that may eat my time up. I have a lot of bones of posts laying around, but not much complete or near complete content. Sorry, folks. Just remember, it's not you. It's me.
By the way:
I nearly sold out my limited stock of furniture last week--two of three pieces are gone. I'm psyched to see one of them go. It had been there nearly a year, and I was getting far too comfy using it as a display piece. Thankfully, most of the items I was keeping on it sold a few days before it did,so not very much was displaced. Good-bye outdoor bench!
The other wasn't really for sale, at least, not yet. I bought a small bookshelf a few months ago for 2 bucks at a yard sale intending to use it to hold paperback books. I was intending to keep it around for a long while, then sell it when I found something better to use. Since it was kind of nice looking, I put a price tag on it to keep people from dismantling it trying to find a price. I hate to mark things as not for sale in my booth, unless it's inconsequential (but necessary) thing like metal bookends and doll stands.
Since I didn't want it to sell, I priced it high enough that I thought no one would be willing to pay for it. And it worked, until last weekend. My first thought when I saw it sold was "I can't believe anyone would pay that price for that shelf." My second was: "Oh shit! There are books all over the floor at the booth now!"
I'm having a bit of a moral booth dilemma right now, too. I have a card table that I have designated as my "seasonal" table, so that I can include more timely bits of merch in a more prominent fashion. For a few weeks now, it's been split in between St Patrick's Day and Easter. I'm going to be putting the St Pat's stuff away this week, so the whole table can be dedicated to Easter. I sold a lot of Easter stuff in recent days, which leaves me some holes to fill and not a lot of stuff to do it with.
Up to now, it's been pretty much baskets and bunnies for my Easter section, but I got to wondering about some of the items I have on my religion wall. I have, of course, a ton of crucifixes, a couple of Last Supper and Jesus in the Garden pictures, and a whole lot of Easter devotional and Way of the Cross booklets. Is it appropriate to mix all that in with the bunnies and stuff? I don't want to commit some kind of religious faux pas. It seems like it's all right at Christmas to mix Santas and Nativity sets, but Easter has a different vibe to it. What do you all think?
Sales are all over the freaking place right now and I have no clue what's going on. The booth report this month will be interesting.
Went to the most disorganized, terrible estate sale this past weekend. I got a few things, but left other ones, because I just did not want to deal with the woman running the show. Too many things were not priced. Everything was cluttered and all over the place. Drawers in furniture had not been cleaned out. She was snapping at customers that they were taking too much of her time. And she tried to get away with handing a friend of mine a bunch of artist sketch pads to get out of giving me four dollars in change. It was a nightmare and I most certainly will not attend another of her sales in the future.
I may end up being a little quiet here this week. The new round of the Part Time Gig starts Monday and most of my hours are evening this time. That'll take a little bit to get used to. Plus, I have a lot of new stuff to prepare for the PTG this time around, so that may eat my time up. I have a lot of bones of posts laying around, but not much complete or near complete content. Sorry, folks. Just remember, it's not you. It's me.
By the way:
HAPPY SPRING!
Did you see the "Super Moon" over the weekend? Do you know what I kept thinking every time I heard the term "Super Moon"? This:
I'm such a dork.
Friday, March 18, 2011
And then there was the time Emmylou Harris sang an Irish folk song with a whole bunch a fabulous people
This really should have been my Saint Patrick's Day post, but I got hung up on the monkeys. Sorry about that. Anyway, the combination of Emmylou Harris, Dick Gaughan, The McGarrigle Sisters, and Rufus Wainwright on a classic Irish folk tune like "Wild Mountain Thyme" is pretty potent. Check it out.
You'll be humming that all day now, I bet. You can thank me for that later. There are far, far worse things to have stuck in your head.
You'll be humming that all day now, I bet. You can thank me for that later. There are far, far worse things to have stuck in your head.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Let's All Do It!
Dancing Monkeys Do It!
Strange Wee Irish Men Do It!
I Wanna Do It Too!
I Wanna Wish You....
HAPPY SAINT PATRICK'S DAY!
Let's All Do It!!
(I really am Irish, by the way. Kissing line starts to the left.)
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Old Sold Dogs and Kitty Cats
This one was actually supposed to be a "Fun Finds." I suppose technically it still is, but they've both sold. Once they sell, it seems kind of irrelevant that they were a fun find. I'd probably just let the matter drop and not even mention it, but I found the photos while I was looking for something else and it hit me that I had not written this one up.
Anyway, they were a part of my birthday thrift run. I found them at a Salvation Army across the river. They still had their original Woolworth price tags on them from way back when. They were too cute to pass up, obviously a thought shared by some customers at my booth. I'll spare you any more babble and just share the pics of a "Fun Funds" that might have been.
Anyway, they were a part of my birthday thrift run. I found them at a Salvation Army across the river. They still had their original Woolworth price tags on them from way back when. They were too cute to pass up, obviously a thought shared by some customers at my booth. I'll spare you any more babble and just share the pics of a "Fun Funds" that might have been.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
The Art of Balance
One of the things I've had to learn as a vendor is the art of balance in pricing. And this has been a long lesson for me to learn. There's a dealer here in town who has his own shop. It's a converted house, and it is just packed with stuff. Seven or eight other vendors rent space from him, and you can find most anything you want there. One of his rules for his vendors is that nothing is priced more than $9.99. (He makes an exception for furniture and other large or particularly special items, but the bulk of the booth has to be ten bucks or less.)
He does a bang up business from this. People buy more when they are there and tend to return more often because of the pricing. When I opened my booth, I took him as a model. Since I get my stuff primarily from yard sales, I don't pay more than a dollar or two for items, usually less than a buck. That gives me plenty of wiggle room for things like rent and commission even with a lower price scale. When you're dealing with flea market junk in an indoor setting, there is a limit to how much people will pay for stuff. I was figuring that with more unusual and unique items and a more modest pricing scale, I'd make up volume and repeats what I might lose for lower prices.
Thing is, I took it too far to one extreme. I spent most of my first year in business clustered around the low end of that scale. The bulk of the booth was actually 1.99 or less, with a few items in the 1.99-2.99 range, and very few above that. When I would price an item in the 3.99 or up range, I'd get nervous that it would never sell. So, I never did that much.
What I got out of the deal was strong, steady sales that pretty much stayed at one level for me. I was doing okay. I'd get a check every month, and it would be a larger check than some others around me. But, I pretty quickly hit a plateau. What I didn't realize was that you could build a strong base of 2.99 or less item sales, but you can't really grow on that.
I made a couple of really cool buys and acquisitions last year of stuff that I really couldn't sell at that low end of the scale. It wasn't a real conscious, planned thing. It just kind of happened. In my mind, I was kind of afraid that they would just collect dust because I had to price them higher, but I figured my other items could support them for a month or two. To my surprise, they sold pretty steadily. And, then I noticed what was happening to my sales.
The base was still there, but these mid-range items were building on it and causing sales to grow day by day and month by month. Goals I thought I would never make got made and passed. I finally had a fifty dollar day. Then a hundred dollar day. Then a five hundred dollar month.
I haven't abandoned my lower end base, by any means, but I've learned to supplement it. By balancing pricing throughout the range I want, I'm achieving much more sales-wise than I thought I ever would. It was this sales growth that gave me the push to expand last month. Now, I've got more room to feed some higher-priced articles into the space.
I've even broken that 9.99 ceiling every now and then, although I have to admit, it still makes me really nervous to do that. Right now, I have one of the most expensive items I have ever had in the booth. I'll be on pins and needles until it sells. Really.
But, I'll be doing the great big old happy dance when it does, for sure. And the sales email for that day will show that one big sale resting on a base of 1.99 or less sales. Exactly the way it should be.
He does a bang up business from this. People buy more when they are there and tend to return more often because of the pricing. When I opened my booth, I took him as a model. Since I get my stuff primarily from yard sales, I don't pay more than a dollar or two for items, usually less than a buck. That gives me plenty of wiggle room for things like rent and commission even with a lower price scale. When you're dealing with flea market junk in an indoor setting, there is a limit to how much people will pay for stuff. I was figuring that with more unusual and unique items and a more modest pricing scale, I'd make up volume and repeats what I might lose for lower prices.
Thing is, I took it too far to one extreme. I spent most of my first year in business clustered around the low end of that scale. The bulk of the booth was actually 1.99 or less, with a few items in the 1.99-2.99 range, and very few above that. When I would price an item in the 3.99 or up range, I'd get nervous that it would never sell. So, I never did that much.
What I got out of the deal was strong, steady sales that pretty much stayed at one level for me. I was doing okay. I'd get a check every month, and it would be a larger check than some others around me. But, I pretty quickly hit a plateau. What I didn't realize was that you could build a strong base of 2.99 or less item sales, but you can't really grow on that.
I made a couple of really cool buys and acquisitions last year of stuff that I really couldn't sell at that low end of the scale. It wasn't a real conscious, planned thing. It just kind of happened. In my mind, I was kind of afraid that they would just collect dust because I had to price them higher, but I figured my other items could support them for a month or two. To my surprise, they sold pretty steadily. And, then I noticed what was happening to my sales.
The base was still there, but these mid-range items were building on it and causing sales to grow day by day and month by month. Goals I thought I would never make got made and passed. I finally had a fifty dollar day. Then a hundred dollar day. Then a five hundred dollar month.
I haven't abandoned my lower end base, by any means, but I've learned to supplement it. By balancing pricing throughout the range I want, I'm achieving much more sales-wise than I thought I ever would. It was this sales growth that gave me the push to expand last month. Now, I've got more room to feed some higher-priced articles into the space.
I've even broken that 9.99 ceiling every now and then, although I have to admit, it still makes me really nervous to do that. Right now, I have one of the most expensive items I have ever had in the booth. I'll be on pins and needles until it sells. Really.
But, I'll be doing the great big old happy dance when it does, for sure. And the sales email for that day will show that one big sale resting on a base of 1.99 or less sales. Exactly the way it should be.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Monday Rambles
Presenting: More unfocusedness for the first of the week!
I've come to realize that, as soon as I place something in the booth, I immediately want it gone. It's like it's been there too long the second I take my hand off it. That's a pretty severe form of instant gratification, isn't it? Are all retailers like that, I wonder? I think it's a combination of knowing how much other stuff I have that I can put in that spot, once what's there now sells and a desire to free up the money I've got tied up in the item.
What I have noticed, though, is that, after a re-stock, for the rest of the week, I tend sell items that have been there for a while, but that I moved around to make room for newe items. The new stuff usually doesn't start selling until the weekend.
I had an evening of panic last Monday caused by the lack of an email sales report. One of the things I like about my mall is that I get an email every night detailing what I sold that day. It's helpful for planning and lets me track sales data every day. Not having one meant the possibility that I had no sales at all that day, which would be a setback on the monthly trek towards my goals. I used to be able to afford a zero day every now and then, but with my new expenses, I really don't think I can. It has been so long since I had a zero day that I was caught totally off guard. I was literally in a funk for the rest of the night.
Thankfully, I got to the mall on Tuesday for re-stock day and found out that there had been a power outage the night before, which affected the email reports. I did have sales on Monday. I got a print out for my records, and the day was saved!
Still, sales were off all last week. We had an unexpected cold day on Thursday and rain on Wednesday, but even the nice days were off. I'm a little concerned, but not sure what I can do about it.
I've started walking again, which is a good thing. I'm trying to get in a short walk every day, now that the weather is getting nice. My weight is out of control and pretty much has been ever since Mom got real sick. I'm heavier than I have ever been. I'm not in good enough shape to attempt any of the races I used to do, so I'm striking out on my own to try and walk at least 40 pounds off before the winter sets in again at the end of the year. We'll see.
I've been writing a lot here lately, so expect a lapse into video mode any day now. I'm feeling a need for a wee break. I took my camera with me to the booth for re-stock day and took pics of the whole process. It'll take me a while to pull it all together, and it will probably take about three posts, but you can look forward to a booth photo-documentary in the near future
Totally missed Shrove Tuesday last week. I hate missing out on pancakes. Darn! (Yes, I just wrote about wanting pancakes after complaining about my weight. Consistency was never my thing.) Maybe now that we've passed into Lent, some of the Easter stuff at the booth will sell. For the most part, it's just been sitting. I probably had it out too early, but last year, I got it out late and had a bunch left over. I'm trying to avoid that now.
I did another (unplanned) round of cat-sitting last week. Poor Kosh! I don't have reliable wifi over there, so sometimes I can't get online. That's what happened to my posts for Friday and Sunday. I wasn't totally done with them and planned to finish them while I was gone. Since I couldn't, I'll just throw them back in rotation for another day.
Yard sales were a big, fat BUST this weekend. I'm trying not to include too many individual sales in the round just yet. With gas prices being what they are, I'm trying to steer for the "bang for the buck" sales and that means indoor sales, like church sales. Nevertheless, there was a sale in our neighborhood (ie close) that sounded good.
It was a total madhouse. We have pretty tiny front yards in this part of town, and this one was packed with people making piles of items they wanted to buy. I got a few things, but overall I thought the stuff was a little too quirky for my booth. Never thought I say that! She was selling a lot of original artwork, and I just couldn't get my head around how well it would do for me. The crowd didn't help me in that regard. It was impossible to get any space to sort through things and make decisions.
After that, we hit a church sale that's usually one of me favorites for the year. And it was a BUST. Usually the place is overflowing with stuff all day long, so you don't have to worry about getting there at the beginning to get the good stuff. This yea, it was a picked over mess by the time we got there. I could not believe it.
And the day never got any better. Another church sale stop was worse than the first one. Even a stop at one of my favorite thrifts turned up nothing. Honestly, when the most exciting thing you find is an Archie graphic novel, it's time to go home. So we did.
I've come to realize that, as soon as I place something in the booth, I immediately want it gone. It's like it's been there too long the second I take my hand off it. That's a pretty severe form of instant gratification, isn't it? Are all retailers like that, I wonder? I think it's a combination of knowing how much other stuff I have that I can put in that spot, once what's there now sells and a desire to free up the money I've got tied up in the item.
What I have noticed, though, is that, after a re-stock, for the rest of the week, I tend sell items that have been there for a while, but that I moved around to make room for newe items. The new stuff usually doesn't start selling until the weekend.
I had an evening of panic last Monday caused by the lack of an email sales report. One of the things I like about my mall is that I get an email every night detailing what I sold that day. It's helpful for planning and lets me track sales data every day. Not having one meant the possibility that I had no sales at all that day, which would be a setback on the monthly trek towards my goals. I used to be able to afford a zero day every now and then, but with my new expenses, I really don't think I can. It has been so long since I had a zero day that I was caught totally off guard. I was literally in a funk for the rest of the night.
Thankfully, I got to the mall on Tuesday for re-stock day and found out that there had been a power outage the night before, which affected the email reports. I did have sales on Monday. I got a print out for my records, and the day was saved!
Still, sales were off all last week. We had an unexpected cold day on Thursday and rain on Wednesday, but even the nice days were off. I'm a little concerned, but not sure what I can do about it.
I've started walking again, which is a good thing. I'm trying to get in a short walk every day, now that the weather is getting nice. My weight is out of control and pretty much has been ever since Mom got real sick. I'm heavier than I have ever been. I'm not in good enough shape to attempt any of the races I used to do, so I'm striking out on my own to try and walk at least 40 pounds off before the winter sets in again at the end of the year. We'll see.
I've been writing a lot here lately, so expect a lapse into video mode any day now. I'm feeling a need for a wee break. I took my camera with me to the booth for re-stock day and took pics of the whole process. It'll take me a while to pull it all together, and it will probably take about three posts, but you can look forward to a booth photo-documentary in the near future
Totally missed Shrove Tuesday last week. I hate missing out on pancakes. Darn! (Yes, I just wrote about wanting pancakes after complaining about my weight. Consistency was never my thing.) Maybe now that we've passed into Lent, some of the Easter stuff at the booth will sell. For the most part, it's just been sitting. I probably had it out too early, but last year, I got it out late and had a bunch left over. I'm trying to avoid that now.
I did another (unplanned) round of cat-sitting last week. Poor Kosh! I don't have reliable wifi over there, so sometimes I can't get online. That's what happened to my posts for Friday and Sunday. I wasn't totally done with them and planned to finish them while I was gone. Since I couldn't, I'll just throw them back in rotation for another day.
Yard sales were a big, fat BUST this weekend. I'm trying not to include too many individual sales in the round just yet. With gas prices being what they are, I'm trying to steer for the "bang for the buck" sales and that means indoor sales, like church sales. Nevertheless, there was a sale in our neighborhood (ie close) that sounded good.
It was a total madhouse. We have pretty tiny front yards in this part of town, and this one was packed with people making piles of items they wanted to buy. I got a few things, but overall I thought the stuff was a little too quirky for my booth. Never thought I say that! She was selling a lot of original artwork, and I just couldn't get my head around how well it would do for me. The crowd didn't help me in that regard. It was impossible to get any space to sort through things and make decisions.
After that, we hit a church sale that's usually one of me favorites for the year. And it was a BUST. Usually the place is overflowing with stuff all day long, so you don't have to worry about getting there at the beginning to get the good stuff. This yea, it was a picked over mess by the time we got there. I could not believe it.
And the day never got any better. Another church sale stop was worse than the first one. Even a stop at one of my favorite thrifts turned up nothing. Honestly, when the most exciting thing you find is an Archie graphic novel, it's time to go home. So we did.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Fun Finds: Sequence Game
This is another find from last weekend, an old Milton-Bradley Sequence Cards game. The game consists of 80 cards, which break down into 20 sets of four cards each.
Each four card set depicts a certain action or storyline. The object of the game is to put the stories in order. It's a really versatile game. Younger kinds can pick out a set and put it in order and learn about sequencing and actions and after-effects and all kinds of neat things. Older kids can put them in order and make up a story to go with the cards while they're doing it. And, the graphics are so neat!
Since I'm an older kid, here's my story to go with my favorite set of cards.
"Maybe if I try some of this goopy hair product, I can make something out of this mess."
"I'll go with this cool, rockin' pompadour! Now I'm ready for the rockabilly show tonight!"
There's just no limit to the fun you can have with yard sale finds, is there?
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Fun Finds: Urinal!
Yes, you read that right. No, this isn't turning into one of those sites. (Although after Sunday's post, I don't blame you for thinking that way.)
We hit some indoor sales on Saturday and I found this at one of them.
See? That's all. Perfectly innocent and all that.
It was marked 3 bucks and I offered two and they took it. It's enamelware and in really good shape. There are a couple of chips in the enamel, and the handle is worn down to the metal, but the inside looks great. It's the kind of buy that makes you and makes you think juvenile thoughts all at the same time.
Want to attract stares at a church sale? Carry around a vintage portable urinal while you shop! That'll do it every time.
We hit some indoor sales on Saturday and I found this at one of them.
See? That's all. Perfectly innocent and all that.
It was marked 3 bucks and I offered two and they took it. It's enamelware and in really good shape. There are a couple of chips in the enamel, and the handle is worn down to the metal, but the inside looks great. It's the kind of buy that makes you and makes you think juvenile thoughts all at the same time.
Want to attract stares at a church sale? Carry around a vintage portable urinal while you shop! That'll do it every time.
Wednesday, March 09, 2011
Book Report: Feb 2011
I'm trying to encourage myself to read more this year. I love books. I've got a ton of them. I need to read more of them. Thankfully, since the booth came along, I do much less buying for myself, even when it comes to books.
I'm always telling Keith that I'm so glad I know how to read. It's brought me great pleasure over the years. I just wish I had more time to do it.
Here's what I read in February and what I thought about it. I'm hoping that tracking them this way will encourage me to both read and blog more. We'll see. By the way, I totally stole this idea from ottermom.
Berlin: City of Smoke by Jason Lutes: An old favorite. I picked up this volume a couple of years ago when it first came out, but only got around to reading it just now. Lutes' evolving story of the last days of the Weimar Republic in Germany remains as engrossing as ever. His storytelling style is one of the most cinematic in modern comics. After you read a page for content, you almost have to go back and reread it to study his technique. Amazing. I've got my doubts whether this one will finish or not--there are supposed to be nine volumes, but it's taken a decade or more to get the first two out--but I'll be there to enjoy the ride for as long as it lasts.
Age of Bronze: Betrayal by Eric Shanower: Another volume from a favorite series that had been sitting on my shelves for too long. Shanower's art is packed with exquisite detail and his re-telling of the TrojanWar saga is compelling reading. There are seven volumes projected in the series. After a decade of publishing, three are out, so I'm hopeful this one might finish. The individual comics seem to come out a couple of times a year.
The Oxford Murders by Guillermo Martinez: "Intellectual" thriller and murder mystery that lays everything out in plain sight, but twists the reader's perceptions of events so that the finale comes as a complete surprise. I loved this one.
Spider-Girl: Avenging Allies by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz: I thought the art was weak--too many distorted faces and distended torsos for my taste, but greatly enjoyed the story. I had long since passed out of super-hero comics when this one came along, so I really didn't know the character, only the trials and tribulations of the book's publishing history. But, this was fun! Real fun! Like reading comics used to be. I'll be keeping an eye out for other volumes of this one that I can snag cheap.
The Authority Vol 1: Relentless by Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch: The Authority has been around a while now, but this was my first exposure to them. I like Ellis' work, but this book shows up one of his primary weaknesses--his inability to edit himself. I know from being on his mailing list a while back that he's constantly coming up with one or two sentence ideas for story elements, then filing them away for future use. This book reads like he just dumped hi idea drawer out and threw in whatever he could find, but didn't quite develop anything beyond his first thoughts. Not to mention the repetition of certain plot elements between the stories in the book. Did we really need to see the team fight off two back to back invasions of Los Angeles?
Agatha Raisin and the Terrible Tourist by MC Beaton: Most disappointing book I read in February. I love Beaton's Hamish McBeth mysteries, so I had high hopes for this. Agatha Raisin is spoiled and obnoxious and leves me cold. Worse yet, the murder was pretty much incidental to the whole book. I was kind of getting drawn into Agatha's issues with her ex-fiance by the end of the book, but I'm on the fence about whether or not I'll read anything else in this series.
The Book of Lost Souls by J Micheal Stracynski and Colleen Doran: This one reads like a rejected submission for a SyFy original series. Doran's moody art is nice, but the stories are flat and predictable.
Yotsuba&! vols 1 and 2 by Kiyohiko Azuma: Quirky little book that was a big hit with the manga readers a while ago. I can see why. The book is genuinely funny, with a main character that is in turn annoying and endearing. Imagine a Bart Simpson or Crayon Shin Chan, but as an innocent. I thought the second volume was better than the first because the comedic timing was sharper. I'll be looking for more of this one.
Le Portrait de Petite Cossette vols 1 and 2 by Asuka Katsura and Cossette House Aniplex: Two volume manga series about a man who becomes obsessed with an antique portrait of a young girl and is eventually led to his demise by her spirit. Creepy and disturbing.
It really astounds me that the majority of my reading for February was graphic novels. I've been laying off of comics for so long now, that it's almost like I was never a comics fan at all. I just kind of drifted away from them. What's even more surprising to me was how much I enjoyed reading them. It's like comics were fun again like they used to be before I got involved in comics fandom. I'm starting to think that it was fandom I was burning out on, not comics. We'll see how this trend holds up for next month, although I sure thought I read more books without pictures last month.
I'm always telling Keith that I'm so glad I know how to read. It's brought me great pleasure over the years. I just wish I had more time to do it.
Here's what I read in February and what I thought about it. I'm hoping that tracking them this way will encourage me to both read and blog more. We'll see. By the way, I totally stole this idea from ottermom.
Berlin: City of Smoke by Jason Lutes: An old favorite. I picked up this volume a couple of years ago when it first came out, but only got around to reading it just now. Lutes' evolving story of the last days of the Weimar Republic in Germany remains as engrossing as ever. His storytelling style is one of the most cinematic in modern comics. After you read a page for content, you almost have to go back and reread it to study his technique. Amazing. I've got my doubts whether this one will finish or not--there are supposed to be nine volumes, but it's taken a decade or more to get the first two out--but I'll be there to enjoy the ride for as long as it lasts.
Age of Bronze: Betrayal by Eric Shanower: Another volume from a favorite series that had been sitting on my shelves for too long. Shanower's art is packed with exquisite detail and his re-telling of the TrojanWar saga is compelling reading. There are seven volumes projected in the series. After a decade of publishing, three are out, so I'm hopeful this one might finish. The individual comics seem to come out a couple of times a year.
The Oxford Murders by Guillermo Martinez: "Intellectual" thriller and murder mystery that lays everything out in plain sight, but twists the reader's perceptions of events so that the finale comes as a complete surprise. I loved this one.
Spider-Girl: Avenging Allies by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz: I thought the art was weak--too many distorted faces and distended torsos for my taste, but greatly enjoyed the story. I had long since passed out of super-hero comics when this one came along, so I really didn't know the character, only the trials and tribulations of the book's publishing history. But, this was fun! Real fun! Like reading comics used to be. I'll be keeping an eye out for other volumes of this one that I can snag cheap.
The Authority Vol 1: Relentless by Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch: The Authority has been around a while now, but this was my first exposure to them. I like Ellis' work, but this book shows up one of his primary weaknesses--his inability to edit himself. I know from being on his mailing list a while back that he's constantly coming up with one or two sentence ideas for story elements, then filing them away for future use. This book reads like he just dumped hi idea drawer out and threw in whatever he could find, but didn't quite develop anything beyond his first thoughts. Not to mention the repetition of certain plot elements between the stories in the book. Did we really need to see the team fight off two back to back invasions of Los Angeles?
Agatha Raisin and the Terrible Tourist by MC Beaton: Most disappointing book I read in February. I love Beaton's Hamish McBeth mysteries, so I had high hopes for this. Agatha Raisin is spoiled and obnoxious and leves me cold. Worse yet, the murder was pretty much incidental to the whole book. I was kind of getting drawn into Agatha's issues with her ex-fiance by the end of the book, but I'm on the fence about whether or not I'll read anything else in this series.
The Book of Lost Souls by J Micheal Stracynski and Colleen Doran: This one reads like a rejected submission for a SyFy original series. Doran's moody art is nice, but the stories are flat and predictable.
Yotsuba&! vols 1 and 2 by Kiyohiko Azuma: Quirky little book that was a big hit with the manga readers a while ago. I can see why. The book is genuinely funny, with a main character that is in turn annoying and endearing. Imagine a Bart Simpson or Crayon Shin Chan, but as an innocent. I thought the second volume was better than the first because the comedic timing was sharper. I'll be looking for more of this one.
Le Portrait de Petite Cossette vols 1 and 2 by Asuka Katsura and Cossette House Aniplex: Two volume manga series about a man who becomes obsessed with an antique portrait of a young girl and is eventually led to his demise by her spirit. Creepy and disturbing.
It really astounds me that the majority of my reading for February was graphic novels. I've been laying off of comics for so long now, that it's almost like I was never a comics fan at all. I just kind of drifted away from them. What's even more surprising to me was how much I enjoyed reading them. It's like comics were fun again like they used to be before I got involved in comics fandom. I'm starting to think that it was fandom I was burning out on, not comics. We'll see how this trend holds up for next month, although I sure thought I read more books without pictures last month.
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