Game Face

The other day I was talking to my husband about the upcoming consignment sale season in town. For the last 3 years, I have attended a local consignment sale every weekend during the month of September. The first year it was no problem, as I was not leaving behind a little one for him to watch over. After my daughter was born, I would reserve every Saturday morning during the month for the sales and would discuss and negotiate my going to the sales by myself.

So I was telling him about the upcoming sales and describing each one to him, which ones were well priced and which ones were more expensive and my theory on why. I am also going to be a consigner this year, so I will get to shop early for one sale. Unfortunately, the other great sale in town is on the same day and in order to make the most money from my consignments, I need to volunteer during the sale so I can not make it to both. But will still have at least one sale per weekend to attend.

Some friends and family have mentioned going with me to the sales. I do not mind going with someone else, I rather enjoy it BUT they need to know that there is the everyday me and then there is the bargain shopper me. These are two different people!

For certain sales, I like to be there when they open especially if I am looking for something specific such as this spring when I was looking for a toddler bed. This requires arriving at the sale location at 8 am! Other sales, I am a little more lax about and can arrive later or may even prefer to attend the afternoon half-off sale. Because I am not looking for a lot of stuff this year, I am only planning on going to one sale right when they open.

Because of my "extensive" thrift store knowledge - I am not willing to pay high prices for certain items. I will pay more for barely worn shoes (toddler sizes) and pajamas as these are not easy to find at the thrift store. Because I do not purchase my daughter's clothing in retail stores, I am totally unaware of the "going prices" for clothing. I mean $12 for a shirt? On a good day at the thrift store, I could get 8 pieces of clothing and a few books for that!

So I am willing to go to consignment sales with others, but I have a playbook for how I move through the sale. If I arrive early, I do not waste my time looking at the clothing, I go straight to the big stuff and toys. I search for diaper genie refills, Dora toys and this year I will include anything Mermaid or Princess. Once I have thoroughly searched through those areas I will backtrack and go to look at the shoes and clothing. This is not your ordinary day at the mall-- this is consignment sale season!