Glog

We are all aware that blog is a portmanteau of web log but did you know that there is such a thing as a glog? Yes, blog peeps, today I bring you a glog post!

Saturday, September 11th, 2010
chez trek

8:26am: First Attempted Customer arrives. Inform FAC that town ordinance prohibits garage/yard sales from beginning prior to 9 o'clock. He continues to ask questions about weed wacker and edge trimmer as we continue to set up other goods. Tell him again that we can't do business until nine. FAC leaves and says he'll come back later.

Yeah, right. For the record, no, of course he never returned.

8:45am: Slightly Early Collector Dude arrives. SECD wants to know if we have any baseball cards, coins, military memorabilia, or musical instruments. I admit that I have a Guild acoustic guitar. Retrieve said guitar from house. Take a look/listen. We kill enough time that I can sell him the weed wacker for three dollars. He takes our phone number to call back if his brother is interested in the guitar.

The garage sale permit from the town cost ten dollars. We sold the weed wacker for three. Only need to make seven dollars more in order to break even.

9:12am: Older couple pulls up. Man gets out of car. We'll call him Gun Guy. He looks at the three Revereware pieces we have on the table. Says his girlfriend (still in car) wanted him to check them out. Asks price. We bring the pans to the car because she's barely mobile even with her canes. She's interested he asks her if she really needs them. They leave.

Tagged him GG because he asked if we were selling any guns and told me that he had two guns in the trunk of his car. Happy to see their tail lights.

9:20am: Group of four shows up. Incredibly Cheap Woman asks how much for the iron. We tell her two dollars. She replies, "One dollars?" "No, two dollars." We go through the same song and dance number with the Revereware pans and a couple of Pfaltzgraff serving dishes. ICW piles all of it in her arms and asks, "How much?" "Ten dollars for all." "One dollars?" "No." They leave.

Number Guy and I had an interesting discussion at that point regarding how pegged the needle on the weird-creep-o-meter was.

9:28am: Starting to wonder if we should have dropped the 30 bucks on the one day print/online newspaper ad. Also trying to figure out the under-over on whether or not the rubberneckers crawling past the yard are going to trigger a chain-reaction ending in a spectacular multi-car collision and how many vehicles would participate in said meet-and-greet.

Luckily, we live only ¾ of a mile from the first aid station. Of course, our small section of suburbia relies on a purely volunteer crew so response time is increased...

9:35am: Wow, this glog is a really good idea! It gives us something to do while waiting for people to actually stop rather than merely slow down to a crawl as they drive on by us.

9:41am: Ice Cream Loving Guy inspects the ice cream maker carefully.

9:42am: ICLG returns to his truck and leaves with all of his money and none of our stuff.

9:48am: Neatnik is bored. We detail her to write "WELCOME!" on the driveway in chalk. Looks good.

9:56am: Check it out: that woman is banging a uey she's sure to stop!

9:57am: Our hopes fall. U-turn Woman coasts past us, guns the engine, and roars away.

10:02am: Yay, Fry Lady buys a skillet for a dollar!

After a full hour of officially conducting a garage sale, we need only six dollars in sales to reach the break even point.

10:05am: Taxi Driver turns around for a second look. Parks in front of twin sized bed for sale. Solid maple and priced to go. Which is what he does next.

Apparently whomever TD was text messaging about the bed was not interested.

10:25am: Discuss cross country training and scoring methods for peewee cross country team. Regale Number Guy with stories from yesterday's practice session.

10:31am: BIG SALE!! Couple With Two Boys buy Neatnik's old compact stereo and speakers ($5), a blue kid's bike ($5), the iron and two suitcases ($3). Toss in the training wheels for free.

The fiver from the stereo went into Neatnik's piggy bank. The other eight dollars were balanced against the remainder of the yard sale permit fee. Hey, we're in the black by two bucks!

10:42am: Is it lunch time yet?

10:45am: Demonstrate playpen disassembly and packing for transport to Family of Three. FoT takes it ($10) and a pair of baby blankets ($1).

10:49am: Woman by herself shows up while taking the playpen apart. She chooses a pair of receiving blankets for a dollar. Then she selects a suitcase for another dollar. Then she buys a brace of bowls for a buck. Dribble Purchase Woman departs happily.

It was at this point, in the black by $14 that we realized that people stop and buy stuff at garage sales when they see that other people have stopped and are buying stuff. It was almost like watching some sort of second-hand competition. People buy to keep other people from getting stuff.

10:52am: Bailey the Jack Russell Terrier arrives with her dad. Allow Neatnik to pet her. BtJRT's dad departs with the bed frame, leaving us with eight dollars.

10:53am: Send Neatnik to wash hands.

10:56am: There goes another pot for another buck.

11:16am: Car doors disgorge Family of Five.

11:22am: FoF leaves with Neatnik's toy drum ($2) and the pedals from my new bike ($4).

11:35am: Watchtower Lady asks after the guitar. She asks for a phone number to contact us later. She is on a missionary route with the other Watchtower Ladies.

11:37am: Number Guy recycles the Watchtower left by WL.

11:48am: Want ice cream.

Ate a pear instead. Core resembled a rubber chicken. Still craving soft, vanilla ice cream.

12:09pm: Number Guy sends tired, cranky Neatnik for a nap.

12:10pm: Number Guy leaves to let friends' dogs out while they are away for the day.

12:12pm: Visibly Pregnant Couple take the super-wide, adjustable, mesh fabric baby gate ($3) and Neatnik's outgrown swim vest ($1). Try to sell them on crib. VPC already have one. Wish them well.

12:13pm: Mother and daughter inquire after Legos and attempt to buy Neatnik's vacated lawn chair.

12:18pm: Very quiet. Decide to conduct field research. Is the Kindle as glare-free in direct sunlight as Amazon claims?

12:22pm: Well, whaddaya know? It is.

12:29pm: Please, someone come buy this stuff so we don't have to put is back into the garage.

12:51pm: Woman Who Lives on Puddle Path is interested in the crib.

12:56pm: WWLoPP says if the crib doesn't sell by end of day, she'll buy it for $25. Decide that I'd rather Freecycle it or donate it than sell a $600 crib for $25.

1:03pm: Edge trimmer taken ($3) by a Very Non-Descript Fellow.

1:05pm: Vintage Electronics Guy carts away the ancient stereo tuner for a dollar.

The same amount we paid for it at a garage sale years ago.

2:14pm: Two stuffed animals = two dollars for Neatnik's piggy.

3:01pm Man with a Limp and a Lisp tries to buy my lawn chair out from under me.

3:07pm: Incipient Grandma invests two dollars in a knitted baby blanket and demonstrates a lot of interest in the crib for when the new grandchild might sleep over her place. Promises to check with Very Pregnant Daughter to see if a drop side crib is okay with her.

It seems that VPD has serious safety issues.

3:29pm: Big, honking, white pickup truck's driver stops to yell an inquiry after tools. Sorry dude.

4:11pm: Very Enthusiastic Lady is interested in the crib. Requests phone number to call us back after she checks with her brother.

4:13pm: Biking Tie-Wearing Dude buys old Casio soundbank keyboard for five dollars. Somehow manages to hold it steady in one hand and steer bike with the other.

4:17am: Last Customer of the Day expresses interest in the crib and high chair. Departs with two wooden baby gates. Leaves two dollars behind.

6:11pm: Speak with WL on phone. She requests model name so she can research going prices on Internet.

6:29pm: VEL calls and asks to pick up the crib on Sunday at four.

Total Saturday profit: $45 for trek and Number Guy and $9 for Neatnik.
Predicted $75 in crib sale this afternoon.

Edited, Sunday, September 12th:
4:43pm: VEL and Son and Daughter-in-Law have a new crib for the baby to arrive! We've got go-out-to-dinner cash :o)

Still pending on guitar possibility.
Need a nap.

Let's avoid this for another six years. By then, all of this will have become a blur.