OK, let's face it, going to garage sales isn't brain surgery, but finding them
can sometimes be challenging. If the garage sale signs aren't placed just
right, then we might have to call on our maneuvering skills or we'll be
meandering aimlessly through neighborhoods searching for treasures. Where we
put our signs is critical to a successful sale. Julia Hooper found that out the
hard way. "There were no other signs up when I put mine up, so I didn't think
it'd be a problem," she said. But it was.
Julia was having a garage sale recently in east Mesa. She posted eight signs at
6:30 in the morning, hitting all the major intersections near her home. Little
did she know a neighbor would put up signs after her and take away some of her
business.
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I discovered such sign hijacking one Saturday morning while doing what I'm
always doing on a weekend morning - garage saling. Julia's pretty pink neon
signs caught my eye (I just love pink!). On the sign, the words "Garage Sale"
along with an arrow were printed clearly with a thick stroke of a black marking
pen. I turned left at the corner, planning on going to her sale by following
her pink signs. But lo and behold, what is this I see before me just a block up
the street? It's another type of garage sale sign. This one's made out of a
cardboard box and has different colors. Now I've got a mystery on my hands. Did
Julia run out of pink signs and switch to another type, or is this a different
sale, thrown by someone else? After some intense investigations (read: a little
bit of driving!), I was able to solve it.
Turns out it was someone else's sale. And this neighbor was benefiting from
Julia's posted signs at major corners. To get to Julia's sale, garage salers
would have to drive about a half mile down the road. Problem is there were no
more pink signs, so many people skipped her sale. Julia could have easily
avoided any confusion by doing several things, including using her trademark
pink neon board and simply drawing an arrow leading folks all the way to her
sale. She would especially want to put one next to the other sign made out of
cardboard.
Although
it sounds like a minor problem, someone else's garage sale sign really can put
a damper on your sale.
Some tips on how to drive folks to your sale even if the neighbors are having
one:
-
Put signs up early.
-
Make sure someone from your sale regularly checks the signs. Many are blown
down or even taken. The sign checker should also make sure your signs aren't
conflicting with another sale.
-
If you start with neon pink, stick with neon pink. Use it to guide garage
salers all the way to your home.
-
Keep it simple. All you need is the word "SALE" and an arrow on a good, solid,
bright background. About 15 inches square is a good size. Any bigger and
they're flapping in the wind and can't be seen.
-
Before you post your signs, it's a good idea to check and make sure it's lawful
to hang signs in your area.
-
After the sale, take your signs down. It benefits you and your neighbors by
keeping the neighborhood clean. Plus you can reuse the signs for your next
sale.
| Lynda Hammond runs the
www.GarageSaleGal.com Web site, where you can list and look for garage
sales online, and read past columns. Reach her at lynda@garagesalegal.com. She
also appears on 3-TV's Good Morning Arizona. |
 |
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