ORGANIZE YOUR YARD SALE DISPLAY

We visited a few yard sales this week and we just could not turn off the organizer within us. We kept noticing that some folks did not make the best use of their space. Maybe they just wanted a little fresh air and sunshine and selling the unwanted items didn’t matter much. That is the impression they projected with the jumble of items that littered their lawns.

We are serious about yard sales we organize for ourselves and for our clients. We want to make money, maintain safety, use our time well and have fun, so we have a few guiding principles that we abide by when it comes to space utilization and display.

Provide prices for everything. It is not necessary to put a price on every item if you are willing to accept a single price for a category. Examples are:
Men’s T-shirts $2.00
Paperback books $0.25
For items priced by category, keep a list next to the cashier space.
If time is running short or you have a bunch of miscellany that defies description, allow customers to fill a bag you provide for a set price that is posted on the bin of items

Be clear about what is included in the price. Keep multi-piece sets together with pins, rubber bands or plastic zip bags. Make special note on price tag about features or pieces missing.

Maintain safety. Allow adequate space between display sites for two people to walk side-by-side. This allows for two-way traffic, parents with children, and handicap access.

Make sure that sharp objects do not protrude into walk space and that heavy objects are not precariously balanced on shelves. Also remove any broken pieces or loose small pieces from open access and put in plastic bags and tape to the item if they are part of the sale. Do not place green tarps on green grass. Some shoppers may have difficulty seeing where the boundary is and stumble over the items on the tarp. Make sure display tables and other devices are sturdy and able to support the weight of items displayed on them.

Put like things together. Some categories to consider are toys, children’s clothing, tools, small appliances, exercise equipment, jewelry, home decor. Books are a tricky item and some advice columns say they do not sell well. That has not been our experience. Think about putting some of your books with categories that are directed to customer segments: children’s books with toys, how-to books with tools, recipe books with kitchen items. It just might tempt your customers to peruse the book stacks for others that might interest them. Put things next to each other that appeal to market segments: toys next to children’s clothing, garden equipment next to tools, jewelry next to women’s clothing.

Capture passers-by with visible merchandise. Set tempting items close to the curb. If possible, include items that will draw in various population segments. A piece of furniture, a toy, a fertilizer spreader and a piece of exercise equipment will attract very different buyers and more buyers equal more sales.

Have fun. Yard sales are a way to rid yourself of unwanted items, meet new people and make a little cash. While doing that you get to enjoy fresh air and sunshine and your choice of refreshing beverage. We call that a good day!

Beverly & Kristen
www.KeyTransitions.net

AVOID GARAGE CLUTTER

Do you keep your car in your garage? The U. S. Department of Energy reports that 25% of people with two car garages don’t park any cars in there and that 32% parked only one car, although they had at least two cars in the household. The National Association of Professional Organizers reports that 50% of homeowners rate the garage as the most disorganized space in the house. The report also states that the garage is a place the whole family uses regularly, a fact that adds to the challenge of keeping the space free of clutter.

The garage becomes the storage place for all the stuff that won’t fit in the house and all the stuff that is designated for outside use. It is a convenient place to drop off items that you need to haul elsewhere sometime in the future and messy projects that would create cleaning problems in the main living space. It is the place the kids drop of skateboards and bicycles and surfboards. So what can you do to reclaim the space for your car or at least bring some order to what you really use the garage for.

Here are a few simple tips for keeping garage clutter at bay.

1. Sort the garage contents into categories. Some examples are: sports equipment, wood working, yard maintenance, holiday storage. While sorting, discard any equipment that is broken or obsolete.

2. Create a zone for items in each category. Estimate the space you need for storage of each category and plan how to accommodate it in the space available. Consider systems that hang equipment on walls and overhead storage platforms. Shelves and cubbies can store cleaning products and instruction manuals as well as miscellaneous items. Also consider storage sheds and all-weather storage bins for storage of some items outside the garage.


3. When storing items used by children, make sure they are within reach of the users. Also review with the children and other family members the expectation that things are put back in designated spaces.

4. Create a drop off center at the point of entry to the garage from the house. Do not allow the number of items in that space to overflow before you deal with them.

5. Do a “garage check” once a month to make sure things are where they belong. Make it part of the regular housekeeping schedule.

6. Make sure the members of the household know the rules for maintaining the space and participate in the clean-ups when the clutter begins to pile up.

With a little planning and upkeep you will be able to open the garage bay without embarrassment when the neighbors are looking and maybe even park your car in there.


Beverly & Kristen
www.KeyTransitions.net