‘Tis the season! No, not the holiday season! (Not yet, anyway!) Fall is the season for the giant consignment/resale events that have sprouted like mushrooms all over the Portland metro area in recent years. If you were so inclined, you could head to one of these supersales every weekend between now and the end of October. Something of a mix between a gigantic garage sale and a real-life version of Craigslist, each sale boasts clothes, toys and other flotsam and jetsam from hundreds of consignors, all gathered together in a bargain hunter’s paradise. For a newbie, staring at a football field’s worth of stuff to buy can be overwhelming, so we asked Brooke Unwin – coordinator of the Just Between Friends sale, one of the oldest and best-established sales in the region – for some tips on getting the most out of each sale. (After you’ve read all our tips, you’ll find a handy-dandy calendar of some of our favorite upcoming resales.) Unless you’ve got a babe in arms who loves to sleep in the sling, don’t bring the kids! You’ll want to be able to concentrate on digging out the best deals, not chasing after the children or trying to explain to them why you’re not buying that enormous bouncy castle. If you do want to bring the kids, try to find out ahead of time whether the sale you’re going to has a kids area, like Super Kids Resale in Gresham, which is hosting a face-painter this year, among other activities. Give yourself plenty of time. To get the most out of a resale can take a good 3 to 4 hours, especially when you factor in standing in line at the end to pay for your finds. Bring a friend, someone who knows your taste and can help you, in Unwin’s words, “divide and conquer!” Make a list prioritizing exactly what you need – including sizes – and make a copy for the friend you’re bringing along. Speaking of prioritizing, figure out what’s most important to you and head there first. Don’t get distracted along the way! Big items like wagons or indoor play structures go quickly so don’t dawdle. Veterans advise hitting the clothing area last. Because there’s so much of it available, there likely will be a good selection left when you get there. And don’t forget to look under the piles and on bottom racks of clothes – you might find hidden treasures. “By far, my biggest recommendation is to volunteer (to work at the sale you’re going to),” Unwin says. “Those people get what they want – and you should see the stuff … they get! It’s amazing.” That’s because volunteers – the people who work the cash registers or help keep things organized during the sale – get to shop earlier than the general public. The more time you volunteer, the earlier you get in. Take your kids’ measurements before you start, including inseams, waist and arm lengths. Some people even trace their kids’ feet on a piece of cardboard so they can measure shoes, Unwin says. There are no returns and sizes can vary with brands. Your kiddo might be a 2T in Gap sizes and an 80 in Hanna Andersson’s Euro sizing. Have an idea of what they need for different brands. Before you head to the check-out line, take a little time to go through what you’ve grabbed and make sure you really need it all. Double-check for wear and tear, too; though the sales have volunteers who examine all items, they aren’t trained professionals and they may have missed loose buttons or stains. Bring reusable shopping bags to cart out your loot. Lots of people also show up with wagons to haul around their gear as they hit different parts of the sale. Bring food, and snacks. All that shopping gets tiring, and not every sale has food readily available. Bring cash, especially if you want to set a spending limit for yourself. That will force you to carefully curate your purchases. And if you’re really bargain-hunting, items are usually 50 percent off on the final day of the sale. Keep an eye out for new-in-the-box items at resale prices. After all, the holidays aren’t so very far away. If you’re hunting for media like DVDs or video games, do an inventory of the titles you already own before you leave home. After all, will you really be able to remember whether you’ve already got Bob the Builder: Dig Lift Haul , or if it’s Bob the Builder: Pet’s in a Pickle on your shelf? Finally, if you’ve got a smart phone, consider downloading a barcode scanning app like RedLaser . It lets you scan the barcode on any item and pulls up an instant comparison with retail prices so you can figure out whether you’re really getting a good deal. Now that you’re ready to shop with the experts, here are some upcoming sales for serious bargain hunters: Just Between Friends , September 17-19, Portland, portland.jbfsale.com Super Kids Resale , September 23-26, Gresham, superkidsresale.net Twice Around the Block , October 1-3, Milwaukie, tatbsale.com Sweet Repeats , October 6-9, Tigard, sweetrepeatsconsignmentsale.com Pass it On , October 15-17, Portland; October 21-24, Hillsboro, passitonsales.com Baby’s Bottom Dollar , October 22-24, Tigard, bbdsale.com Full House Moms , October 28-30, Portland, facebook.com/pages/Full-House-Moms-Resale/258645796917 by Julia Silverman
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Shopping the Re-Sales
