I had my first experience with an REI "Garage Sale" this morning. What a crazy nuthouse it was! REI has a very forgiving return policy. For example, I had a water purifier break on its first trip out, but I forgot about it for almost a year. I took it back, and they worked with me to replace it -- even though I didn't have a receipt. This policy results in a lot of things piling up at the store, so they occasionally hold a "Garage Sale" to unload all the returned stock.

I've been looking forward to my first "Garage Sale" as an REI member for a few weeks now. Rumor has it that you can get "slightly used" equipment for deeply discounted prices. Some of it is in perfect condition, while other items show a bit more wear and tear.

The sale was scheduled to start at 9am on New Year's Eve. Since I'm off work for the Holiday, I made my plans to get there early publicly known (I told my wife), put it on the calendar, and set myself a reminder on my Blackberry. When the reminder popped up yesterday, I got excited all over again. Marc has been to a few of these and he often speaks highly of their potential. This morning I woke up early, spent some time with The Boy, and then asked him if he'd like to go as well. Always up for an adventure, the response was an enthusiastic "Yes!" We showered, bundled up (it was in the 20's this morning), and got ready to go. I took a few minutes extra to scrape the 2-inches of fresh snow off our driveway and sidewalk, then jumped in the Jeep and headed for REI. We weren't going to get there at 9, but would be there before 9:30. I figured it wouldn't be a big deal.

My first introduction to just how much traffic one of these things generates was that the parking lot was FULL on a Wednesday morning. I had to park on a pile of snow (well, I didn't have to, but what good is all that four-wheel-drive mumbo-jumbo if you can't articulate the wheels every now and then), and we raced to the store. There was a hand-written sign at the entrance: "Garage Sale at Back of Store." Wish I'd know that ahead of time... I would have parked out back -- there were plenty of spots.

Seems that the extra time spent scraping the driveway did me in. The sale was actually outside the back of the store, and getting there was a trip. I had to pick up The Boy and put him on my shoulders to avoid the trampling that he was in for. There was jostling, shoving, and plenty of bumping to go around -- not my cup of tea, to be honest. I fought the enochlophobia and made it through the packed hallway to the fresh air outside. I think if I'd been there 45 minutes earlier, the selection would have been fantastic. I also think that if I'd been smart enough to bring The Boy's gloves and hat (hey, we were going into a store -- cut me some slack!), I might have been able to peruse what was left long enough to buy something.

There were $50 packs with a busted buckle for eight dollars. Never-used measuring cups (the tag said "used for photo shoot") for 50% off. $3 tent footprints, and a whole lot more. The level of jostling never reached full "rudeness" but things were starting to clear out. I wish I'd looked at the prices on the bikes, 'cause there were a few really nice ones sitting there. Finally, the cold was too much and we had to go back inside empty-handed. On the way in, I saw several pairs of boots ($14 for a $120 pair) in my size, but they looked a little more beaten up than "slightly used." One pair in particular actually had most of the tread worn off the bottom and was well past "broken in" and on its way to "broken down."

If I'd had a gift card, I might have been a little more diligent about picking some things out. As it was, I got tired of being in the diminishing crowd of people, and we went to check out the water bottles and sleeping bags for a few minutes before leaving the store. As it was, I didn't see anything that I had to have, but there were definitely a few "nice to haves" still sitting out on the tables.

I think there are some lessons learned here.

1. Leave The Boy at home. Letting him tramp around at floor-level is dangerous and requires constant vigilance in that kind of environment - I ended up with him on my shoulders.
2. Know that the sale will be outside and dress appropriately. This wouldn't have been a problem if I'd followed #1.
3. Get there early. This probably means actually waiting in line (what fun for an enochlophobic) and being part of the "mad dash" for the back of the store.
4. Don't plan on getting boots. The idea of wearing somebody else's sweaty boots really doesn't appeal to me.
5. Be flexible on what you're getting. Having a rough mental list would be a good thing, but keeping an eye open for bargains is really the way to go at this event.

It sounds like I didn't have a good time... that's completely untrue. I joke about my fear of crowds, but it's really more of a strong dislike for rude and inconsiderate people. Today there was a high potentential for both, and that's what makes me anxious. In all fairness, neither materialized (outdoor people are so nice!) and the bumping and jostling was just a necessary evil for packing so many people into a small bottle-neck of a hallway.

Thanks, REI for holding this event. It seems to be a win-win for the people who get their scratch-and-dent wares deeply discounted and for you, since you get to unload all the stuff that's been collecting dust for a year. I'll definitely be going back for the next Garage Sale that my local REI holds. With a Plan.