How to get a Trendy Outfit for less than $20!

Thrift shopping is one of my passions but that doesn't mean everyone likes it. Unfortunately, there is that group of people that dislikes thrift stores, and you may even be that person. Many people have this image of thrift stores as dirty, having unwanted items, and that they only carry junk. Well isn't this just the furthest thing from the truth. Thrift stores contain so much variety because the people that are donating the clothing and items have completely different styles from each other. I guarantee that you will find something you like in a thrift store. Think of all the different individuals styles that are being put out on the racks for the customers to sift through. 

An array of people shop at thrift stores. Whether it be the customers that can't afford regular items, or the consumer that is searching for that inexpensive designer piece, or maybe the collector type that collects antiques from the 1930's. You will come across so many different kinds of people and interesting stories to match. 

Many things in our world are expensive. However, their are so many ways to cut those costs by thrift shopping. Going thrift shopping is all about getting a bang for your buck. Ditch the high end expensive stores and try out a local thrift shop. Don't waste your time spending hours in Nordstrom and getting one blouse for $89.99. Try out a thrift shop and get the same look for less than 20 bucks. Don't be nervous to try on something different. Thrift stores can open your mind to new styles and trends. 

Trends that are so in right now for women are floral patterns, thick belts, and mixing and matching patterns. Celebrities are rocking these combinations. But "regular" people can't afford what they are spending on these outfits. 

Taylor Swift                   Eva Mendes           Dita Von Teese

Kate Beckinsale 

             

My friend Julia and I went to Savers in Danvers, MA to find the latest trends for under 20 bucks. But there are very important steps on how to get the latest trends for a bargain . Step One: Find your local Thrift Shops and map out the ones you would like to go too.

Step Two:  Most thrift stores have certain days when items are half off. Check first to see what days have these specific sales and make sure to go on those days! 

Step Three: Flip through your favorite fashion magazine to see what all the celebrities are wearing right now. Don't get scared of the outrageous prices. At a thrift store you will find a replica of the celebrities garment for so cheap! 

Step Four: Make sure you go in with an open mind. If you forget this step, you may be stubborn and barely look for the item that you want that is probably there. 

Step Five: On the drive over think of the items you are looking for and just look for those specific items. If you take your time looking at every single thing you will become overwhelmed. Stick with the section in the store you like. 

Step Six: Try items on to make sure they fit right. Don't just buy things on impulse, even if they are dirt cheap!

Step Seven: Enjoy Shopping :)

                                                   

         
     

               

          Blazer: $6.99
            Plaid Skirt: $4.99
            White Tank: $2.99
             Belt: $2.99

Yellow t-shirt: $1.99
Free People Floral Shorts: $3.99

Yellow t-shirt: $1.99
J Crew Blazer: $5.99
Lucky Brand Jeans: $5.99

                                   

                                                                                             Floral Blazer: $4.99
                                                                                       Lucky Brand Jeans: $5.99
                                                                                             White Tank: $2.99

White Tank: $2.99
Belt: $2.99
Floral Skirt:$ 2.99

White Tank: $2.99
Belt: $2.99
Floral Skirt: $3.99

Macklemore Has Nothing on Todd Wemmer

        
       Todd Wemmer is a Communications Professor at Endicott College. As I walked into Todd Wemmer’s office and tapped on the door, I noticed all of his stuff that was scattered around his office. From the pile of rocks on the ground that had me confused to boxes filled with photography books to vintage Polaroid’s, so many items caught my eye. I could tell right away that he had to be a collector and he had a story to tell. Then, my vision panned to Todd as he was intently doing something on the computer with his bulky headphones plugged in.
            If the phrase “thrift shopping” is mentioned on the Endicott campus, Todd Wemmer is the name that comes to mind. Whenever I mention to anyone that I have a blog around the topic of thrifting, their response is, “Have you spoken with Professor Wemmer?” After many students asked me this question, I knew I had to set up an interview.
            Thrift shopping is something that has recently become a popular topic in our society. As I was talking to Todd, he mentioned the popular Macklemore song, “Thrift Shop.”
            “I know there’s that song by Macklemore and it’s a funny song, but I also find it stupid because what it’s saying is that there are only these kinds of things at these kinds of places or the song is really about our true culture,” said Wemmer. “I like the line where he says, ‘I have a broken keyboard so I bought a broken keyboard’ and there is that culture of people that go, that are hoarders who just buy stuff, but the thing I wasn’t aware of is that basically people buy too many clothes.”
            Wemmer first got into thrift shopping because of some hand-me-downs he got from his uncle.
            “My uncle gave me like 3 bags of almost new Brooks Brothers dress shirts and they were just really nice and I thought, ‘Oh I can just get some more of these’ because there could be another color. I went to Brooks Brothers and they like $100 a piece and I thought, ‘there’s got to be another way.’”
            Upon finding out how expensive some retail stores can actually be, he ventured to find deals.
            “I was looking at a used bookstore and next store was this thrift store and I went in there and the first things I bought were these basketball jerseys for my nephew and some football jerseys; They were the ones that were 50 (or) 60 bucks, even the kids ones and they were so cheap, they were like 3 dollars.”
            When Wemmer had his children, he used the art of thrifting to his advantage. “For my kids’ clothes, they grow every 2 weeks; I just started buying everything there and then I started buying my own clothes there and it took a while to figure out that it wasn’t just vintage clothes,” said Wemmer.
            Wemmer added how immense some thrift stores are. “I actually have been going to the salvation Army on Route 1. They have everything, its like their headquarters Salvation Army for the Boston Area. So like all these clothes come in there and it is massive,” said Wemmer. He emphasized how large the Salvation Army is, talking about one of his recent experiences. “Just the other day, I was in there and my son needs bathing suits and there were like 1000 bathing suits.”
            Some thrift stores, like the Salvation Army offer daily or weekly deals. Wemmer hinted at this, saying, “Every single day, they have a tag colored that is half off.” Wemmer continued by saying that, “on Wednesdays, basically everything is half off.”
            Wemmer went into detail as to why he likes some thrift shops over others.
            “I like the Salvation Army for clothes for me and then I like Savers for kids clothes – it’s the best place for kids clothes.”
            Professor Wemmer loves to find the best deals available and shared an experience he had last year at the Shore County Day School thrift shop.
            “I guess they only do this every other year, and its on a Saturday, and I went this last year and I started filling up this bag of kids clothes. I think I got 3 north face jackets, I got swimwear, and a fleet of brooks brothers polos and lacoste and boots,” said Wemmer. What he did not know is how much it actually was going to cost him. “I’m just filling up this bag and then I turn around to one of the ladies and I go, ‘Wait, how much is this stuff?’ and she goes, ‘Oh, the kid’s stuff is free, we’re just taking donations.’ So it was all donation and then I gave them 20 bucks because I had so much stuff.”
            When Wemmer is not at school or thrifting, he is looking for other things to add to his collections. For example, he has a rock collection with rocks exclusively from Marblehead. However, when on his thrift store runs, Wemmer’s spouse does not like to accompany him.
            “She acknowledges that I can find anything that she says we need,” said Wemmer.
            Wemmer has a daughter and a son. Like his mother, Wemmer’s son does not like to go along with him to the thrift shops. However, Wemmer’s daughter is a frequent shopper with him.
            “My daughter likes it and she’s 7,” said Wemmer. “I’ll take her to savers and I’ll say, ‘Whatever shirt you want, whatever you want, you can have it.’ So we go through there, as long as it doesn’t have Hannah Montana on there, she can have it.”
            Negotiating prices in retail stores is something that is not usually done. However, with a thrift store, sometimes it is acceptable. Wemmer does not usually haggle at thrift stores, but did reminisce on one instance that he did.
            “I was at Savers and they had all these winter jackets and I thought, ‘yeah, I need one of these outerwear winter jackets that everyone’s wearing.’ They were all like 10,15 bucks and there was a red Patagonia one and they had it marked at 40... they had 10, 10, 10, 10, 10; they even had nicer jackets that were cheaper,” said Wemmer. “So I said to the guy ‘look, I never ask for anything overpriced’ because I see ladies in there haggling all the time. I said, “This jacket’s 40, look at all these others are 10.” I said, “I just think that’s too high,” and he goes, “Yeah, you’re right, how about 15?” And I said, “Sounds good.”
            Wemmer went on to talk about the anxiety people feel going into thrift shops and how there is too many things around. He also provided an answer for people like that, saying that if you set your mind to one spot in the store and get out if you see nothing, you will not be trapped by everything else the store has to offer.
            “The kids, I know their sizes so I just go in there, flip through really quick, and you’re out,” said Wemmer. “If you start browsing around like, ‘what can I find?’ the broken keyboard, or the kneeboard, or whatever the thing is in the song, then you’re stuck in there and you are going to bring back a bunch of stuff you don’t need.”

Todd Wemmer gave me great advice on the topic of shopping for used items. He really knows the ins and outs of thrift stores and thrift shopping. After he told me about that Salvation Army, I was quick about getting there that Wednesday, I could barely wait to see all the deals they had in store for me. Buying the kids clothes from thrift stores is very important to Wemmer, he thinks it is silly to buy expensive children's clothes when his children are growing at such a fast pace. I call Todd Wemmer an extremely smart consumer. He doesn't fall into the traps of expensive items because he knows that there  will be something similar waiting for him at Savers or Salvation Army. I was so inspired after speaking with him and I cannot wait to use all of the thrift shopping tips he shared with me. 

The Only Kind of Wars I Like

“Storage Wars,” one of A&E’s most well-known television series is on its fourth season and is high ranked in the reality television show world. The show consists of four main buyers that try to bid out one another on abandoned storage units through various areas of California. The show focuses on Barry, Darrell, Brandi and Jarrod. Each episode is set up the same way; first, they introduce the characters with the famous theme song, “Money Owns This Town,” which was made for the television show and was written by Alabama 3. Then, a preview of the episode you are about to experience plays for a brief moment. There are two parts to the show; the first part is the “friendly” competition component. The storage units are dramatically unveiled and the buyers only have five minutes to look at the unit. The rules for the unit is that they cannot touch anything or go inside of it. This heightens the tension of the buyers because they are dying to know if the unit is worth it to gain profit. The action of bidding begins and the intensity starts to build. With Dan, the auctioneer spewing out numbers and the camera panning back and forth between the players, the footage keeps you on the edge of your seat. The music becomes faster and finally someone wins the unit. The second portion shows the buyers, what they find in their units and seeing if they can make a profit from their discoveries. They always find an item in the unit that needs to be checked out by an expert and that is always near the end of the episode. The episode wraps up with what the profits were for the units the contestants bought.

The contestants are what make the show engaging. Each player has a nickname associated to them and that is how they are introduced in the show. Barry Weiss is known as “The Collector” and he is the older buyer with a sarcastic personality. Darrell Sheets is known as “The Gambler” and he is very enthusiastic, loud and usually brings his son along with him to the storage auctions. Jarrod Schulz and Brandi Passante are married and they act like it with all the bickering and arguing they do. Jarrod is nicknamed “The Young Gun” because he is young and always wants to jump the gun on buying a unit. Brandi keeps him in line and reinstates that they don’t have the money to buy every storage unit. They own a second hand store and put the valuable items from the auctions in their shop. The players all have distinct characteristics that allow the audience to create a relationship with each one, whether they love them or hate them. 

“Storage Wars” reveals how the competitive nature works in our society. In some cases, the competitiveness comes off as greed. People are obsessed with monetary gain and when anything has to do with wealth and money, people become competitive and will do anything in their power to essentially “win.” These matters occur constantly on “Storage Wars.” All of the contestants will do anything to get the unit they want; whether it be mocking the other contestants and playing mind games, or having a cocky attitude and thinking they are the best. When people succeed at being competitive, it only fuels their greed to want more and more. If you win something once, you will become more arrogant and selfish. When competition comes into play, you see the person’s true colors.  In one of the episodes in the fourth season, Barry runs up the bidding on a unit that he doesn’t even want just so his competitor will end up with spending more money and he has more opportunities to find out which units are better; his just proves that everyone is working for themselves. As humans, we love competition; we love participating in it, watching it, and starting it. Television shows that portray our cultures interests will instantly grab the viewer.

People do become greedy when competition gets extreme. We are all aware of the viscous “Black Friday”; this day shows how our society really thinks. People dispute for hours on materialistic items that they want on this day and physical fights even break out. It seems excessive when people are fighting for something that will probably end up in one of these storage units. Hopefully, when viewers watch this show, they can realize how silly it is to compete this much over a used item. However, this is what makes it a great show because people can relate to it. The show is relatable to our culture, even if some of our cultural views are skewed.

Storage Wars also reflects our buying culture in America. On the show, they cannot even see most of the items in the storage unit, but they buy them on a whim hoping that it will satisfy their every want and need. This is how we buy things; we blindly know what we are getting. Many times we buy things on impulse, especially things we don’t need. However, the buyers on Storage Wars usually know which units have potential and which units don’t. This show is more than just getting drunk on the Jersey Shore; it’s about knowing what you are about to purchase. It’s about knowing how to make a smart decision and maybe letting a unit go to someone else once in a while. These people have to be knowledgeable; that is what is so great about this show. The audience is not just watching incompetent people buy used items, they are watching people that know how to buy unwanted items because they have educated themselves on what is worth something. There are times that they don’t make the right buying decision, but let’s face it; they are human. They know what items could have potential after going through the new unit and they take it to an expert to clarify if they made a good buying decision. As Americans, we pay for things we don’t need. People buy these storage units to hoard the items they will never use again. Sadly, individuals are paying a pricey fee every month to store this junk. The buyers on this show are making the smart move when the person that owned the unit was not.

Reality television comes with having cheesy one-liners. This is when you have to draw the line between reality and reality television. The audience needs to ask themselves, “Is it scripted?” When the characters are having their one-on-ones with the camera man, I am sure that they are given certain lines to say because one person cannot be that cliché. In one of the episodes, Darrell comes across an item that is used to teach students about the solar system. He took the gadget to a planetarium society and was in search to find out the value. In the “confessional” he says, “I’m hoping the value is astronomy sized (with emphasis on astronomy).” This is just one example where the contestant says a cheesy line. Aside from silly one-liners, the show is very real. They are regular people that do this as a hobby or as a living. After watching this show, viewers can see themselves doing this as a hobby or a way to make a profit. If the stars on the show can do it, anyone can do it. The audience realizes this and that’s why people watch it. It is easy to relate to the characters and we can do what the stars are doing.

This addictive television show does wonders on the mind. It motivates the audience to want to sift through their own items and see what they have of value just like the “Storage Wars” stars. It creates a new mindset in the average consumer’s mind. It may make them want to spend less and focus their attention on what they already have instead of buying without thinking.

The viewers can make this a family activity just like Brandi and Jarrod do as well as Darrell and his son. It can create stronger bonds between family and friends. You can start making storage auctions a tradition. Eventually, the present of seeking out storage units will become a fun memory that you shared with the loved ones in your life.

This show will motivate you, make you laugh, and have you on the edge of your seat with the suspenseful music, the outlandish characters, and the shockingly valuable items. It will educate you on items that you would never know were priceless. It will teach you how to identify the relationships with your own items. The personalities will keep you guessing and you won’t know what is to be expected next. The best part about the show is they have traits that we can all relate to. They are not billionaires, they are the “average joe” type that is just trying to make money like everyone else. After watching this show and becoming addicted to it, it even motivated me to look for used items that can have a large profit. I am very into photography and anything having to do with it; lenses, flashes, and camera bodies. I have a lot of knowledge around photography just like the “Storage Wars” stars have around many different items. Last summer, I was with my family at a multi-family tag sale and spotted a Nikon Speedlight Flash that was brand new. Immediately, I asked how much it was and bought it for $20. After posting it on Ebay and watching the bids skyrocket, the winning bid taking it home for $418 and I was thrilled. After experiencing the same feeling that the Storage Wars stars experience, I could relate to them even more as well as the show itself. Bidding on storage units is what makes them happy. It’s exciting to watch a television show where they are doing something not only for the profit because they love doing it.

A Trip to Salvation Army

On Wednesday, The Salvation Army off of Route 1 in Saugus is the place to be.

On Wednesdays at this thrift shop almost everything is half off so you better get moving! The white board tells all. 

The first thing I did was go straight to the shoes and i especially don't mind that everything is color coordinated. 

As you browse through all of the clothing you will find that funky thing you are looking for. 

Your shopping cart should look like this. 

Now its time to try on all of the things in your cart. 

Finally! You picked out everything you want. Five articles of clothing for $10.62? I would say that is a steal. 

The Internet's Nightmare

Taxes are everyone’s worst enemy. And very shortly Internet sales tax may be added to this enemy list as well. The Internet once was a place for anyone to start their own business and not have to worry about the brick and mortar store regulations. In recent news the government wants to require online retailers to collect sales tax. This new legislation will discourage many online shoppers. The Internet creates a safe place for entrepreneurs and their new and upcoming business. The Internet is for people to build and grow businesses, but with this new tax plan it will be very difficult for new sellers. This new tax law could limit growth for new business owners.

Ebay started a campaign in March of 2013 that is against the taxing of Internet sales. Since I both buy and sell items from Ebay, I received an email from Ebay’s CEO and President, John Donahoe. After reading the email, I was appalled at what I was seeing. This legislation is going to affect the consumers and the sellers on eBay. As a frequent eBay shopper, I may start to steer away from purchasing items online because I do not want to spend the extra money that goes to taxes. And as an eBay seller, I do not want to take on this responsibility of collecting sales tax from my customers.  This tax legislation will threaten small businesses on eBay because the new tax law will treat them like big corporations. This bill is only beneficial to large retailers that already are successful and do not have to meet the challenges of a small growing company. Congress should not pass this bill partially because it would adversely effect small businesses as they struggle to grow and expand.

Amazon is one of the larger corporations that eventually got on board with the  Internet sales tax legislation. However, five years ago they were completely against taxing online sales and created a campaign in 2009 that focused their efforts on not letting it happen. But eventually Amazon gave in to the Internet sales tax bill and even started to lobby for it.

The government should not mix the buyers and sellers online with customers at standing retail shop. This is comparable to a high school football team competing with NFL teams; it just does not work. Sellers on Ebay cannot compete with established retail stores. Ebay is for independent sellers who cannot afford to open their own shop and is an outlet for individuals to sell their goods. Large corporations like Walmart or even just the local jewelry store should be taxed because they are in a different category. They are not solely online web entities. Physical stores have an advantage over solely online businesses because they combine the best of both worlds. Brick and Mortar shops and the shops website where you can purchase things. Most stores have websites where you can purchase items. However, eBay doesn’t have a store you can just “pop” into at anytime. This new tax law is not fair for the frequent consumers and sellers on eBay.

There are many disadvantages of taxing online stores. If the law passes, online retailers will have to collect taxes from every individual that purchases the items. Each state has an individual tax rate. This means that sales taxes will have to be collected from many jurisdictions. This then translates into filing many different tax reports for each state you sold to. No small business owner is going to want to spend their time crunching numbers and filing paper work. It is already difficult for small business owners to compete with the big corporations. Give them a break. Individuals and small retailers that sell online solely will never be in the same league as big corporations that sell online and in a brick and mortar store. Perhaps this could be reflected in the proposed new Internet tax law. Hopefully Congress will listen to the small independent online retailers and not pass this proposed tax legislation.

How to Convince your Parents to buy you Something at a Garage Sale (How to for kids)

Mom and Dad come running into your room early in the morning on Saturday and you know what they are up too. They are about to bring you along to a tag sale. Usually Mom and Dad focus on themselves during their garage sale journey but this time you are going to benefit from the garage sale purchases. Think of all the toys, stuffed animals, and presents that you've asked for past christmases but Santa didn't deliver. This is your chance to convince your parents why they should buy you these toys from the garage sale. You will need to put your thinking cap on and find ways for your parents to buy you things and you will also need to prove to them why they should buy you these items. Here is a list of things you will need to do to get that toy you have been eyeing for months. 

• When the family gets into the car tell your parents how much you love them and how excited you are to go to the tag sale
• When you get to the tag sale, point to to things your parents might like and suggest what they should get
• Once you see a toy that you love show your parents
• Tell the parents how excited you are about the cost of the toy
• Explain to them how it will benefit your life and theirs
• After this tell your Mom and Dad that the sellers will be happy that you like this toy
• In the end, you should come out with the toy you have been wanting 

The Ins and Outs of Lynnway Flea Market

I spent my childhood waking up at the crack of dawn every summer Sunday morning. My family and I would be the early birds at our local flea market called the Elephant’s Trunk. First in line. No excuses. After we passed the gate and had our hands stamped for paying the low fee of one dollar, all bets were off. This was the time to find everything you wanted before anyone else did. At any flea market the customer has to be aggressive. Whether bargaining with a vendor or snatching an item before anyone else, the key is to have your voice heard. At the Lynnway Flea Market, it is no different. The customers are haggling as soon as the doors open. The savvy vendors need to remember to be strong and not always lower the price. 

As I pulled into the parking lot overflowing with cars, I knew I was at the right place. Lynnway Flea Market in Lynn, Massachusetts is where the city spends Saturday and Sunday mornings. The drivers in the parking lot fight to find an open spot to park their vehicles. Twenty feet up in the air is a huge sign flashing in red, “Shop at Lynnway Flea Market.” The sign is nearly impossible to miss. The aroma in the air reeks of cigarette smoke and smoked sausages. The dust from the gravel parking lot whips around the vendors selling their used items. The smells become more potent as I walk closer to the scene. The noise of customers haggling and chatting fills the flea market. I noticed the tents set up over the tables. When the vendors call out prices, it reels the customers in to look at the items. When talking to a regular seller that comes every Saturday and Sunday, she told me that it is $35 to have a spot each weekend. She went on to say that the price will be raised to $40 in April because the flea market becomes a lot more popular as the weather becomes warmer.

Lynnway Flea Market is different from the Elephant’s Trunk, my hometown flea market. It has an indoor portion which I had never seen at any other flea market and the bargain hunters that attend are quite different. At Elephant’s Trunk, the shoppers consisted of elderly Caucasian people and families of four. The demographic of the Lynnway Flea Market is diverse. The flea market’s diversity provides a window into many cultures.

While walking through the market, I felt a little bit out of place. I come from a suburban town in Connecticut and going to Lynnway was a different experience. The diversity of the individuals and the ages had a very wide range, which contributes to the success of this flea market. On the Lynnway Flea Market website, the user is able to translate the site into any language.

There are two parts to the flea market: an indoor portion and an outdoor portion. The indoor section seemed to have the majority of Hispanic vendors. Various forms of Hispanic music come through the cheap speakers at each booth. At one booth, Daddy Yankee, a popular Hispanic musician, played through the speakers and then it transitioned into sounds of a mariachi band. It was interesting to observe the dynamic of a certain culture. It became more exciting to see what the next vendor’s song would be. The music created a cheerful element to the flea market and helped avoid any unnecessary awkward silence while shopping. It allowed the customers to feel comfortable and continue to make noise. Spanish was heard at every corner, as the young children ran around the soccer memorabilia. The items for sale were a combination of used television sets, souvenirs and used CD’s. The buyers consisted of primarily Hispanic individuals; it felt like a cultural experience while walking through the many aisles.

One of the vendors inside appeared extremely disorganized. If you’ve seen the show "Hoarding: Buried Alive"  on TLC, it was a spitting image of a participant on that show. Piles of items stacked on top of one another consumed this woman’s booth. There were suitcases on top of appliances and the whole section was overflowing with this woman’s belongings. There is always someone at the flea market that cannot leave a thing behind. Unfortunately, this doesn’t help their business, but it was fascinating to look at her pile of wares and figure out how it all got there. There are many wonders of a flea market and this was something to think about. 

The "hoarding" vendor

This Flea Market is something everyone should visit. They may not have all of the designer labels and high-end items, but you will find a diamond in the rough. Lynn, MA is a city where all are welcome. Customers will want to attend this Flea Market because of its originality and unique people. The outside flea market consists of 148 booths of vendors trying to sell their items. The outdoor part has the traditional flea market feel; whereas the inside was set up more like a retail shop. The outdoor section has a greater variety of goods. The selection is endless. From vintage books to old record players, the list goes on and on.  The place is like a maze; once you’re in, it is difficult to get out. The customers do not want to miss a thing so they take their time going up and down each aisle. When looking around, you really never know what you are going to find. One woman I met who comes with her mom every Saturday and Sunday filled me in on some details. “I bought a sterling cup, I didn’t think it was sterling but my mom and I had someone look at it and it was sterling and we made good money off of it. Sometimes people don’t know what they have,” said Brianna. One of the perks of the flea market is to find items for very little and then make a profit from it. This is exactly what Brianna has done and she told me how excited she was after that experience.

Brianna

There were a million different things going on at this flea market. The noises that emerged consisted of children running, items being excitedly purchased and carried back to the new owners cars, various types of music, the flipping of sausages, and most importantly, the sounds of haggling. Haggling and bargaining are the stars of this flea market. This is the reason people come here. There is no other place where haggling is accepted as much as it is here. It allows the consumers to develop their negotiating skills and bargaining skills because we need to utilize those in the real world. The art of bargaining teaches us to not settle for less.

On a hot day like Saturday, the vendors spend most of their time parked in a fold-out chair watching as customers sift through their items. As a customer picks up an item, the sellers will jump up and say how much it is. Many sellers would just keep shouting out numbers, “Five dollar! Ten dollar! One dollar!” to grab the attention of the consumers. They know what they are doing. This works when the sellers shout out these numbers because that means their booth has very low prices. Saying the low prices draws the consumer in.

In some instances, the collections the sellers have obtained over the years were one of a kind. Some collections consisted of vintage clothing while others had antiques and used dining sets. A few vendors have what appear to be hundreds of cords for computers, television sets, headphones, and any other electronic device that requires a cord. Someone else had a table filled with shoes that went for miles. One of the vendors just had tools - from the biggest wrench to the smallest wrench, it looks like he has every tool known to man. There is a wide variety at this flea market and something that appeals to everyone. Tables are piled with an assortment of items. There are old cameras and piles of clothing priced at one dollar per item. Everyone can walk out of there with an amazing deal by stopping in on a Sunday or Saturday morning. It becomes a great event to bring your families to as there is so much excitement going on.

            The puzzle collection at one station is tremendous. There is at least 40 puzzles spread across one woman’s booth. The puzzles were a variety of sorts containing scenes with a family and a house or just a cat and dog. I ask her, “Why are you selling so many puzzles?” She answers with a smile across her face saying, “Well, the thing is that TV shows are short and commercials are long. So when there are commercials, I do puzzles and play cards so that’s why I have such an assortment!” The best part about searching through flea markets is listening to the regular sellers that come every Saturday and Sunday rain or shine. The individuals all have stories to tell and there is history behind every item and person.

Why go to an expensive store when an item could be waiting at the flea market? When we shop at retail stores, there is a chance of buyers remorse after spending all that money. However, when it comes to flea markets, the excitement doesn’t stop. Any flea market shopper has a sense of pride after buying something for so little that means so much.

As I got back into the car there was someone already waiting for my parking spot. The person about to pull into the newly opened space is in for a treat. They will go into that flea market and sift through one of a kind items that they will get enjoyment out of. The answer to having the best flea market experience is getting there early, make sure you bring cash, and be aggressive. There are many items at Lynnway Flea Market and you will need to know which to avoid and which to purchase. The deals that you will find at this flea market are not available anywhere else. Take advantage of this local flea market and splurge while you save.