What is a monkeybox?

When I was a little girl, we had a pet monkey named Amanda. My Dad worked in the produce business, so each night he brought home that days culls in a big box - spotty cucumbers, pithy apples, limp celery, moldy oranges and the like. We called it a monkeybox. It was really just trash, but my Mom would take each piece of fruit and trim it, pare it and cut it up to make a beautiful fruit platter for Amanda. Even though it was deemed trash by one, it still had life left in it and was good for the purpose we needed it. That's how I live my life - thrifting, yard saling, looking for another's trash to be my treasure.

Sunday, July 28, 2013

The Weekend in Junk

I didn't go to any yard sales this weekend, but I did manage to hit Goodwill twice.  Friday and Saturday I worked on some crafts and preparations for the Barn Sale.  It is only eight weeks away, which sounds like a long time.  But, it will go WHOOSH, I just know it.



When I was shopping at Goodwill today, I found this beautiful gingham apron.  But, there wasn't a price on it.  There was a colored tag, but no price tag attached.  I saw a lady working on the floor and asked her if she knew what the price would be.  "Oh, that's $2.00.  Just tell to holler at the lady in the green shirt if they don't believe you."  

When I went to check out, there was a Fisher Price Clock sitting on the counter.  Remember that - it was sitting on the counter when I saw it. I asked if it was for sale. and she told me that someone must have decided they didn't want it.  I said, "Then I'll take it."  "Oh, this is an OLD toy and worth a lot of money she said. It wasn't an old one, it was a new reproduction that FP released back when Toy Story 3 came out.  But, still, I knew I could make a couple bucks profit if the price was right.  That's when she noticed there wasn't a price on it.  "OH, I can't sell you anything that doesn't have a price on it.  That is against the rules!" And she stuck it under the counter.  I kind of felt like she was insinuating that I had taken the price off, but I clearly had never even touched the thing!  

I handed her the apron and said, "Well, this doesn't have a price on it, but the nice lady in the green shirt said it is $2.00 and to holler at her if you need to make sure."  The lady looked at me over her glasses (I hate that, it seems so disapproving) and said, "Oh, really?  Well, they are usually $4.00.  She is NOT a manager and should NOT be giving out prices to anyone."  *(Sigh.  This trip is going great so far, huh?)
But, then she said, "Since she told you $2.00, I will let you have it for that."  Uh, thanks?

The last item I had was this box of candles.  She said, "Oh, my, these are worth a FORTUNE!"  (They aren't.)  Then she said, "You must be a re-seller."  It was at that minute, I heard a low grumble, a big sigh and a deep puff of air come out of The Breadman.  I didn't even realize he was standing there.  I am pretty sure he was about to pole vault over the counter and beat that lady with those candles.  She looked at him and said, "I'm sorry.  I was in the resale business for a very long time and these just look like the sort of things I would have bought."   Then she quickly finished up my order and had me on my way.  

Finally she was done and I paid and we got out of there.  I know from this point on that I will never get in her line if I can help it.  I have a thing about being called a re-seller.  Yes, I do buy to resell.  But, I am always, always, always on the hunt for things for me and for my collections.  Case in point, the gingham apron will go in my gingham apron collection and the Halloween candles will go in my Halloween collection.  


Finds from my last trip include this old book which is really a box.  It will make a good display item for the booth or the BS.  
A Deluxe Scrabble Game with the elusive red tiles.  I kept the tiles and will sell the revolving board in the booth.  Those giant curtain hooks will go in my stash.  I have some ideas to make mini art out of them, but it's still stuck in my thunker.  ;)

A pattern making activity set for the booth - it's not old, but it looks vintage, so that is good enough for me.  

And, my very favorite find of the week.  And maybe the month.

Flash cards.  Hundreds and hundreds of them.  Maybe over a thousand.  All sorts of fun words.  They aren't old, but I still think they would be fun in displays or framed in groups.  I'm going to use my corner rounder to make the corners round (Duh) and that will help them look a bit more vintage, I think.  I already have COLLECT in my junk themed cabinet.  (Not really sure if BLADDERWORT will be a hot seller).

11 comments:

  1. Bladderwort...isn't that "he who shall not be named" older brother?
    Good finds and you kept your cool when that nosy old bitty.....well you know!!

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  2. It really should not matter to them what you do with the items. You can sell it if you want to, you bought it and that makes it yours. The charity gets the money you paid for it, which should be the only thing that matters to them. Would it make any difference to them if you stuffed it in the trash instead of reselling it? It shouldn't.

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  3. nice. nice. nice.
    (as always!!)

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  4. This is my first time commenting on your blog. However, I have been following it for about a year. I found it through a link on another blog, then lost it when your domain name was hijacked. A little sleuthing and I found you once again. Yay!

    Your post today has me thinking about the attitude toward resellers, etc. and I just wanted to add my thoughts on the subject (the ones suitable for print).

    I prefer to call myself a dabbler, rather than a dealer (as we are referred to by the thrift store staff in my neck of the woods). And, never a hoarder. There are no dead animals in my home. Which, I believe is the common thread in most of the hoarding shows. But, I digress.

    As a collector of many things, I try to sell enough to support my habit. A part of the pleasure of collecting for me is researching the history of items. I have gained a wealth of knowledge as I follow the clues to discover more about an object.

    As for full time dealers? My hat is off to them. It takes time and a lot of work to turn a profit from reselling. Let people scoff all they want at resellers. I may just have a few t-shirts printed up that proclaim, "Dealer. Deal with it." But on second thought, maybe not. I don't want to give the competition notice. Hah.




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  5. I am about a 90% collector & a 10% reseller. Sometimes I feel like the clerks at Goodwill are trying to make me feel guilty for buying things that are "vintage" and "worth a lot of money". So what? If it's so great then buy it yourself! That is my rant for the day:-)

    ~Erica

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  6. Ugh, how annoying. Glad Breadman was there to instill a little nervousness in her. You're too nice to. :-) I have been working on something that looks JUST LIKE those little wooden circles-- found them at 410 Vintage for 50 cents each about a month ago. I don't know if they're curtain thingys or not. The woman at the register said they had tiles in them before the vendor took them out. I'm trying to come up with clever things to frame in them but so far have only two completed. I need a jump start to my creativity these days! LOVE the flash cards, of course!

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  7. I hate it when they 'comment' on your stuff and say things about reselling. It is truly nonya! Love the flash cards!

    hugs,
    Linda

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  8. Just want to tell them it's nunya damn business what I do with it once I buy it. I had a lady at my last yard that I know is a picker for her friends. If they have time, energy and desire to mess with shows and online selling, then more power to them. I just wanted it gone, I know what I paid for the stuff and I know I made a profit on each item, so I was happy.

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  9. I never even knew there were red scrabble tiles!
    As far as that clerk, she should not care for what purpose you are making your purchase. It is none of her business PLUS she should be politley thanking you for making a purchase at all. She does, after all, work for a charity and they should be happy when anyone buys something for any reason. Good grief.

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  10. First off, I think if you put BLADDERWORT in a fancy spray painted gold frame, someone would buy it. Secondly, I'm glad you had the Breadman there for you because you are too nice. I would have left the lot on the counter and said "Reseller or not, one thing I am not today is a customer in here. Now, which one is the manager?"

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  11. I've dealt with clerks like that at charity thrifts-it really does make you feel like they think you are trying to pull a fast one or steal something. I have walked out and never returned to the places that were like that. I LOVE the flash cards!! That is something I have searched for and never found-I'll keep looking! :)

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