This year's White Elephant Sale was the most insane experience to date. Usually a sentence like that denotes a crazy but worthy experience. The White Elephant Sale put on by the Oakland Museum is a worthy cause and used to be a joyous experience. It has always had a big draw and there have been deals to be had without much looking. Basically the Oakland Museum has items donated to them and they sell them in an effort to raise money for the museum. Unfortunately this year was the pinnacle of what has been a decline of experience for bargain hunters.
The prices on many things were completely out of whack and a high percentage of the merchandise is stuff left over from the past few years that hasn't sold. Looking at the price of old junky furniture you could swear you were dealing with someone who paid a lot of cash for something and then really didn't want to part with it- even though it was stained and/or broken and missing parts. I looked over the sports area and thought I would buy one of the many bundled work out mats. Sure they were used and someone sweated on them before me but with some cleaning it would be a bargain and keep the dump from over flowing. All the mats were priced at $10 and $15. Apparently if it was lavender or not blue(which was the standard color) than it was more valuable and priced higher. I was surprised since I knew that these same mats are available new for $7.95 at Sportsmart. Why on earth would I pay more or event the same price as new for an old one. It was obivious that the folks pricing mats were hitting the booze or just plain out of touch. This theme played on through out the day...a friend I ran into who was a long time attendee was also befuddled by the hollywood style prices of what is supposed to be a fundraiser. He also noted of how he had already seen many things that he had seen from previous years that simply did not sell.
Of course the attendance was record high. The ghetto was overflowing with Yuppie buyers coming to find, in what their world is, a bargain buy. I wonder how many of them got home with their prize only to find out they could have bought a new one for the same price or less. I wonder after they get home and discover they been ripped off, do they shake their fist at the moon and curse the little old ladies who priced said object too high? or do they run out and kick a dog....probably not. Most likely they feel stupid...just stupid...then they smile and say well it was for a good cause. All the while these little old ladies are back at the White Elephant Sale warehouse preparing for next year looking at old sweaty mats and asking each other how much it is worth and how they should price it. One says "Oh those are expensive" and the other retorts "indeed they are but it smells like a man's balls on a hot summer day." "Well then it's settled" blurts out the other woman..."It's $10 for the blue and $15 for anything that is in a pretty color."
The bay area has had lots of great bargain places to purchase used items at a noble price but before long word gets out and buyers with big money move in. These buyers are innocent just wanting what the rest of us want, a good deal. Unfortunately once these big money buyers move in the sellers get spoiled and start jacking up prices like they are selling gas. Whatever the market will bare is the seller's mantra. The big money buyers are not schooled enough to know a good deal since they are used to paying big bucks for things that are already worn in(jeans are a great example of this). The list continues to grow and alogn with such great bargain places of yesteryear: Urban Ore, Omega Salvage, Rosie's Treasures...we now add The White Elephant Sale.
