Bargains, Baby! The PAMP Rummage Sale

Posted by Newsletter Editor on March 1st, 2013

Photo by Rebecca Alison

PAMP’s annual rummage sale will be happening from 9 a.m. to noon Sunday, March 10 at Cubberley Community Center in Palo Alto. Admission is free.

“The PAMP Rummage Sale is a tradition that began pre-Internet and pre-Craigslist,” says Amourence Lee, PAMP’s executive director. “Sometimes we ask ourselves if this event is still serving a purpose when there are so many other ways to buy used items, but every year we have people lining up outside the door to get in and walking out with huge trash bags full of stuff while grinning from ear to ear. It really comes down to the people in our community that make PAMP’s rummage sale one the best places to score deals. It’s a win for buyers and sellers alike!”

The deals waiting inside the door will be on children’s clothes, books, toys and gear of all shapes and sizes. Maternity wear and items are also commonly offered.

If you have something specific on your list, arrive early. PAMP members get to start shopping at 8:30 a.m. before doors open to the general public. (Nonmembers can join PAMP the day of the event and get this early access.)

However, the best way to get dibs on your most-wanted items is to volunteer. (You can assist with set up, clean up and greeting attendees, among other jobs.) Rummage sale volunteers can start shopping at 8:10 a.m., and helping at the sale is a great way to meet your yearly two-hour volunteer commitment to PAMP.

In addition to arriving early, here are four more tips for making your rummage sale shopping experience a success:

Bring cash and plenty of change. All transactions will be in cash only. Although sellers strive to bring lots of change, they often run out.
Scope the entire sale first before making any purchases. The sellers are not organized by categories, so there might be an item that you are looking for at various tables.
Bring a large shopping bag. Sellers do not provide bags, and it is best to have one bag to hold all of your newfound treasures. Every year after the sale, the PAMP forum is full of sellers looking for buyers who left some of their purchases behind. Do not be one of them!
If you bring your kids (they are always welcome), be sure to keep track of their lovies, favorite toys and hats as those get lost quickly amidst all the similar items.

See you at the sale!

The PAMP newsletter’s staff writer, Kiran Gaind is a certified integral coach for modern parents and owner of Ray of Light Coaching, based in Palo Alto. You can drop her a line at kiran@rayoflightcoaching.com and visit her website.