It seems that yard sales, garage sales, tag sales and other events of that nature are more popular than ever on the peninsula these days and we’d like to make some observations about them.
These sales are no longer “local” in nature as the Internet and social media (Facebook, Craigslist, Pinterest, Twitter, etc.) are being used to spread the word. Advertising is no longer limited to handmade signs posted on lampposts, utility poles, trees and community bulletin boards.
Savvy smartphone users can even download a number of apps that tell shoppers where the sales are by zip code.
Consequently, these sales often draw customers who are unfamiliar with our streets and parking rules, so it’s not rare to see usually quiet weekend streets jammed with cars double parked, in front of driveways and by fire hydrants, making driving down those narrowed streets quite difficult.
We’ve seen lots of careless driving by drivers obviously paying more attention to what’s for sale rather than to their driving. We urge everyone to be careful.
The competition involved in being the first on line to score a bargain has increased. Cars are regularly lining up long before opening times. We’ve even met a driver who slept in the vehicle overnight, so as to be first on line to sign in for a tag sale.
And, if you’re holding a sale yourself, we’d appreciate it if you’d make it a point to go around the neighborhood after your sale has concluded and take those signs down.
—Andy Newman
