Garage Sale Articles

Tips On Handling The Money To Gain Garage Sale Success

The chaos that you can find in garage sales is sometimes the reason as well why having them can be so much fun. This doesn't mean however that you should allow chaos to cost you money. No matter how fun garage sales can be, they’re still above all things business ventures. Your top priority should still be to make money – and not lose it!

KEEP IT UNDER LOCK AND KEY
It doesn’t matter what type of container you use to keep the money. It can be an old metal box that your grandfather used to keep his fish bait, your former lunch box or the drawer of a cash registry. The important thing is that the container is safe and secured by a lock. You should be the only one to have the key to the money container. If there are duplicates, make sure that you only allow people whom you trust to hold them in their possession.

Secondly, be sure to keep a human guard on the money container as well. Besides a mental lock, use a human lock as well to ensure that your money is kept safe 24/7.

AVOID TRANSPARENT CONTAINERS
Why subject people to temptation if there’s no need? Avoid using transparent containers to keep your money at all costs. Transparent containers will naturally let people see just how much money you’re earning and this presents two disadvantages:

If you’re earning a lot, there’s sure to be an abundant amount of money in the container. If it’s transparent, your customers and employees will naturally see what’s inside. The sight of so much money may prove to be too much temptation for even the most innocent of individuals. Desperate straits, after all, can push an individual to commit crimes spontaneously, no matter what the consequences are if they get caught.

If you’re earning too little, this is bad for your business again. Customers, upon seeing, the amount of money – or what little there is at present – inside your container, would draw the obvious conclusion that your garage sale isn't a financial success. They’ll then ask themselves why your garage sale isn't profitable and conclusively decide that it’s because you’re not selling anything valuable.

KEEP IT WITH YOU IF YOU’RE WORKING ALONE
If you’re supervising the entire garage sale alone or you’re the only one in charge of handling the money, you should keep the money with you at all times. There’s no possible way for you to be in two places at one time so you can’t guard the cash box while entertaining customers. To solve this dilemma, just make use of a fanny pack or a belt bag that you can wear on your body at all times.

AVOIDING CONFUSION IN THE CASHOUT TABLE
There are certain instances when customers will complain that they gave you more cash than you’ve counted. Their complaints may or may not be genuine. To avoid confusion, make use of a paperweight or a heavy rock to keep any money you receive from customers within sight. That way, while you’re taking care of other things, there is no way that your customer will point out negligence or insufficient attention as the cause for miscounting the money they gave.

Besides making use of the paperweight to hold the money in place, be sure that you count the money a customer hands you at least twice. Count it carefully and clearly and ask for confirmation from the customer after counting.

BEWARE OF HELPFUL CUSTOMERS
Be on the lookout for customers who generously suggest counting the items in advance and computing for their total because it can be just a ploy to pay less than they should. If you encounter this type of customer, gently but firmly refuse their suggestion and thank them nicely for their offer. If they proceed to act huffy and offended, apologize and use the excuse of store policies for refusing their request.

ALWAYS HAVE MORE THAN ENOUGH CHANGE READY
This will ensure that no matter how much a customer’s bill will total to, you will still have enough money to give them the right amount of change. It will also lessen the amount of time wasted in searching for people who can exchange your large bills for smaller denominations.