Last night, I had the privilege of working with, and watching work, a group of young women as they went about organizing a consignment sale of monumental proportions. Let me just say, Congress could learn a thing or two from these women. They are efficient, hard-working (a gross understatement), organized, and deeply committed to running the best consignment sale possible in the most consignor, volunteer, shopper friendly way. This is the 12th sale, and all proceeds go to supporting various charities that benefit children. That could not be more appropriate, for all they sell are children's items.....lots and lots and lots of children's items.
These women are wise enough to adjust and readjust procedures in order to improve the sale each and every time. Hey, Congress, are you listening? In past sales, I have been the "bouncer." The "bouncer" ties a ribbon on strollers and other conveyances shoppers bring with them to hold their purchases. We do not want to make someone pay for a stroller they brought with them. Upon the shoppers' departure, the bouncer then checks to be sure that they have only the number of items for which they paid. Let me just say, if I was a bouncer at a bar, a lot of underage people would get served. I am not very forceful.
I thought bouncing took nerves of steel. Last night I was one of several "screeners." Thank heaven for that little feisty redhead who commandeered that area. She was the one who had to break the news to the consignors that certain items were in the reject pile. That sounds so harsh, but they cannot be putting out clothes with stains, missing buttons, signs of excessive wear, or inappropriate slogans. The screeners were told to be very picky. Those who know me best know that pickiness is not really in my repetoire, but I had a co-worker who trained me well. I was tossing things right and left. Nevermind that I had to go through my co-worker's things. Before it had really dawned on me (I'm not the swiftest) that these were my co-worker's items, I asked for advice from the head honchos about a T-shirt for a little boy that said "My Mom is Hot." As we pondered the appropriateness of the slogan, it dawned on me that it was my preacher's sons who owned that shirt, and probably he is the one who bought it. Determining the 'hotness" of the preacher's wife is not my bailiwick, but I will say that she is one of the most delightful people with which to spend time. "My Mom is Hot" did not make it to the reject pile, so hopefully, some other little boy with a "hot" mom will be found wearing that shirt in the near future.
Some people are more gracious than others about their rejects. I heard one woman say, "two things rejected, that's not so bad." I happen to know that our little feisty redhead was berated by one consignor over something I had rejected. It was seriously dirty. I watched as another screener dealt with a consignor questioning every item she rejected. The screener never quit smiling, explained her reasoning for each and every item she rejected, and quietly set it aside. I was taking a little rest as I heard that consignor tell her child that "some people are just overly picky while there are others who will help you out." She also told her child that screeners let things pass when they belong to the screener's friend, but if they don't know you, they will just toss your stuff out. I am pretty certain there were no screeners there last night with some vendetta against certain consignors.
This was a spring consigment sale. The powers that be are very specific about clothes being seasonally appropriate. Sometimes it takes 2 screeners, a "floor" person, and a little feisty redhead to explain "that really a Curious George costume is not appropriate for spring. Please, bring it back in the fall when we have a costume section. You know, like for that FALL holiday known as Halloween." Makes sense to me.
Then you have the floor people. Bless their hearts. While screeners stand in one spot for hours, floor people walk miles in that same amount of time. Their job is to place everything that has been screened out onto the floor in the appropriate area. Good grief. How to decide where to put the toys had to be a very stressful event. Supposedly, the toys are sorted by age-appropriateness, and, I suppose, other important criteria. There were hundreds of toys to be placed. I heard someone ask where sippy cups go, and the reply was, "in the sippy cup section." Seriously, there is a sippy cup section. Did I mention this is a consignment sale of monumental proportions?
I loved watching the consignors as they brought in their items. Some had theirs arranged by gender and size. I mean they had this pile of clothes they had to sort, wash, pin to hangers properly, tag, price, put in their car, transport to the sale, and still they were in order. Unbelieveable. But, as amazing as that was, the consignors that brought toys, toys with tiny parts, and the parts were ALL there. I commented to one mom who had umpteen toys with all the extra parts in baggies neatly labeled, how impressed I was with her organization. She said her children were OCD and always kept everything together. I am fairly certain that this family has the spices in their cabinet organized in alphabetical order. I doubt seriously they decide which spice to use according to what falls out when the cabinet door is opened, like I do.
I related better to, although did not appreciate as much as the abovementioned consignors, those who brought their items in an array of confusion and hodgepodgeness (is that a word?). There would be some clothes, then a toy or two, a couple pair of shoes, some books, some more clothes etc. These people I understand. They were the ones who came expecting to have rejects, and who did not take that rejection personally. You've just gotta love folks like that. They laugh at themselves. They understand the concept of flavoring dinner with what falls out of the cabinet.
It was a privilege to work last night. The women who run this consignment sale have college degrees in various fields, diverse careers, children of all ages, gifts and talents extraordinaire. They are frun and bright and talented and organized and direct and pretty no-nonsense when it comes to this job. They have servant hearts. They ask no recognition for themselves. They have donated at least a couple hundred thousand dollars to missions, and playgrounds and inner city day cares and other things that help young people. I admire them more than I can say. Many of them will be back today, and tomorrow, and the next day and the next and the next and the next. They will put in countless hours to insure this sale succeeds. Their husbands are at home taking care of things so that they can serve in this manner. It takes a village. I am humbled and blessed to be part of this village. So, I'll go take my Advil for my swollen knee, aching plantar, and sore back, but, Lord, willing, I will be back in the fall to screen again.
So for today, I wish you the opportunity to serve, the participation in life bigger than yourself, and I wish you
blessings
No comments:
Post a Comment