There is a tag on each item of the sale. The tags have the reduced price. The reason for it being returned and usually the original price and size are also listed. I went to the sale hoping against hope to score a pair of mittens.
I had a great pair of EMS mittens for about ten years. They were toasty warm and waterproof. For some reason the waterproofing wore off and water now easily soaks the fleece liner.
I got to the parking lot at 8:50. The doors opened at 9 am. There was already a line of about 150 people in front of me. Mittens could be anywhere assuming someone had bought and returned a pair. Items for the sale are all over the store. When I walked through the doors just to my right was the first bin. I looked over to it. It was full of gloves! I started searching through the gloves squashed in with 15 other people. I found one pair of mittens and they were mens! I grabbed them.
Upon close inspection, they were selling for 34.87 dollars. The original list price was 69.95. They looked new and they were made of Gortex. On top of that, they came with a thin liner. The reason they were returned " Used, doesn't work with touch screen. Are you kidding me? I scored the one thing I wanted for thirty five dollars because a tech junky couldn't use his phone to text! Thank you!
After scoring my mittens, I came across some cleats that go over sneakers for walking on ice. I tried them on over my sneakers and they fit nicely. I have a pair for my boots for ice fishing and slippery trails. I bought these, hoping I can use them to run with. I am not sure if they are made for that kind of pounding. They may be uncomfortable to land on. It is possible they are intended to walk the family dog on slippery decks. They normally list at twenty bucks, but they were discounted ten. The worst case scenario is they break my first time running and I'm out ten bucks. Short of that I can always use them to walk on slippery ground in sneakers.
I didn't spend much time at the men's clothes. By the time I walked in the door people were already walking through the store with clothes they picked off the rack. I went oer and gave a look. I found an REI raincoat. The reason it was returned "to big". It is a middle of the line coat. It is not super light, but still feels a pound lighter than my Gortex Bass Pro coat. Normally it sells for a hundred bucks but I got it for sixty. This was the hardest decision of the day. Without question my most expensive piece of clothing is my Gortex coat. Most of my clothes are shorts from Savers and white t-shirts. I carried the coat around for a while deciding whether or not to buy it. First I thought of the cons... I own a great raincoat already, why do I need another? At 24 ounces it is not super lightweight. Then I thought of the pros. It is lighter and smaller than my main raincoat so I will take it with me on dayhikes. That's it. Then I remembered my son does not own a nice raincoat. So I bought it, so he could use it on solo trips to the White Mountains. And I felt much better about buying it.
The last piece of gear I bought was an air mattress. I normally would not buy them used. All too often, the reason for it being returned is "leaks" or "would not hold air". I am very skeptical of buying air mattresses and pads for that reason. As I was glancing through them I saw one that was returned because "not comfortable enough for a woman that just had shoulder surgery. I already have 2 pads. One for myself and one that either Laurie or DJ uses when they go with me. They are light, about a pound and a half. They easily pack up small enough for overnights and backpacking trips. This one I was a 4.5 pound twenty five inch wide Goliath. Much to big and cumbersome for backpacking. However weight is not an issue when camping near your car, say at a campground or the side of a road. It listed at 119, but being sold used for thirty bucks! I couldnt pass that up. Sleeping pads always end up breaking (leaking) after a couple years, so even if I only use it car camping for two years it will be well worth the 30 bucks. Besides, it is bigger and thicker than Laurie's. When she goes with me, it can be the one she uses. She will love it
I ended up spending one hundred and thirty eight dollars. All but the 35 dollar mittens were sort of impulse buys. Not knowing what would be there, I didn't know what I would be interested in. I couldn't pass up the deals I found. It certainly is a good idea for my son to have a good raincoat and I'm going to sleep really well on three and a half inches of mattress (until Laurie comes). I was very happy with my morning.
Lastly, only REI members can buy gear at the garage sale. There is a one time twenty dollar fee to join which can be done at any REI. Clearly my deals today alone more than paid for it.
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