DUMPSTER DIVING

by Danna Shirley

I would have never dreamed of dumpster diving . . . that is until I visited my sister in California and we made the rounds at all the back alleys and back entrances of large retail stores. Why? She needed boxes and pieces of cardboard.

At the time Paula did estate sales for a local attorney and when he passed along a client who wanted to liquidate a home, she used her creative resources to prepare for the settlement.

We did not actually dive into dumpsters but we did search for boxes. Lots of boxes! Boxes for throw-aways, for packing, for garbage, for donating to the local charities, for sale items, etc.

She also searched for large pieces of cardboard, preferably white, to make her signs, then plotted on a city map where to locate them for the best coverage. At 5:00 a.m. we would hit the streets with hammer and/or tape to post signs so the Friday and Saturday traffic could make their plans to come to the sale on the weekend. Her signs were not in the style of

every other sign on the corner but they stood out in the crowd.

Paula is very knowledgeable at what she does and very selective of which estates she will accept. If the family had pretty much cleaned out all they want and left only the cast-offs, it wasn’t worth her time. She had to see at least some items for profit or no one would darken the door and her commission would be zip. I helped with a few estate sales and believe me, it is work!

Paula was thorough. She either knew the value of the contents or researched it for appropriate pricing. She cleaned, polished, and displayed each one in the most favorable light.  Jewelry went into lockable cases and the checkout table was setup at the front door. All other exits were locked or blocked so shoppers had to pass by her. Unfortunately, some things were stolen but it wasn’t for her lack of trying to be the best security guard possible. She even had a “junk table” of cheap incidentals for buyers to “shoplift” if they were of that caliber. Sad this had to be done for those lacking the honesty gene. I was usually posted guard at the back of the house to watch from that location but I even had some things stolen right under my nose!

Serious and courteous shoppers would compliment her professionalism and ask for her business card. After all was said and done, the unsold items were distributed to thrift stores, and/or charities. Receipts for donations were given to the owner and the house was left broom clean. The signs were removed and put back in the dumpster . . . until the next estate sale!