2010 Book Sale Report Part 3

The general section of the sale always stresses me out. Since I go to the other side first, the general section is very crowded by the time I enter it, since the entire line has already filed in. The temperature inside the general section is at least 10 degrees warmer than the rest of the building. It is very difficult to move around the tables. The general section has so many books that the books are also piled in boxes underneath the table. It is just about impossible to get at all of them.

I decided to use a different strategy this year. Normally, I try to approach the general section in the same fashion that I approach the collector' choice section. I want to move fast when I cannot, so I get very frustrated. When I cannot move at a table, I quit and go to another. As a result, I miss books.

The night before the sale, I recalled that each year, the crowd begins to thin out towards 8:00 PM as more and more people finish and get in line. I realized that I needed to take it slow so that I could look for books after people began getting in line.

Each time I found that I could not move at a table, I stood and waited until whoever was next to me finally moved. By waiting, time passed and I was able to look easier as the checkout line grew. I did my most productive searching between 7:45 and 8:30 PM. At 8:30 PM, I joined the end of the checkout line, which had at least several hundred people in it.

I got lucky. The express line was nearly empty, and the person in charge of that line came over to the main line and began pulling people off the end of the line. This was done to expedite the process, since the sale was nearing its 9:00 PM close. I went to the express line with my books and was near the front of the line. I was checked out fast and left the sale.

Here are the books I found in the general section:



You will notice that the softcover books are in worse condition than the ones found on the other side. The books that are in lesser condition are placed in the general section. Some of the books that I found on the general side should have been on the collector's choice side, such as the softcover Trixie Belden books, which are in excellent condition.

I came away with more duplicates of the softcover books than I would have liked, but this always happens every year. It is impossible to keep track of what I have. In some cases, I see so many duplicates of some books that I do pass on them. I know I saw at least around five copies of Nancy Drew Girl Detective #24 that I did not pick up. When I see a book too often, I know not to get it.

In the collector's choice section, I passed on all of the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys flashlight editions. I do not get everything that I see.

I spent less than last year, and I bought about the same number of books. The books on the collector's choice side were priced lower this year, and I am thankful for that. Most of the books on the collector's choice side are priced between $0.75 and $4.00. I did get a couple of $5.00 and $6.00 books. Last year, several of the books that I found were priced at $8.00 to $10.00, and those books made a big difference in my total cost.

All in all, the sale was a success, and I had a lot of fun.