Can Garage Sales Teach Your Kids Negotiation Skills?

It’s better than a scavenger hunt and more entertaining than Saturday morning cartoons. Visiting garage sales can help you find big bargains and help your kids learn how to handle money.

Here are some tips for successful hunting from Sonia Weis, coauthor of Pocket Idiot’s Guide to Garage and Yard Sales (Penguin).

Before you go, tell the kids how to act. No running. Behave as guests in a person’s home. Be polite. If someone has their hands on an object, don’t look at it or say anything until the person puts it down.

Make a list of things they should be on the lookout for, either things that you want or things they want themselves.

Each child should have a set amount of money saved from an allowance or that you give them for the hunt. They will learn how to budget their funds and also get the knack of bargaining for a lower price. Tell them how.
Pass along these suggestions from Weis in order to help them become good shoppers.

• Test anything electrical to see if it actually does work.
• Take a few of your own batteries along so they can test toys and other battery-operated items.
• If you see something you like, pick it up and carry it around with you until you decide if you want it or not.
• When you go during the last hour of the sale, you have an opportunity to ask for a lower price, and sellers will be more willing to give it.
• If you go during the first hour of a sale, the best items will still be there. Check to see if all parts of a set or toy are included. Ask for the instructions.