School Fundraisers Turn into Auction Obsessions
Monday, March 31, 2008
Once mundane events have become "fertile hunting ground for bargains"
New York giants tickets, David Yurman aquamarine earrings and a Weber grill are some of the treasures a pair of New Jersey sisters have scored at church, school and civic auctions in their neck of the Garden State.
They are part of a growing fraternity of the auction-addicted who view these once-obligatory fund-raisers not as a dreaded social obligation but as a fertile hunting ground for bargains, reported the New York Times yesterday.
As we have noted here in recent weeks, many schools, police departments and government agencies have found auctions (live and online) to be ideal mechanisms for liquidating unclaimed property, lost items and left-behind storage. Now the Times piece illuminates the other side of this equation: the buyers.
The story tells the tale of sisters Patti Fuhner and Robin Kirchner, who've "crisscrossed northern New Jersey patronizing auctions for schools, churches, animal shelters and civic clubs with the single-mindedness others have for golfing, bowling or shopping."
The sisters hit three or four such auctions a month in the spring, which they says is the peak season. As any good estate saler know in peak season in the spring, and have scored goodies like Giants tickets, and gift certificates for restaurants and stores, all at a small fraction of their retail cost.
"It's an addiction," Fuhner said. "It's the excitement of trying to win that prize you want." Sounds like they enjoy "shopping voctoriously."
The NYT piece discussed how such events are auctions only nominally, "operating more like glorified raffles." It also offers the insights of some who simply don't understand the allure of such sales. For anyone who's ever had to explain bargain-hunting urge, the entire piece is worth the read.
New York giants tickets, David Yurman aquamarine earrings and a Weber grill are some of the treasures a pair of New Jersey sisters have scored at church, school and civic auctions in their neck of the Garden State.
They are part of a growing fraternity of the auction-addicted who view these once-obligatory fund-raisers not as a dreaded social obligation but as a fertile hunting ground for bargains, reported the New York Times yesterday.
As we have noted here in recent weeks, many schools, police departments and government agencies have found auctions (live and online) to be ideal mechanisms for liquidating unclaimed property, lost items and left-behind storage. Now the Times piece illuminates the other side of this equation: the buyers.
The story tells the tale of sisters Patti Fuhner and Robin Kirchner, who've "crisscrossed northern New Jersey patronizing auctions for schools, churches, animal shelters and civic clubs with the single-mindedness others have for golfing, bowling or shopping."
The sisters hit three or four such auctions a month in the spring, which they says is the peak season. As any good estate saler know in peak season in the spring, and have scored goodies like Giants tickets, and gift certificates for restaurants and stores, all at a small fraction of their retail cost.
"It's an addiction," Fuhner said. "It's the excitement of trying to win that prize you want." Sounds like they enjoy "shopping voctoriously."
The NYT piece discussed how such events are auctions only nominally, "operating more like glorified raffles." It also offers the insights of some who simply don't understand the allure of such sales. For anyone who's ever had to explain bargain-hunting urge, the entire piece is worth the read.
posted by Chris and Frank at 3:20 PM
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