Belgian Kids Consignment Sales

On Sunday I volunteered all day a Kid's Consignment Clothes Sale. It is hosted by the Brussels Childhood Trust (BCT) and in exchange for working 6 hours at the sale you get the whopping prize of shopping in the "Helpers Shop" before the sale starts. This means you can usually find the good items at the good prices without the good gracious crowds!

It actually was a worthwhile experience. Met new friends and kept my mind sharp as I was assigned to work at one of the cash registers (or the "till" as is known here). But unlike the very sophisticated sales in the States, this sale had none of the cash register or barcoding technology. I sat with a partner while she called out a seller number and a price for each item being bought for each buyer. I transcribed them on a pad of paper in organized lists and then had to total up one by one with a solar calculator. The calculator kept freezing up when folks walked in front of the nearby windows, thereby blocking the light. Keep in mind most people buy on average 35-50 items at these sales (why not, the prices are so cheap!) so that makes for a lot of numbers! By the end of the 4 hour sale my eyes were crossed and blurry. I hope the event was a success. I sold some of Connor's things and earned about 60 euros as a seller - exactly what I ended up spending on my 30 nearly new items! I hear the line and onslaught entrance when the doors opened was madness with elbows thrown and clothes everywhere. It cracks me up what grown women will do for used children's clothes.

I do admit though to a little thrill in picking out nearly new clothes at prices less than 1 or 2 Euros. I bought a lot of frilly girl dresses that were just too cute to resist. Who knows if it will ever be warm enough to wear the sleeveless ones, but they were such a bargain and Mom thinks they look uniquely European (yeah!). Connor especially loved the blue tulip sunhat and the colorful ruffle skirt. She enjoyed modeling those while in her PJs along with the polka dot jacket I brought home. What a fashion statement! But I also found myself buying some "boy stuff" - cars and trucks and a bag full of plastic lizards and snakes. It must be the Uncle El and the Cousin David in me coming out! Since most of Connor's friends are boys, I think the boy toys are influencing her preferences.
When I found these 2 little costumes, I couldn't resist. There is one fireman and one policeman - both with matching hats. They Velcro in the back and are lots of fun to run around in. Brady, when can you come over to play cops and fight fires with me?Oh, and last but not least. Connor and Kirk had a terrific daddy-daughter day while I was consigning clothes. They played at the playground and all over the house. When I got home they were eating pasta and peas - Connor's favorite.