Nearly New Sales: Shopping Nearly New style
By Sarah Ellis
II thought I knew what a nearly new sale (NNS) was but didn’t know how one worked until I went to my first one in April this year. I had assumed that it would be like a jumble sale or car boot, I’d expected to walk in to the sports hall at Egham leisure centre to find each seller having an individual table and paying in cash at each one just like you do at other parent selling to parent events.
I was completely wrong and really surprised by how easy it was to find things we wanted and to buy them. It was like walking in to a department store with different sections for the different types of item. Clothes were hung on rails clearly labelled with age and gender, toys were in another area, books and games elsewhere, large items like play gyms in one corner and there were prams/pushchairs/bouncers etc somewhere else too.
Then to top off the experience, with our arms full of clothes, books, a Lamaze hippo and Lotty play gym I got to pay with a card at a row of tills – just like a shop. I could have paid in cash if I’d wanted to but it was great to have the option of either.
You may be wondering how a seller gets the money if everything is all put together – every item has a label with a seller ID and price on it. Everything is traceable which can also give you more confidence in what you’re buying.
For me yet another bonus is that I can see and touch the items before buying them and if they’ve survived one child or maybe three it’s clearly good quality.
It’s rare that I’ll buy brand new clothes, toys and books for my daughter. She’s growing so fast that clothes and even toys get outgrown too quickly for the high prices charged for brand new items but events like this and a few fabulous local charity shops mean I can get a lot of what we need at affordable prices. Some have been loved and loved but others have hardly been used.
I’m definitely going along to the next one and have checked out the dates for ones in neighbouring NCT areas too!
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