Helpful Mom

The Ronald McDonald House sale is coming, the Ronald McDonald House sale is coming!  This is my favorite garage sale of the year.  It’s unbelievably huge and the prices are fair.  I love that they actually test everything, all the games, toys, and puzzles have been tested and marked if any parts are missing.  I love that, I hate buying a toy getting it home to find out you put batteries in it and it doesn’t work.  This way that never happens, it’s awesome.  They run it out of the former Dick’s sporting goods store in Henrietta so you can kind of picture how huge it is, they fill the entire store packed to the gills!

What I like to do is donate to the sale in September so I get a special donor ticket which allows me into the donor sale which is before the public is allowed into the sale on Oct 14.  But be prepared for Black Friday type lines and crowds.  For the donor sale I usually show up an hour before the doors open and have to wait in a line that goes all the way to the back of the building and loops back to the front.  Inside isn’t much better once the doors open, security telling people not to run and crowds of people with their carts loaded up.  Then once you’re done you have to wait in a line that stretches to the back of the store.  It’s unbelievable!  But I love it, I go every year without fail.  I go for the donor sale and then again on Saturday afternoon for the bag sale where you can fill a large bag with anything for $5 a bag.  I did this when I was pregnant and had a whole wardrobe for $ for my first baby.

Because of the crowds I leave the kids at home with my husband or a babysitter.  And I bring my own cart with me because they don’t have any there for you.  A shopping cart, or a stroller is a must have because you can’t possibly carry that much stuff in your arms.  But despite the craziness this is also the most organized garage sale you’ve ever seen.  Everything is sorted into departments, like Toys, kids clothing, housewares, books, etc.  There are numerous checkout lanes and they do accept credit cards for purchases over $10.  They also have a number of people available to help you get big items out to your car too.

And it’s all in the name of charity, the Ronald McDonald House which helps families who have children in the hospital.  The sale starts Oct 14-16 at the former Dick’s Sporting goods store in Henrietta across from Walmart on Marketplace Dr.  When more details come out about donating I’ll be sure to let you know, but for now make sure to save the dates this is not to be missed.