Prop sale

Everyone (at least on the east coast of this country) has probably glimpsed a bit of news footage from the Filene's wedding gown sale. On a signal, the doors are opened and hundreds of brides-to-be stampede in, grab as many dresses as they can carry - whether they like them or not - and frantically strip in an effort to find the perfect gown at a fraction of the cost.

Today's prop sale was somewhat like that, minus the stripping.

What, then, is a prop sale? Periodically, one of the magazines' closets will get too full, and so they'll put out props from old photo shoots, priced at a fraction of the cost. This might not be so exciting if one has a nice, established home, but if one is a twenty-something female, the prospect of cheap plates is thrilling.

Of course, there are a ton of twenty-something females at the company, so one needs a decent bit of strategy to successfully manage a prop sale. Fortunately, our supervisors were only too happy to pass on tips.

First, you must arrive well in advance. As today's sale began at 12, a group of us interns gathered outside the doors at 11:15, sack lunches in hand, and ate in the hallway while we watched the pre-sale people leaving with their purchases. As soon as the hour rolled around, we rushed inside, grabbing items and only really considering whether we wanted them while we waited to check out.

Secondly, one needs to bring a bag of some sort. I neglected to do this, and ended up holding roughly 20 pounds of pottery in my arms for a good half-hour, waiting to check out. When I got back to my desk, my co-workers asked how I made out. "Well," I panted, "but I can't feel my arms."

Thirdly, one must not only go at the beginning of the sale, as the prices drop toward the end of the afternoon. When I went again at 2:15, everything was half-price. When my supervisor went shortly thereafter, everything was $1. And when I went for the final time, just after she returned, everything was 50 cents. I bought four $9 place mats and two chargers for a whopping $3. Not too shabby.

Fourth, one must look out for fights. I didn't see any today, but then again, this wasn't the largest prop show - they've had shows in the parking lot before. The things we do for castoffs...

Overall, I'm pleased with my purchases. I brought home two small plates I'm not crazy about - I grabbed them almost as soon as I got through the door - but most of the loot is nice, and I even managed to snag a bit for my sister. The crazy thing is thinking about how much this stuff would have cost at retail - my best buy of the day was a handmade bowl, originally $20, that I got for $2. They might not all match, but hey, now I have some serving pieces for my hypothetical apartment.

Come on, prop people, I need furniture.