Home > Talk of East Texas > Archives > 2008 > December > 01 > Entry
Garage sales, pawn shops provide extra Christmas cash
Many East Texans say their neighbors are scraping together money and scaling back plans for Christmas gifts this holiday season. And a few have adopted an entrepreneurial spirit to help those folks while raising a little money for themselves.
“The economy’s just so bad,” said Donna Barnett of the Judson community. “People can afford the groceries and the necessities, but they can’t afford the extras.”
Despite fall temperatures that are dipping into the 30s, Barnett is among a number of East Texans who have ignored the end of the traditional “garage sale season” as they unload their clutter for a few extra bucks.
Longview so far has sidestepped many of the economic woes troubling the nation. Local retailers say they still are hiring seasonal staff and are hoping for a solid holiday season.
“We’re being cautious because of the economy,” said Thomas Teodorczyk, the Kohl’s store manager. “You don’t want to hire too many (seasonal employees), but you definitely need to hire enough to take care of business. I do think the business is still going to be there for us. Christmas is coming regardless of the economy.”
Are you having a garage sale or pawning items to help wrangle up a little extra cash?
Comments
By Sheila
December 1, 2008 4:55 PM | Link to this
The holidays will be just as great this year as they have always been although we may learn a new meaning to the holidays. Luckily I have started homeschooling my kids so they don’t have the pressure of thinking they have to have the best. I hope many families will learn to think of ways to reward their children by spending time with them rather than buying them things to show love. I think there will be good come of this. Not to mention all the recycling going on with freecycle, craigslist, garage sales and such. People need to remember to teach our kids that Christmas is about far more important things than material items. As for us parents we seem to be gettting educated in learning to save manya nd find various ways of trying to give our kids the best with what we have available. As for that being said I think garage sales may continue for a while even with the cold weather. I may jump on the band wagon and have an indoor one myself.