lexi Posted May 4, 2016 Share Posted May 4, 2016 What books would you look for? Any particular titles or series? I've never been to a warehouse sale before but I might go to one this weekend. My kids are 10 (girl-strong reader who loves mystery and fantasy), 8 (boy-emerging reader who loves dragons, Knights, adventure, and mystery), and 7 (girl-emerging reader but stronger reader than her brother, she loves all things princess and fairy). I know the sale will overwhelm me so I wanted to have a list of titles or series to look at to get me started as I shop. Help me plan for the sale. Any tips? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
City Mouse Posted May 4, 2016 Share Posted May 4, 2016 I went to one of those once and got some great deals like the full set of Harry Potter paperbacks in a cardboard case for $24, but it was nearly impossible to search for a particular title. Be prepared to browse the isles. There was not much organization to the chaos. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenda in FL Posted May 4, 2016 Share Posted May 4, 2016 We just browsed every aisle! I looked for hardback fiction/classics, non-fiction books. They usually have inspirational story books. And non-fiction for adults. Those were fun years, going to the book fair! The kids looked for items that would interest them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 They are staffed by volunteers so it is pretty hard to find specific titles. I like to start in the $25 box area. You get whatever you can fit in the box (about the size copy paper comes in) for $25 and if they have a lot of copies of a particular book it may be in that area. Check the website for coupons, often they have an additional $5-$10 off if you spend $50 (or something similar). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 We normally go to them. Sometimes the sales are great and sometimes it stinks. Last year was stinky at my warehouse. Double check the prices on amazon and check out the damaged area of the sale. Two years ago, I found the A-Z series(full set) and Magic Tree House (1-30) for 5 dollars a set. There is no organization at all at mine. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternallytired Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 How does one find out about these sales? I would LOVE to go to one! You can search their website for locations, and if you sign up then they email you in subsequent years to let you know when they're coming up. http://registration.scholasticbookfairs.com/events/warehouse/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3 ladybugs Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 We go every 6 months. The good news after our initial big purchase, we can get out of there without spending too much. Many of the same titles. There is no damaged section at ours. At least that I have seen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ewe Mama Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 Thanks for sharing! I just found out there's a sale 20 minutes from my house and it starts on Friday. This could be fun! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 Thanks for sharing! I just found out there's a sale 20 minutes from my house and it starts on Friday. This could be fun! :) There is a little difference between a warehouse sale and a regular sale but they are both good. The warehouse sale just has a lot more books. I'm not sure which you found. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexi Posted May 5, 2016 Author Share Posted May 5, 2016 Ahh! It sounds like chaos. I hope I find things worth buying. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2_girls_mommy Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 I used to go when my kids were little, and I came back with so much stuff I didn't need and didn't have room for and that we could check out from the library for free, so I quit going. I haven't gone since my kids were older and looked for things they might actually like to own in their permanent collections. hmm, it could be dangerous to our pocketbooks if I started going back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FriedClams Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 I would NOT take my kids. When I went to those (years ago as my kids are older) it was a LOT of sparkly junky stuff. There were a LOT of spin off books (Star Wars, etc.) that had very little reading value. LOTS of twaddle. There is stuff to be found, but I think it's easier for Mom to sort through alone than to have to fight the marketing power of Scholastic with kids in tow. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbutton Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 Our sales vary wildly from one time of year to another. There are a lot of bins of random stuff, and they try to group it by percentage off. If something is not marked, it's still likely to be 20% off. There are usually a couple of aisles of mostly full-priced or slightly discounted books, and those books are marked by stickers on the shelf. In that area, they will have a different color sticker if it's a deep discount. Often they just tell you "at least" x amount off for those books. I try to make a stack of things I want one way or another, and then make a stack of, if it's more more than $x, I will get this too. This helps if you are near a coupon amount--sometimes spending a few bucks more can get you basically ten dollars worth of free books or so. The ladies at the cash register are usually ready for the fact that you might not have an accurate price as you shop, and they will remove items from your order if they scan higher than you thought, or they will let you know that buying one more $2 book will get to to the coupon, etc. Most are people volunteering to get their own perks from the sale and have shopped themselves in past sales. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexi Posted May 5, 2016 Author Share Posted May 5, 2016 The sale sounds super complicated. Now I'm wondering if it's worth it to go. My hubby was going to come with my kids because we were going to go together and because we would be in the area after an appt so I thought we could browse the books. (That was a huge run-on sentence there...). Anyway, I'm wondering if I'll find anything worth getting. Two of my kids are new-ish readers and there are some scholastic readers that they've enjoyed so I hoped to pick them up more books to read. (I'm awful about going to the library). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 The sale sounds super complicated. Now I'm wondering if it's worth it to go. My hubby was going to come with my kids because we were going to go together and because we would be in the area after an appt so I thought we could browse the books. (That was a huge run-on sentence there...). Anyway, I'm wondering if I'll find anything worth getting. Two of my kids are new-ish readers and there are some scholastic readers that they've enjoyed so I hoped to pick them up more books to read. (I'm awful about going to the library). I don't think it's super complicated. At the one held locally it's in a hotel conference room. All except the brand new releases are 50% off. New releases are in a separate area and at least 20% off. There is a clearance area too, they are marked with red stickers. At the warehouse sale I've been to in Cincinnati, there is a significantly larger selection. It is set up the same way except for a separate blocked off area where they do the $25 boxes. There is a lot more twaddle but I've also found some wonderful children's bibles, picture books, and DK encyclopedias. It's in an operating warehouse so they just section off the parts where you aren't allowed to go. I've never attended without kids. I tell them they may choose one book before we go in. Then I reserve the right to purchase more for them depending on the selection. It isn't organized like a typical bookstore. More like tables with stacks of books and some shelves. They are constantly refilling the tables as they empty out. That's why it is difficult to locate a specific title. They are separated by reading level and interest level but it's a general separation like early elementary, middle school, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ewe Mama Posted May 6, 2016 Share Posted May 6, 2016 I will be taking my crew to the warehouse sale late this morning. I've already warned them that it might be a complete dud and I will not be purchasing twaddle. Classics, educational resources, and a fun book for each of them are on my list. Do they have carts of some sort to use, or do you have to lug your purchases around? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted May 6, 2016 Share Posted May 6, 2016 I will be taking my crew to the warehouse sale late this morning. I've already warned them that it might be a complete dud and I will not be purchasing twaddle. Classics, educational resources, and a fun book for each of them are on my list. Do they have carts of some sort to use, or do you have to lug your purchases around? Mine is at their warehouse so yours may be different- normally they have carts but one year they had tiny handheld baskets. They must have listened to the complaints as the carts were back the following year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momto6inIN Posted May 6, 2016 Share Posted May 6, 2016 I would NOT take my kids. When I went to those (years ago as my kids are older) it was a LOT of sparkly junky stuff. There were a LOT of spin off books (Star Wars, etc.) that had very little reading value. LOTS of twaddle. There is stuff to be found, but I think it's easier for Mom to sort through alone than to have to fight the marketing power of Scholastic with kids in tow. This was our experience too. I probably won't bother to go again. There were gems here and there, but you had to sift through all the twaddle Twilight type stuff to get to it. Ours was in a warehouse and had carts available. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbutton Posted May 6, 2016 Share Posted May 6, 2016 It's not complicated--I am usually in and out in about an hour or so. You just have to be willing to deal with the fact that you might not know *exactly* the price of every book. The majority of the items are obvious, but if you shop in a section that is not where all the bins are, it's a bit of a guess sometimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexi Posted May 6, 2016 Author Share Posted May 6, 2016 Well we survived! I had all 6 kids plus my hubby. We grabbed a cart and made it down every aisle. They all found some books to bring home and there were some good choices - not just junk. And I got a few DK encyclopedia type books and a book on Egyptian mythology. So I'm glad I went! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmrich Posted May 7, 2016 Share Posted May 7, 2016 I loved these sales! My kids loved these sale. And even my wallet liked these sales. Great place to stock up on gift books like cool pop-up books etc.. for friends. Wear comfy shoes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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