Children’s Market Volunteer Responsibilities:
Before we get to the fun stuff, here's the stuff we have to say and wish we didn't:
No-Shows: Since many of our volunteer shifts occur after early shopping has taken place, we trust those people who have committed to the remaining shifts to follow through on their obligations. If you have to cancel for any reason, please try to find someone to take your place. Call us at (256) 239-6033 if you find out you are unable to work your shift at the last moment. Anyone who fails to contact us will not be allowed to volunteer with us again.
Holding Items: A very important reminder about holding items: We realize it is very hard to resist looking through the racks while you are straightening them, checking for wear, etc. If you do find clothing you would like to purchase, we allow volunteers to reserve up to five items only. Please put them in the kitchen. There will be hold tags and safety pins in the kitchen for your convenience. Use these supplies to identify your items. Please return to the sales floor and continue your shift after you have reserved your five items. Any held items must be paid for by noon on Wednesday if they are held during the pre-sale or at the end of your 3-hour shift if you are working Wednesday through Saturday. Everything left in the kitchen will be returned to the sales floor at noon on Wednesday and at the end of each day of the public sale. If you have children who consign, you cannot use their numbers to hold additional items. This volunteer benefit is not something most sales allow, but we have had very few problems with it in the past until last year.
If shopping during volunteer shifts becomes an issue, we will not be able to continue offering this great benefit. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.
Here are some reminders about helping:
1. Please arrive at least 10 minutes before your shift is scheduled to begin. This gives you time to sign in and receive any necessary training or instruction, as well as secure personal items. Sign in and out each time you work. The notebook is in our check-out area. It will have your assigned task and work area listed for each specific shift. This area is also a secure area where you can leave your purse, coat, etc.
2. We have navy blue Children’s Market aprons for you to wear to protect your clothing. Return it at the end of your shift.
3. Be kind and courteous to shoppers and other volunteers. We want everyone to have an enjoyable time at the Children’s Market!
4. Interact with the shoppers. Ask them if they have any questions. Do they need another basket? Do they have items they want put in the holding area? Are they looking for something specific? Etc. (Not only are you being helpful, but also you are also discouraging shoplifting!)
5. A positive attitude is necessary for everyone! Do NOT make negative comments about an item’s style, price, etc., as you are working. Please do NOT speak negatively about other consignment sales, stores, or resale shops! We want everyone to have a great experience with our sale. Keeping everything positive really helps and sets a good example for others.
6. Do NOT “promote” your own items in the sale by recommending them to shoppers. We have had to ban a volunteer for this action in the past. It will not be tolerated.
7. If you have an assigned task, but have some down-time, please help tidy the sale by straightening items, putting items in the correct sections, fixing items on hangers, looking for missing tags, etc. Don’t forget to talk to the shoppers!
8. Please help yourself to snacks, drinks, and food. Use your best judgment regarding when to have a quick break. It is very helpful to have volunteers take shifts eating (during meals).
9. Smile and have fun!
10. The good chocolate is hidden to keep our kids out of it when they're at the sale. If we forget to tell you where it is, just ask!
Thank you so much for volunteering! You are appreciated!
Below is a list of the most common jobs you might be asked to do during your shift. You will receive complete and detailed instructions concerning your job when you arrive. Also, look for an email reminder before the sale. It will outline all of your duties in detail.
1. Set-up-- setting up racks and tables; completing details for sales floor layout
2. Screen-- screening clothing and items for the floor, looking for recall items
3. Sort—assist consignors with hanging clothes/placing items out on the floor at drop-off; gathering clothing and items at the end of the sale
4. Secure & Straighten-- monitoring/patrolling the floor to discourage shoplifting, keeping the floor organized and neat
5. Sell-- cutting tags, bagging items, assisting consignors with transporting their items
We have so much fun, even in the midst of the insanity that can happen. If you haven't had a chance to volunteer with us, sign up for a shift and try it out. You just might find out it'st he perfect fit.
March 7, 2011
Getting Organized – Tips from Kristen Yartz, Little Red Hen Consignment Tagging Services
This information is provided by Consignment Mommies (www.consignmentmommies.com)
SORTING
1. If you’re really organized, you will already have hung ironed items from the previous season in a spare closet or a separate section in your kids’ closets. These are your “seed” items for the coming season, which reduces your overall prep time. Are you shaking your head and laughing at the improbability of this scenario? Second best is to keep a tote in a closet where you’ve tossed clothes and shoes (in bags) as your kids outgrew them. It’s never too early to start planning for subsequent seasons.
2. Gather all your clothing items together, and on a bright, sunny day (preferably by a window), check each item over for stains, holes, missing buttons, faulty zippers and signs of heavy wash wear, such as fading and pilling. Pay special attention to collars, cuffs, fronts of shirts, knees and bottoms of pants and shorts, and don’t forget the backs of each item!
3. Sort your items into two laundry baskets – one for natural fibers, such as cotton, and another for synthetics. This will help you whip through your ironing, as different fabrics require different heat settings. If your items have been folded in storage for awhile, fluffing them first in the drier will reduce your ironing time. It’s tempting skip ironing your clothes, but items that are well presented have a greater chance of being sold. Most shoppers at consignment sales are looking for items that have been gently worn, are in excellent condition and look sharp.
IRONING and PINNING
4. Set up your workspace by a closet or a portable hanging rack (highly recommended) so that ironed, hung and pinned items can be immediately hung, not laid in a pile to wrinkle. When you’ve worked through your items, group them in “type” sections (shirts with shirts, shorts with shorts, etc.); this will assist you in the pricing/tagging process.
5. Have hangers sorted in bins by size and type for easy retrieval. Depending on your hanger sources, you may have infant, toddler, child, and teen top and bottom hangers in your inventory. These all need to be separated out before you start ironing. If most of your hangers are the same size, place them in an easy-to-reach spot close to the ironing Board.
6. Think like Goldilocks when you set the height of your ironing board – not too high and not too low, but just right. Think about your posture as you set the board up. You may be standing in one place for over an hour. Correct placement of the board can ward off later aches and pains caused by long bouts of ironing.
7. Use an anti-fatigue mat when ironing. Those sold for general kitchen use work well, as do the foam ABC/123 pull-apart mats that you may have around as children’s toys.
8. For best results, iron in daylight or at least in a well-lit room to enable you to notice any missed stains, holes or missing buttons. As you go, button every button, snap every snap, and zip every zipper. This ensures that all the parts of an item are present and functioning and assists in overall presentation.
9. Be wary of decals and beads/sequins on clothing! If you iron over them directly, they may be damaged. Turn your item inside out to iron that section of the clothing, or iron the back of the item at a higher setting with a blast of steam to get the wrinkles out while protecting the (often branded) decal or delicate decorations.
10. After an item has been ironed, pin it to a hanger right then and there. Remember to face your hanger to the left, so that it looks like a question mark when you look at the front of the garment. Pin pants, skirts and shorts to the top of the hanger’s “shoulders,” and give them the Tug Test to ensure that they are firmly affixed. Do the same for shirts and dresses. Your items will be handled multiple times during their trip to the sale, at the sale by workers as they merchandise the store and organize sections, and by shoppers themselves. If in doubt, pin!
11. Sets bring a higher price than individual items, so it’s important to merchandise them properly. If you have dresses with matching diaper covers, pin the diaper cover to the hanger along with the dress on the inside of the dress, if possible. (Diaper covers count as an item, so a dress with a matching diaper cover is a 2-piece set.) If you have a multi-piece set, use a small zip tie to secure hangers together and then pin the items together as well. You may be tempted to cut the zip tie to make it look “neater.” Don’t! You’ll be left with a sharp plastic edge right where you (or someone else) will grab the hanger. Ensure that matching accessories are also included – with several pins, or if appropriate, pop them into zipper bags, tape the tops of the bags and pin through the taped to the items they match. Note on the tag that it is a multi-item set.
SORTING
1. If you’re really organized, you will already have hung ironed items from the previous season in a spare closet or a separate section in your kids’ closets. These are your “seed” items for the coming season, which reduces your overall prep time. Are you shaking your head and laughing at the improbability of this scenario? Second best is to keep a tote in a closet where you’ve tossed clothes and shoes (in bags) as your kids outgrew them. It’s never too early to start planning for subsequent seasons.
2. Gather all your clothing items together, and on a bright, sunny day (preferably by a window), check each item over for stains, holes, missing buttons, faulty zippers and signs of heavy wash wear, such as fading and pilling. Pay special attention to collars, cuffs, fronts of shirts, knees and bottoms of pants and shorts, and don’t forget the backs of each item!
3. Sort your items into two laundry baskets – one for natural fibers, such as cotton, and another for synthetics. This will help you whip through your ironing, as different fabrics require different heat settings. If your items have been folded in storage for awhile, fluffing them first in the drier will reduce your ironing time. It’s tempting skip ironing your clothes, but items that are well presented have a greater chance of being sold. Most shoppers at consignment sales are looking for items that have been gently worn, are in excellent condition and look sharp.
IRONING and PINNING
4. Set up your workspace by a closet or a portable hanging rack (highly recommended) so that ironed, hung and pinned items can be immediately hung, not laid in a pile to wrinkle. When you’ve worked through your items, group them in “type” sections (shirts with shirts, shorts with shorts, etc.); this will assist you in the pricing/tagging process.
5. Have hangers sorted in bins by size and type for easy retrieval. Depending on your hanger sources, you may have infant, toddler, child, and teen top and bottom hangers in your inventory. These all need to be separated out before you start ironing. If most of your hangers are the same size, place them in an easy-to-reach spot close to the ironing Board.
6. Think like Goldilocks when you set the height of your ironing board – not too high and not too low, but just right. Think about your posture as you set the board up. You may be standing in one place for over an hour. Correct placement of the board can ward off later aches and pains caused by long bouts of ironing.
7. Use an anti-fatigue mat when ironing. Those sold for general kitchen use work well, as do the foam ABC/123 pull-apart mats that you may have around as children’s toys.
8. For best results, iron in daylight or at least in a well-lit room to enable you to notice any missed stains, holes or missing buttons. As you go, button every button, snap every snap, and zip every zipper. This ensures that all the parts of an item are present and functioning and assists in overall presentation.
9. Be wary of decals and beads/sequins on clothing! If you iron over them directly, they may be damaged. Turn your item inside out to iron that section of the clothing, or iron the back of the item at a higher setting with a blast of steam to get the wrinkles out while protecting the (often branded) decal or delicate decorations.
10. After an item has been ironed, pin it to a hanger right then and there. Remember to face your hanger to the left, so that it looks like a question mark when you look at the front of the garment. Pin pants, skirts and shorts to the top of the hanger’s “shoulders,” and give them the Tug Test to ensure that they are firmly affixed. Do the same for shirts and dresses. Your items will be handled multiple times during their trip to the sale, at the sale by workers as they merchandise the store and organize sections, and by shoppers themselves. If in doubt, pin!
11. Sets bring a higher price than individual items, so it’s important to merchandise them properly. If you have dresses with matching diaper covers, pin the diaper cover to the hanger along with the dress on the inside of the dress, if possible. (Diaper covers count as an item, so a dress with a matching diaper cover is a 2-piece set.) If you have a multi-piece set, use a small zip tie to secure hangers together and then pin the items together as well. You may be tempted to cut the zip tie to make it look “neater.” Don’t! You’ll be left with a sharp plastic edge right where you (or someone else) will grab the hanger. Ensure that matching accessories are also included – with several pins, or if appropriate, pop them into zipper bags, tape the tops of the bags and pin through the taped to the items they match. Note on the tag that it is a multi-item set.
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