Department Description- The ManCave is the ultimate "find anything" destination for the rummage sale. While there are many departments that focus on specific categories or classifications, The Cave is the place where you find all things Electronic, Tools, Hardware, Televisions, Stereos and any/all garage and home garden needs. If you can imagine something crazy showing up and not having a traditional home- The ManCave is where you'll find it!!
Our Team configuration- There are two chairman for the department, Steve Olmstead and Paul Cerula. Both of us have many years under our belt organizing the chaos and excitement of the team we lead. There are two functional portions of the sale that we have teams for as they relate to the setup portion of the event VS the sale days. I will identify the days that teams will be on stage below and summarize what the roles and responsibilities are.
-Days 1-4 (Sunday through Wednesday) Setup space, unload donations/move to Cave, secondary sort/test, price.
During these days the biggest need is for sorting and moving- Lots of this will require some potentially heavier lifting however we follow all safety guidelines and have the moving company to assist with larger objects. Generally smaller trailers will be used to move boxes and items to the ManCave area, volunteers will remove and sub-sort into the identified areas around the ManCave (We can review areas further) and most of the electrical items will require testing and confirmation they are sellable. We break up into testing teams for each section so we can use "subject matter experts" in all areas. For example- If you are a tool person and buy lots of tools and know what tools are used for, and can accurately price within sales guidelines (we have coaches) then you can sign up to work in tools. Same would be applicable for Electronics, appliances, hardware, etc. Generally speaking a working knowledge of Google or preferred search engines helps with a lot of this portion of the week.
-Days 5 (Thursday) Sorting, Pricing and Volunteer shopping
On Thursday we generally have the fair majority of the "heavy lifting" done and are at the point of organizing inventory, continued testing and pricing. In years prior, we have run out of time and or rushed the pricing and as a result were unable to get the maximum amount that we could have for the items on tables- so there is a big focus on getting all items priced and ready by 11(ish) as that is when the Volunteer shopping window is open. There are rules for who can shop based on hours worked that we have to track the same as other departments, and if volunteers do not meet the requirement OR do not want to shop, this is where we shift into the sales and sales assistance portion of the week and shift on to Friday-Sunday
Days 6-8 (Friday through Sunday evening) VIP Sale, Normal sale days and tear down- I will do my best to break these into sections.
-VIP Shopping- These days we really need to "shine" and ensure that we have all hands on deck for sales and the "sales associate" experience. This primarily involves being on the floor, working with customers that might have questions about an item, a price, or simply need a hand carrying something to checkout. This is a really easy job and typically requires a smile and pleasant attitude- also where our SME's can play an integral role in selling some of the items that may be higher dollar as many people have questions. Note that on VIP day most of the buyers know what they are coming for and as mentioned- it’s the headcount that we need for assistance. We also need a dedicated team for working at the sales table- this will involve checking customers out, calculating sales totals and ensuring things don’t get backed up. This role requires someone with excellent communication skills as well as good old multi-tasking and teamwork! When VIP is done, teams are cut free for the day and leaders stick around to double check space for sale days
-General sale days (Saturday and Sunday)- Open to the public, a bit more chaos and really identical roles and responsibilities as VIP (just more people) The big need these days are just floor staff to rotate out and assist with customers. This is kind of a dynamic couple of days and you could be asked to fill in just about anywhere that we are needing a hand.
-Sunday afternoon- Cleanup. This is pure and simple, manual labor and cleanup from the event. Typically involves packing up remaining usable items for organizations to retrieve, Throwing out trash, Folding up tables, packing up sales and department supplies.
Hand Tools/Garage Crew
Sorting, identifying, testing, pricing and organizing/staging for sale. This role requires some running knowledge of consumer electronics. Includes Televisions, Stereos, Computers, Gaming systems and every day consumer electronics. Effective search engine utilization skills are a plus for pricing and identification (we get some WEIRD stuff)
Sorting, identifying, testing, pricing and organizing/staging for sale. This role will require mostly testing and organizing. In this section we get a LOT of kitchen appliances, vacuums, fans and things that pug into the wall for power.
Sorting, identifying, testing, pricing and organizing/staging for sale. This department is very dynamic and generally requires good organizational skills and the ability to set up a sales area that is more in the outdoor patio and or larger side of things. Items in this space include Grills, Lawnmowers, Garden supplies and hand tools, and outdoor patio items. Again will require some testing of tools, Checking items to see if they are sale worthy (clean and undamaged)
This will be a section dedicated to intake from the main sorting area- Once boxes or items arrive at the tent, Workers in this department are responsible for sub sorting to the "intake tables" for each sub department. This role is a lot of legwork within the department and good organizational skills are a plus.
Pricing
This is a more specialized role and would be really good for someone that is or has spent any time in the resale business. The ability to perform (sometimes) details internet searches and then follow a product pricing baseline that we will review for each section. Sometimes this job is simply applying product price stickers to items on tables- but at the end of the day we need to get everything ready for the sale!
Sales assistance (helping move larger items or carry smaller items to the pay station) answering questions, help customers test items, be kind and friendly!
Lunch Option Available
Lunch is available daily for $5 per person/per day – YOU MUST COMPLETE THE FORM TO ENSURE FOOD IS AVAILABLE ON DAYS YOU ARE VOLUNTEERING!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050B4CA9A62BA5FF2-51851434-volunteer
Tips for being the BEST volunteer:
1. Arrive early – traffic for the event itself can sit in a queue for up to an hour. Be sure you don’t get stuck in the back up of shoppers. All volunteers should arrive at least 30 minutes before your volunteer shift is set to begin.
2. Check in / Check out – Each department will need to document the hours you served. SO, be proactive and ask the department head where you should sign in/out for your shift. If signing up through the Loudoun Cares portal, you should sign in/out at the Information and Registration Desk at Sykes Hall – you will also be assigned an apron to wear for your shift. Return the apron when you sign out.
3. Dress appropriately – the event happens at the Loudoun County Fairgrounds. Not all departments are inside buildings, some are located in tents on the grounds. SO – dress accordingly with the weather forecast that day. Wear layers as needed. Wear comfortable, closed toe shoes
4. Be flexible - We may need to move you to other areas as needed!
5. Bring a water bottle, wear sunscreen, SIGN UP FOR LUNCH when you receive the link, look for ways to stay busy & most importantly, HAVE FUN!!
