Features

• Dedicated shoppers arrive early to get close-in parking and good places in the line, which can swell to hundreds before the doors open. You can come later and avoid the long line, although the selection will be smaller. Just be sure to give yourself a few hours inside because the place is big. 

• Dress appropriately for an outdoor wait (if you’re going to stand in line) and also for spending time indoors in an unheated, windowless, space built of metal and concrete.  

• Travel light and wear comfortable shoes. There are few places to sit down outside or in (except on furniture for sale), and you’ll quickly be burdened with objects you’d like to buy. 

• The sale is going to be crowded. The aisles are often narrow. Move around in a determined, but considerate, way. 

• You must pay for your purchases before you leave a section; you cannot cart books next door to buy in the lamps and electronics area, for instance. The section clerks will box or bag your purchases, seal them up, and tape or staple a receipt to the container. Don’t lose the receipt! You can’t get your purchases out the exit without it. 

• If you really want something or the price seems too good to pass up, get it now. If you wander away and come back, chances are someone else will have snapped it up (except for that picture frame ornamented with someone’s collection of wine corks in the art section). 

• Use the free checkstand/holding area at the north end of the warehouse (and make sure to keep track of your claim tickets). Remember that as the end of the sale nears, there may be long, slow, lines to pick up items at the holding area and to leave the building. 

• If at all possible, convince a friend or family member to come along. Trade off taking new purchases to the holding area, waiting in lines, or going back to get the car once you’re ready to leave but need someone to watch your pile of purchases at the exit. 

• Amenities are few; this is a warehouse in an industrial neighborhood. Port-a-potties are found outside. A snack is a good thing to bring if you’re waiting in line. But no food inside. 

• Don’t bring your own carrying containers. Bags and boxes are provided inside. You also cannot enter with strollers or shopping carts or baskets. 

• Everything you buy is As Is, Buyer Beware, No Returns. Most items are used, although generally clean and in good condition. There are no warranties. So if you fall in love with something, make sure you check for small dings, chips, stains, missing small parts, or other subtle wear and tear before you buy it. 

• Bring sufficient cash, and/or a checkbook. It’s pay as you go. 

• Don’t carp about the prices. The money is for a good cause, and most of the items are very inexpensive, even compared to flea markets, junk shops, and many yard sales. 

• For more information, visit the Oakland Museum website (www.museumca.org) and click on the news updates on the WES. 

• Finally, if you want to shop early next year, ask about becoming a volunteer or plan on the preview sale in February. You pay $12.50 in advance or $15 at the door, but you get to shop a month before the free sale. Also, if you make a modest donation of goods to sell, you get a free shopping day between the preview sale and main sale in March.