Volunteering at Duck Duck Goose

If you’ve ever considered volunteering at a consignment sale, but aren’t sure what to expect, this guest post is for you. Welcome to my friend, Ashlee Bechdoldt, first time consignment sale volunteer. Ashlee is sharing her experience of volunteering at Duck Duck Goose’s sale set-up day with us.

I decided to volunteer 8 hours at Duck Duck Goose (DDG) this year so that I could be among the first to shop the sale before it opens to the general public. DDG volunteers are called Lead Ducks.  I wasn’t sure what being a Lead Duck would be like, but I figured it was worth a try.

Upon arriving at the Duck Duck Goose Sale, I was directed to a laptop computer where I clocked-in for my 4-hour shift.  The friendly person working the front desk told me to put on an apron and pointed me toward the “supervisors” for further directions.

For the most part, volunteers held one of two jobs – check-in/stain buster or floor organizer.  I spent the majority of my time in the floor organizer role.  A floor organizer literally keeps the merchandise on the floor organized.  As the sale grows closer supervisors must keep close watch on the availability of space for more items.  Racks, tables, and baskets must constantly be shifted.  The objective is to stay ahead of the game.

Ashlee sorting (and scouting?) the toy section

For example, on the clothing side, a supervisor noticed that the round clothing racks designated for size 0-3 month girls’ clothing had become almost full.  Since no additional round clothing racks were available an alternative plan was put into action. We moved purses that were hanging on straight clothing racks near the 0-3 month girls’ clothing to a vertical grid to free up space on the straight clothing racks.

On the baby gear and toy side, the floor space allocated to house strollers, pack n’ plays, swings, high chairs and bouncy seats became full.  Since there were still 6 hours left for people to drop off additional items something had to be done!  So, we moved travel systems (car seat/stroller) near the car seats.  Blankets and bedding piled on tables were condensed into boxes and bouncy seats were moved onto the tables and stacked neatly.  The remaining strollers, pack n’ plays, swings, and high chairs were tightly lined up revealing additional floor space for more merchandise.

So, essentially, my pre-sale Lead Duck shift involved a lot of moving stuff around.

Overall, I had a great time as a Lead Duck at Duck Duck Goose.  As a stay-at-home mom, it was fun to be in a “work” environment. The other Lead Ducks and employees were all very friendly.  I got a great workout and I had an opportunity to window shop.  I had no idea that so much work takes place behind the scenes.

Putting in the extra time was completely worth having the advantage of being in the first group of people to shop the sale.  I have shopped several consignment sales before, so I know what things usually sell for.  Being the first to shop meant that I was able to get items that had the best prices at the sale, so I got even more for my money!

If you are considering volunteering for DDG in the future here are a few things you might want to keep in mind:

• Volunteering the day before the private sale is a great way to check out all the merchandise and prepare for the sale.
• Volunteering is labor intensive.  You get a great workout but it’s certainly not for the weak.
• If you volunteer prior to the start of the Winter Sale your work environment will be very hot.  They do not turn on the air conditioning until the sale starts.
• Water is provided for volunteers but food is not so bring a snack or lunch if you are working during the noon hour.
• Volunteering either 4 or 8 hours gives you the advantage of shopping the sale even before the consigners do!

For more information on the upcoming Duck Duck Goose sales and volunteer opportunities, visit their website.

Disclosure: Ashlee wrote this blog post as part of her 8 hour volunteer duties. However, opinions expressed in the post are solely her own.

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