Merchant Square is about to have a silent auction! Look for it to be set up in the next few days. I don’t know all the details yet, but I will fill you in when I have them.
A little background: Merchant Square is a place where the staff members get to know the customers. Maybe that’s just the way they are. Maybe it’s because shopping there is so personal. People go there to find things they love, and each item has been hand-chosen by someone who either hunted it down or made it. The staff members at Merchant Square are well aware that nobody has to shop with them, and that each customer has made a choice to be there. Not only that, they are nice people. So it wasn’t a big surprise to hear that the store has decided to hold a silent auction on behalf of the family of a customer who passed away.
For those of you unfamiliar with the concept of a silent auction, here’s the scoop. Basically, it’s
silent because rather than having an auctioneer announce the bidding and bidders yell out their bids, the bids are written down. Each item is identified by a description or a code or both, and there’s a sheet of paper or card for each item. It will usually include the item description, a minimum starting bid, the increments in which bids should be placed (for example, you may have to raise the bid at least a dollar to enter a new bid), and space for multiple bids. You may be asked to use your real name, or you may be asked to register a code with the organization conducting the auction. You may be asked for contact information, as well, so you can be notified if you win an item. The auction can be concluded in a matter of hours or it can go on for days. This one will span multiple days. If you want to bid on an item, you need to find the sheet or card for that item and enter a bid higher than the last one showing. The highest bid at the end of the auction wins. Usually, if the winner fails to pay for the item within a prescribed length of time, the next highest bidder will be offered the item.
I don’t know what this person collected, but it will be fun to see the auction, no matter what the offerings are. It will be set up in the front of the store, so it won’t be hard to find. I will share more details when I get them, and I hope everyone has fun shopping and bidding!
Starshine Wishes,
Karen