MARNE, Mich. — Having a garage sale is a tradition for Jenny Pennington and her husband, but this year is different.
With COVID-19 still fresh in everyone’s minds and cases rising in some states, the Pennington's came up with a safe way for people to rummage through the stuff they're trying to sell at their home on Leonard Street near 42nd Avenue in Tallmadge Township.
"My husband and I were actually talking about it. We do garage sales every year and the whole thing with the quarantine and everything I was like this is perfect," Jenny said.
The solution was to make it a no-contact sale.
"I have signs put up where the checkout is. I have pricing. You walk up the stairs, you grab a bag, you leave your money in the bin, and everybody’s just kind of on their way," Jenny said.
The only drawback is she can’t offer change. But other than that, she says the test run of this new sale strategy went off without a hitch on Friday.
"It worked great! I haven’t had one person bother me. I was able to watch the kids and get things done in the house," she said.
"Hopefully others will join the routines. It’s actually a lot less hectic than what you think. It’s more relaxing than a regular garage sale for me."
Jenny says she’s also seeing other garage sale hosts using masks and gloves and hand sanitizer to keep their customers safe.
The Pennington’s annual sale continues Saturday, June 13 from 8 a.m. until noon.
More stories on 13 ON YOUR SIDE:
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.