The Bad Signs Are Everywhere!

For years, I had a Saturday morning ritual: visiting yard sales. Most of the time, I'd plan my route out on a map, then make a list of every garage sale, estate sale, moving sale or flea market within a three-mile radius that I had seen advertised in the newspaper. I wouldn't often buy anything unless I came across an exceptional bargain, like the time I bought the entire catalog of The Smiths on CD for $8.

One of the surest indications that Spring, and "Spring Cleaning" season has arrived, is the growing number of signs appearing everywhere. Tacked on or taped to trees, or telephone pools, these signs are almost without exception, the worst possible way to advertise a yard sale.

Take for example, the sign in the photo at right. Thin lettering on fluorescent paper? You can't read the address at all until you're practically standing next to it, totally useless if you're driving around. Another common sin is using cheap paper or even ripped up cardboard as a sign, which blows away if it isn't secured right.

Maybe it's the marketer and advertiser in me thinking, but I just cringe when I see bad signs. No wonder so much eventually winds up out on the curb for trash pickup!