Car Boot Sales

When Boot Sales were new

A good few years ago a phenoma started known as a ‘Car Boot Sale’.

In those days, people would turn up in a field or car park and sell things they no longer wanted from the back of their cars. (Americans note that in the UK, the back of the car is the ‘boot’ and not the ‘trunk’).

All sorts ot things were sold, things people no longer needed or wanted ranging from small appliances through tools to ornaments and clothing. All useful stuff that the owners would rather pass on, albeit for a smal fee, thaan see it thrown out.

Occaisionally when watching old antiques shows on the TV, an item would appear, some piece of pot or glass that would attract the attention of the producer and low and behold the 50p find at a car boot sale miraculously turns out to be a long lost thingy-ma-bob that’s worth say £25,000. Everyone apart from the original owner are delighted.

Now Boot Sales are long in the tooth

The recipe for the car boot sale hasn’t changed too much. Certainly in Great Western land, they are bigger and have catering such as the typical egg and bacon ‘bap’ (small bread roll), hot and cold drins, ice cream and so on.

They also carry and entrance fee for visitors and a sellers fee.

That’s it though, the same old thing however the general theme of a car boot sale seems to have morphed into a kiddy centric sale for baby clothes and parhpinalia, cheap plastic toys and old audio/vidio stuff no-one seems to want anymore.

Why People Go to Car Boot Sales

It is hard to escape the fact that there are a lot of people who are finding times hard and have a number of young people who need clothes and want toys yet not everyone attending a sale falls into that category.

It is equally hard not to consider that perhaps people are going round looking for that piece of Clarice Cliff, the old looking plain piece of Lalique or even a Constable picture for 10p, 50p or £1.

I wonder if it’s still out there. . .