- Authorized since June 2, garage sales, usually very numerous, can be counted on the fingers of one hand at the start of this summer.
- Physical distance, masks for exhibitors, management of visitor flows, etc. The constraints imposed by the prefectures and town halls are numerous.
- Faced with these health measures, many organizing associations are discouraged and prefer to cancel or postpone their event.
An old model of game console, a chandelier to repair, a few DVDs and clothes for all tastes… Garage sales attracted crowds a few months ago. But if they have been authorized again since the beginning of June, a large majority is canceled for the moment.
Sanitary devices to put in place
"It's impossible, there are too many constraints ..." The explanation is always the same: the health recommendations to limit the risk of spreading the Covid-19 are too heavy for the organizers to bear. According to the Ministry of Health, garage sales fall under the market system. However, the associations that manage them are sometimes very limited in human resources as well as in money. However, garage sales make it possible to fill cash at low cost, and these revenues then finance the own activities of these associations. "If it's to collect 500 euros, frankly, it's not worth it, we'll put it off until later," explains Gérôme on a second-hand dealer forum.
The main measures to be implemented are common to all events: ensure the physical distance of one meter between visitors and exhibitors, display safety rules, establish a one-way visit, encourage payment without contact (almost non-existent in garage sales), make gel available and ask visitors not to touch the objects for sale, encourage the wearing of masks ... Constraints amplified by many municipalities, as in Paris. The town hall provides a methodological guide to the organizers, which recommends positioning dedicated staff to regulate attendance, materializing landmarks on the ground to respect safety distances, respecting a distance of 2 meters between stands and surrounding buildings ... So many measures which push many organizers to postpone their event.
A drop-by-drop recovery
But let the seekers be reassured, some garage sales are taking place, and this should increase in the coming weeks. "First, the town halls did not know how to manage the situation, that's why they had trouble giving permits," said a member of the association Fatou Kaba, who canceled her garage sale in the 20th arrondissement of Paris. But all the parties concerned seem to find a way, and it is possible to find garage sales which have confirmed their maintenance. This is the case in Châteaubourg (Ille-et-Vilaine), this Sunday, July 5. The organizer, Chloé Lamoureux, indicates that the municipality will help to keep the rules in order: “The municipal police will help us welcome the 200 exhibitors and visitors. "
In Lanrodec (Côtes-d'Armor), the garage sale will also take place this Saturday. But Arnaud, member of the history association which organizes the event, warns all participants: “We have everything in place: the recommendations, the distance, the one-way journey. But you can't put one member behind each. People have to take responsibility so that everything goes well. "
All is not lost
If the garage sales are expected with such haste, it is also because the French have had time to sort during confinement. All the treasures hidden in cupboards, attics and cellars have not been lost. "We received a very large volume of donations at the end of the confinement," says Valérie Fayard, deputy director of Emmaus France, to the point that we no longer knew where to store everything. "If the association had to make an important sorting," some confused us with the recycling center ".
Many resourcers also received stocks and were able to compensate, just a little, for their losses due to containment. From these gifts, like the craze for garage sales, Valérie Fayard concludes: “The positive point is that the second hand has a bright future ahead of it. "
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- Deconfinement
- Emmaus
- Sale
- Covid 19
- Economy
- Recycling
- Flea market