Within 30 seconds of opening, the large television was taken. Three minutes later Patrick Teets also had a 19-inch monitor and two one-gigahertz computers. The remaining items of value not seized by Teets were claimed by the others within 10 minutes. After fifteen minutes, the majority of people had left – leaving only picked over parts.
This frenzy is a regular occurrence at Ohio State’s surplus store, Treasure or Trash, said Charles Jones, the store’s staff assistant.
Thirty minutes before the doors opened there were about 20 people positioning themselves outside, trying to gain an edge in the hunt. When the doors opened, there was a rush of people jockeying for a position to grab the best gear.
“It’s a dirty rush, everyone pushes each other out of the way,” Teets said. “I’ve had a woman pick a computer up out of my hands one time.”
The crowd that gathers in the early hours of the morning greets each other with warm greetings. They are mostly regulars, shopper Abdirahmen Jama said.
“(Treasure or Trash) opens at 8 a.m.,” Teets said. “I usually get here an hour ahead of time.”
Getting here early can ensure that one gets their choice of equipment, he said.
“I’ve had customers tell me that they’ve been out since 5 a.m. if we had only one of a highly desirable item,” Jones said.
To eliminate feuds, an on the spot auction takes place if more than one customer wants the same item, he said.
The items for sale at Treasure or Trash are listed on the store’s Web site on Monday.
“I sometimes check on the Internet,” Teets said. “But it’s hit or miss.”
The store receives its merchandise from departments at OSU that are looking to get rid of their wares, Jones said.
“On Mondays, (departments) can re-assign items with no other competition,” he said. “On Tuesdays, we have the store open for the public and on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday we receive and test items.”
“Most of the time the good stuff is picked up by the other departments,” Teets said. “They get their hands in there first.”
The store has had everything from an old water tower to a Cessna prop engine aircraft, Jama said. Currently they have a $70,000 genetic DNA analyzer.
“It’s a good deal,” Jama said. “It’s an environmentally friendly way to recycle.”
Jama left Tuesday morning with three computer monitors and an 800 megahertz computer. The store allows the buyer to test their items before purchase, he said.
Some of the leftover items from this Tuesday are 84 monitors, one piano, 50 file cabinets of varying shapes and colors and seven chairs.
The store’s roots date back to the early ’60s when they sold their items via auction, Jones said.
“Originally all of the material was sold by bid and that became rather unwieldy over time,” he said. “So in the ’80s there was a movement to streamline the process to add in some flexibility and that’s led us to the operation you find today.”
The store usually rakes in around $1,000 per week, he said.
Treasure or Trash, located at 2560 Kenny Road, only accepts checks or money orders and is open to the public from 8:00 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. on Tuesdays. Items for sale can be found at www.ctlr.ohio-state.edu/TOT/Public/default.asp.
