Spring 2023 Auction Post Mortem Discussion

[mewickham]

The auction went smoothly. Corey's workaround for computer problems was successful. Let's do a quick post mortem of the event, while it is still fresh in our minds. I'll start. Though this discussion is aimed mainly at Board members, any auction attendee may give input.

1. We need more pens. There were not enough, they are all old and dry. Writing on wet bid slips also always takes out a few. BIC 36-pack is $6.99 at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/BIC-Round-Ballpoint-Medium-36-Count/dp/B00347A8NK

Also, Corey, keep an eye in your tub for my Ultrafine Sharpie. I need it for signing membership cards. Ballpoint pens skip on them.

2. The colored dot system needs a reform. Some people only got them for 3/4 of their items, with 1/4 meant to be left dotless. This gave an unfair advantage to those who were given dots for every item. It's easier to compute how many dots if there is a dot for each item. So let's make that the policy and do away with dotless. Besides, do we really need 4 categories, instead of 3?

3. Name tag labels don't stay on. We need to change the system. Perhaps get some of those cheap plastic name tag holders that clip onto a collar, and print the name tags to go in them. $9.99/doz. from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Horizontal-Holders-Waterproof-Holder-2-36x3-74/dp/B07TY9BF3R

4. I like the idea of board members having an NWAAS uniform, so that people can easily spot staff. A t-shirt, polo shirt, or sweatshirt for each board member would be nice, but a little pricey, and people often forget to wear them to the event. And we'd have to buy more every time the board changes. So maybe some aprons with the club logo on them? It would be a one-time purchase. We'd keep them with auction supplies. Looking at printing places, it looks like $15-$20 each printed. Or Walmart sells plain white aprons for $6. Some iron-on transfers and a new inkjet cartridge would take care of the rest for maybe $10 total each. Downside: hot cotton, no pockets. I kind of like this example (in white), since it's not super long, has pockets, and is partially synthetic (so cooler and more stain resistant): https://www.etsy.com/listing/1258449332/logo-apron-personalized-apron-with?ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=personalized+apron&ref=sr_gallery-1-20&pro=1&col=1&organic_search_click=1

Let me know what you think, and add your thoughts about auction procedures.

[DaniB]

Without any previous auction to compare this one to I thought it went very well. Using some other events as inspiration, here are my suggestions.

1. Maybe we could have a signup sheet for volunteers ahead of time (especially for runners). My daughter had another event cancel at the last minute and that’s why she was with me yesterday. Without the two girls it would have been much more difficult to keep a flow going.
2. The check in/check out station definitely needs two people/two computers to process slips and check outs. Corey is a machine, but it’s a two person job.
3. We need a folder with many blank seller forms and item slips. We used the few we had on hand and could have used more.
4. Numerous people asked about purchasing snacks. Maybe that’s something we could offer in the future.
5. Is there a way to check basic quality of livestock before it ends up on the sale table? Two people commented they purchased bags with dead shrimp, and many of the snails didn’t look good enough quality for anything other than feeders.
6. Maybe we could get a banner to post out front by the road on the auction/swap days just to help spread local word about us?

On the plus side, there was a great turnout thanks to word of mouth, Facebook, and posters. We received some new membership (in addition to those who only joined for the sellers discount). I like the idea of official shirts or aprons.

[mewickham]

Dani, thanks for the input!

A sign-up sheet for volunteers in advance is a good idea. In the past, we had a lot more kids show up, so never had a shortage of runners.

The lack of various forms was an oversight. I assumed that Corey had buyer and seller forms in his kit of auction supplies, so only printed membership forms. (I normally have to bring them to meetings, anyway.) So Corey and I both dropped the ball on that one.

Not sure what happened with the snacks. Corey had said he was going to get chips and candy bars. And I recall seeing a "Refreshments" sign on the table, when we were setting up. I did see some drinks, but not until the end. So I'm not sure where they were hiding. Maybe the snacks were hiding, too? We should not only have snacks and drinks, they should be highly visible so that we sell them. People leave early if they get hungry or thirsty. It's especially important to have them for staff, because we don't get a chance to go to lunch. I was there from 9:00 am— Corey was there earlier— and had only a candy bar for lunch that I brought from home.

Corey, since you have a full plate of other auction organizational duties, maybe picking up drinks and snacks is something you could delegate to one of the board members with fewer duties for the next one.

I totally agree that we need to upgrade the rebagging of underinflated and leaky bags. Literally, we need to assign a person to that duty in the future. Corey, I saw late that you brought some bags, but I don't know if anyone used them. Were those your bags or the club's? I think that the club should own a supply of bags, and charge to rebag anything that needs it. Up to a buck a bag. And the club should be the arbiter that decides whether or not something needs to be rebagged. Also, we need to post a detailed description of how to properly bag a fish before the auction. It should also teach which fish should be double-bagged, and emphasize that the second bag goes upside-down into the first bag, to round off corners and prevent spines from poking through.

We actually do have a large auction banner and even some yard signs. Corey used to put the yard signs up and down the road at intersections, but it was a lot of work, always seemed to rain on auction day, and they have to be retrieved afterward. I'd settle for just placing a couple of them on both sides of the church driveway. The banner should be stretched across the posts on the front of the building.

When this thread completes, we should recompile it into a to-do list for next time.

[mewickham]

Another potential uniform option: safety vests. THIS ONE FROM AMAZON has a pen pocket, regular pockets, and even a clear pocket to slip in a name tag. So no need for the clip-ons. And it comes in colors. Perhaps a blue one to match club colors would be a good choice. And it's polyester, so not hot or easily stained.

[JenniT]

I agree with everything that was already stated.

Is there a budget spreadsheet somewhere that could be shared?

OTHER SUGGESTIONS:

1. FISH BAGGING: I would suggest a simple 3-5-step postcard-sized graphic about how to bag the fish that is posted and sent out in an email to either all members on the email list or to people register online. I would also direct them to a detailed video about bagging fish that we make (and make sure to post on YT) and a video about transporting fish since many are travelling.

2. REFRESHMENTS: A nice touch would be to have a local cottage (home) baker at the event with a table full of goodies. As a cottage baker I have done that at many events- it's a great little bit of income as well as a great way to adverstise. We would make sure that they had a good spot on site, an advanced shout out and thank you, and some shout-outs at the auction.

3. FOOD FOR VOLUNTEERS: Our people work hard and need some loving care:) We could budget in pizza money or... I don't think it would be that difficult to get a donation of some type of lunch-type food for Board Members and Volunteers in exchange for an inclusion in the emails, posts, and a shout-out at the event. (They could also be considered an event sponsor.) I could handle this.

4. THANK YOU GIFT TO ALL VOLUNTEERS: I don't know what the net was for the auction- or what the goal was- or what the money is tagged for but it would be nice if we could include a little gift for our volunteers and Board Members who contribute their time and talent. Even if it is just to negotiate a deeper one-time discount with one of the stores.

5. SILENT AUCTION: I don't know if you've tried this before but it may help alleviate some of the wear and tear on everyone if we did a live auction for most livestock, plants, and higher end items and then put together a couple of tables of hard goods and gift certificates (and mystery snails;) that would be silent auction only. We could discuss how this would work.

6. A CUE SHEET: A simple bullet-pointed Cue Sheet for Mike, volunteers, and other auctioneers to use as reminders about what needs to be announced or shared with members.

7. INTERMISSION: I know you don't want to break the rhythm, but a 5-10 Minute Break might be helpful for everyone. People need to stretch their legs, use the bathroom, grab a snack etc. I think that they will return refreshed- especially if we do a little membership activity, raffle, or dance party when we bring them back to the table.

That's all folks!
Everyone did such a great job!

[mewickham]

Jenni, thanks for the comments!

I think the fish-bagging flyer and video ideas are genius! In hindsight, it's ridiculous that we didn't think of doing them before. The fish-bagging flyer is basically already written. I've done it for a section in a book I'm working on, and taking photos for it is already on my punch list. It would be easy to take a version of that and turn it into a permanent message in the forum auction info section (and also make an email flyer version). So I will claim that duty.

YouTube videos of how to bag and transport fish would be even more awesome. Let's give this a deep discussion at the next meeting. I know that you've got experience in the film industry, so your participation will be especially valuable. I've got lots of photo equipment, and easily bagged over a million fish in my retailer days. So it should be something we could pull off between the two of us and anyone else that wants to pitch in.

I like the cottage baker idea. Let's bring that up at the next meeting, and see if it's something people want to do instead of, or in addition to, the current candy bar and chips lineup. We'd still need drinks, of course.

In the past, we've all brought our own snacks to eat (or bought them at the auction). I'm kicking myself, though, because I had planned to order in a couple of pizzas as a surprise to be there before the show started. But in the hectic atmosphere, I forgot until it was too late to get them there in time. So I apologize for that. After the event, I personally bought dinner for the board members willing to join me. Unfortunately, you were already gone, so missed out. We'll try harder to get the lunch thing right, next time.

We're open to ideas on thank-you gifts. In the past, we had goody bags of donations from manufacturers, but they aren't donating like they used to.

Personally, I'm not a fan of silent auctions, but I'm not against them. Questions I have are do people usually hold those at the same time that a real auction is going on in the background? I worry that they could be forgotten and underbid, with all the activity up front. When would we end them? Is there a risk that people would leave before they knew they won? How do we determine what goes in? I think donated items are usually what gets used for that, but we have been short on those, since we started back up.

I'd be happy to have cue sheets for everyone, especially for me!

I think intermissions would be hard to do in that location. I don't know what the women's restroom is like, but the men's room is in such disrepair as to be entirely inadequate to service an intermission. It is a long term problem that they have never addressed. But, I think we should announce a reminder that there are snacks for sale at the back.

Regarding the budget, the constitution calls for the treasurer to issue one in January, based on past year's expenses. With being shut down for Covid and having no treasurer then, the treasurer might have trouble coming up with one. (Corey, please give it a shot, when you get time, and post it in the File Cabinet.) In any case, Corey will happily share the bank balance and answer any questions with any paid member. You can find some old info stored in the File Cabinet. Unfortunately, the last budget is for 2014 and the last financial statements are for 2013. Looks like some treasurers didn't upload it, as required, and several years were possibly lost during the forum deletion.

Lot's of good ideas in this thread!

[sskruzr]

You guys are too funny.
I like going to a 3 three dot system, I'm not sure how someone got dots for every item.
I forgot to print extra seller sheets. I'll print 10 sets and get thrm in the club tub.
Yes, two people at the registration desk is a must.
Yes, someone needs to inspect the livestock prior to the auction start but things happen. Maybe the auctioneer could give a quick look at the invertebrates. We all know shrimp can be fragile.
We're the auction rules posted somewhere? We shouldn't have had any out dated items, foods, medicines, or test kits in the auction. And no broken items.
We probably need to keep the number of items to 40. And a maximum of the same item from one seller to 10.
Too many snails.
We definitely need a re-bag station and a couple of buckets of water. I have extra bags and bands.
As far as a volunteer sign up sheet, good luck.
Drinks were there, just not promoted. I looked at walmart for chips but none I'd pay a buck a bag for. Didn't look for the candy bars. I mean how do you decide? The pop choices are bad enough. Somebody else needs to take on this chore. Otherwise I'm buying doritos and 3 musketeers.
Silent auctions are a hit or miss, depending on the items. Unless it's a fish everyone wants, I don't think u get any more for it than the regular auction. And then you two or three standing around a table with minutes to go and could be bidding on the regular auction.
I put out signs for the auction on the exits on the highway. They're only like 16 x 24. And the banner was in front of the church by the street.
A budget? We'd have to decide as a board. I'm a tight <censored>. Pay for a couple of speakers and some refreshments and I'm good. I figure it's a non profit club and I give whatever I can. I'm not what else would be on a budget.
I know these girls ran their tails and I think Gail gave them something from club donations, which is great but how do you know who will be a runner and what they'd like. Cash, a gift card, who knows, maybe that's why we never did it before.
I was at a HAAS auction years ago and this boy that was a runner wanted a kuhli loach, well every time one came up, he got outbid. So I noticed that and then bought one and when he brought it over, I signed the slip and it gave it to him. He was thrilled.
The board needs to get there early and go over these points.

[sskruzr]

Dani can you make a up bullet point document of these items so the board can address them at the next meeting?
Maybe we want get the publics thoughts, not just a limited number

[mewickham]

Corey, thanks for the input!

Man, I must've driven right by the signs and banner and not noticed them. Thanks for putting them out!

I love the kuhli loach story. My fun auction story also happened at a HAAS auction. I had put one of those 4-foot catfish-shaped pillows in, and somebody bought it for their kidlet. The little gal was hugging that thing, going up and down the aisles, but she was so short you couldn't see her—only a catfish head bobbing up and down the aisles, sticking above the crowd.

[mewickham]

An item to add to the list for next time: Tell me not to work the on-deck conveyer for so long. My hips are still killing me from bending over that thing for hours!

[mewickham]

There was some confusion about what to do with bid slips when an item didn't sell. I think best process is to mark "Unsold" on them and turn in both copies to the registration desk.

[sskruzr]

A couple of notes.
Maybe we should buy small tubs to place auction items in with clip boards.HAAS had 18 or them .
How about any seller receives the auction rules and fish bagging procedures?
Since we need a re-bagging station, the club should buy bags for re-bagging and if sellers need to purchase some, they wouldn't have to so many they wouldn't use.

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20230318_124931.jpg (1.6 MiB) Viewed 58 times

[mewickham]

Corey, I like all those ideas. The tubs would make it much easier to slide things down the conveyer line, too. Speaking of which, I think we need to shorten the front conveyer line, running from bid slip writers to auctioneer, from four tables to three. It required an extra table of unnecessary constant shifting. If we use tubs, we can even put two rows on a table and slide them at the same time. We could probably cut the labor there from two or three people, down to one, freeing up people to run a bagging station or do other duties.

Three of four tables shown

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Three of four tables shown

20230311_134226a-sm.jpg (50.15 KiB) Viewed 55 times

[mewickham]

BTW, taking a quick look around on Amazon and Walmart for tubs, this looks like a pretty good deal. They are shoe box size only about a buck apiece.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Sterilite-6-Qt-Storage-Box-Plastic-Titanium-Set-of-40/418670618

[mewickham]

I don't think this was mentioned in this thread yet, though mentioned elsewhere offline. We need to upgrade to either a headset microphone or a lavalier microphone for the auctioneer.

[JoanneDisFan]

The plastic tubs would be much easier to move items along. I'd suggest 2 tables for the stuff ready to auction, 1 table for prep (find the matching tag, put it in the tub, and organize it so we get a good mix of items), and a 4th table for the items that can be placed and sorted through. More paper towels for spills and leaks on the front table would also be nice. Some new pens.

[dennysfishroom]

Require double bagging and "no Zip-lock"] bags. If a bag is leaking, the club will re-bag the item and there will be a $2.00 required charge to sellers deducted on their bid slip. Offer bags for sale at club meetings at cost. Limit duplicate/identical items by 1 seller to 6 items or less.

[sskruzr]

These are all great comments and suggestions.
Let's address them at the next meeting.

[mewickham]

Adding to the list of things to discuss/acquire: For the bagging station, two buckets were mentioned—presumably one for clean water and one for dirty water. We should get one of those screw-on tops for the clean-water bucket, so that it can safely travel with preconditioned water in it. And club should buy a bottle of water conditioner.

[sskruzr]

Firehouse subs sells their pickle buckets for $3 with a lid that has a ring in it for no spills. I think Michael can get us the same thing from his work.

[mewickham]

I was just thinking that typical pickle bucket lids, if you put them on hard enough to be water tight, can be really difficult to get off. You can buy an aftermarket lid that snaps tightly onto pickle buckets, but has a center section that twists out, so relatively easy to open or close without tools.