The Sunday Record – May 3, 1998
(Reprinted with permission)

CRYSTAL WAREHOUSE SALE

DRAWS BARGAIN HUNTERS BY THE THOUSANDS

Shop Talk by Joan Vernon

So, there were 45,000 bargain hunters in Ridgefield Park in December and not one bothered to call?

Those bargain hunters, who were shopping at the Crystal Warehouse winter sale, obviously wanted to remain anonymous. Tell the world that you shop the Crystal Warehouse sale, and you’ve let the cat our of your gift bag.

Everyone will know that you paid $19 for the six-piece martini set of $6 for the sweetheart vase or just 75 cents each for those brass picture frames you handed out as wedding favors.

There are two Crystal Warehouse sales a year, one just before Christmas, the other just before Mother’s Day. The sale last December drew so many shoppers – according to sale organizers, as many as 45,000, some of whom waited as long as 2 ½ hours to enter the warehouse – that the company has installed a hot line to let shoppers know how long a line awaits them.

I was skeptical of the 45,000-shopper claim, so I went to the Ridgefield Park police department for just the facts, ma’am. The police confirmed that the Crystal Warehouse sale is December is one of their village’s biggest tourist attractions. The Mother’s Day sale draws fewer shoppers, police said, but enough to cause at least a couple of traffic jams during the two weeks of the sale.

And police department employees report they’ve captured a few bargains at the sale. "I bought two lamps – they wanted $100 apiece for them, but I haggled them down to $60 because one of the lamps had a chip near the top, under the shade. And you know what, later I saw those lamps in Stern’s for $300," said one department store employee.

The sale is held at the out-of-the-way warehouses of Crystal Clear, a major importer and wholesaler of crystal and glassware with estimated annual sales of between $85 and $95 million, that are nestled below Route 46 and next to a freight train route. Whole some of the products sold at the sale bear the Crystal Clear label, sale organizers emphasize that this is a "Crystal Warehouse" sale, Crystal Warehouse being an entity created to offer the semi-annual sales.

This year’s Mother’s Day sale began Sunday, April 19, with customers on the mailing list getting a chance to shop on four days before the sale was advertised to the general public. The advertised sale dates began on Tuesday, and today, the Sunday before Mother’s Day, is usually the busiest day of the spring sale. A bonus sale day, with extra discounts will be held May 11.

Abe Zanger, vice president of operations at the warehouse, served as historian and tour guide when I visited last Sunday. The sale, he said, started by accident 22 years ago, after a small fire created the need to clear out some lampshades. A sign went up, "Lampshades, $5," and the public streamed into the warehouse. The owners thought, "Might as well put out some crystal, too," and a tradition was born.

The merchandise sold at the sale is overstocks and discontinued lines, as well as items bought in specifically for the sale, such as candles or wrapping paper. There’s a one-of-a-kind table" where bargaining is welcomed, and a table stocked with dinnerware.

"Look at this," Zanger said, pointing to a 20-piece set for $35, "for that price you can eat on it and throw it away, if you actually think about it. How can you go wrong?"

"This is a hand-cut bowl," Zanger says, picking up another bargain. It normally sells for 49 bucks, we’re selling it at $18." He continues through the warehouse, pointing out buys for $3, $2, even $1, noting again and again, "How can you go wrong?"

The warehouse sale in recent years has become a popular place for bulk purchases of wedding favors for large North Jersey weddings. Just inside the doors there’s a display case of favors that usually is surrounded by a bevy of brides and bridesmaids comparing notes.

"That’s what Kelly did," said one, pointing to a 2-inch-by-3-inch antique brass frame for $3. "She had a frame like that, and she put the place cards in the frame, so it served two purposes." Additional discounts are offered for orders of 96 or more.

In addition to $2 vases and $1 coffee mugs, you can pick up a Hummel collectible for $700, or a tiny Swarovski crystal reindeer for $130 at the booth operated by Armo International, which has the concession to sell high-end collectibles, along with other closeouts, at the sale.

The Armo stand, operated by Abe Friedman, draws collectors who come every year, wish lists in hand, to see if Friedman has any of the Lladro, Hummel, or Swarovski pieces they are seeking.

While most retailers who deal with the companies that produce collectibles are never allowed to offer discounts, Friedman buys from retailers looking to get rid of inventory, and thus can offer the closest thing to wholesale prices for collectibles. "I’m buying the reindeer for $130 and I’ve seen it in stores for $185," said one Swarovski collector.

The shoppers at Crystal Warehouse don’t like to reveal their names, but ask them about their purchases and they’ll tell all. One shopper, a fiftysomething physician from Manhattan, made a beeline for $20 pair of Carrera sunglasses at Friedman’s booth.

"Are these real Carrera?" she asked salesperson Judy Jakubo. After being assured that yes, they really were Carrera, she bought two pairs, along with four $12 folding chairs. "I just bought the same chairs at Bed, Bath & Beyond for $26, and here they are for $12," she said. "I have to take the other chairs back."

The doctor said she comes to the sale every year. "I get – how you call them, tchotchkes – and I get good stuff too."

And as Abe Zanger says, "For $2 for a vase, how can you go wrong?"