Wal-Mart and Michelle Obama team up for a healthier America – National Consumers League

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What do First Lady Michelle Obama and the world’s largest retailer have in common? Before yesterday, you would be hard-pressed for an answer, but Wal-Mart and Obama found common cause in the goal of a healthier America on Thursday when they unveiled the retailer’s plans to make the foods it sells healthier and more affordable.

The plan calls for reducing the levels of sugar and sodium, and eliminating all trans fat in packaged food. It also calls for lowering prices on produce and developing a logo to help customers more easily identify healthy food items. Obama explained that the retailer’s commitment to healthier food is a “huge victory for folks all across the country” and is a great sign that her “Let’s Move” campaign against childhood obesity is gaining traction among business.

Similar efforts have been made by smaller food companies and many prominent government officials have voiced strong commitments to nutrition issues; NYC Mayor Bloomberg recently announced a plan to reduce sodium in US foods by 25%. However, as the world’s largest retailer, with upwards of 60,000 suppliers, any decision Wal-Mart makes carries considerable weight and has the potential to benefit the most Americans.

While yesterday’s announcement comes with the White House seal of approval, and could well be an important step toward increased access to healthier food, the retailer’s harsh treatment of its workers still casts a pall on the good this does. Wal-Mart has long been known for fighting unions, paying low wages, and not offering its workers decent benefits. Even the Obamas themselves have criticized Wal-Mart in the past. Four years ago, on the campaign trail, President Obama stated that he wouldn’t shop at Wal-Mart because of its anti-union polices and unfair treatment of workers; days later, Michelle Obama resigned from the board of Tree Foods, a Wal-Mart vendor.

So while it’s good to hear that Wal-Mart is going to offer healthier food to its customers, it doesn’t change the fact that the mega-retailer still needs to do far better by its workforce.

Scammers going after senior victims, says NCL’s Fraud Center – National Consumers League

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January 19, 2011

Contact: (202) 835-3323, media@nclnet.org

Washington, DC—The National Consumers League (NCL) has released its annual report on the top scams reported to its national Fraud Center, and the nonprofit consumer group noted a growing trend in 2010 indicating that older consumers have been targeted hard by con artists and are disproportionately falling victim to sweepstakes scams.

The report, which is compiled from consumer complaints submitted to NCL’s Fraud Center, examined trends in Internet and telemarketing fraud in 2010.

“Fraudulent telemarketers and Web-based scammers aren’t just pushy salespeople trying to make a living – they are hardened criminals out to take their victims’ life savings,” said NCL Executive Director Sally Greenberg. “Con artists know that older consumers may be particularly vulnerable to falling for a bogus pitch, using scare tactics, posing as legitimate outfits, or making the offer sound so sweet that it’s difficult for consumers to resist.”

Indeed, just last month, NCL’s Fraud Center alerted consumers of scam artists using variations on the so-called “Grandparent Scam,” in response to a number of consumer complaints that the Fraud Center received regarding attempted and successful frauds by unscrupulous scammers.

In a typical Grandparent Scam, a con artist calls or emails the victim posing as a relative in distress or as someone claiming to represent the relative (such as a lawyer or law enforcement agent). The scammer may frantically tell the victim a variation of “Grandma, it’s me,” followed by a description of the problem in which they have found themselves (arrested, in an auto accident, in need of a lawyer, etc.). The victim is then instructed to wire money to the scam artist with the claim that the funds will be used for bail money, lawyer’s fees, hospital bills, or other expenses. The victim is urged not to tell anyone, such as the parent of the “grandchild” because they do not want them to find out about the trouble they’ve gotten themselves into. Although Grandparent Scams have not yet made an appearance in the Top Ten list of scams, the fact that fraudsters are targeting older consumers is consistent with other trends the Fraud Center has noticed recently. And many scams rely on money being wired. Consumers should be wary of any offer that requires wiring of money, instead of using a credit card, which protects consumers in the event of a scam.

“Scam artists will stop at nothing to defraud consumers, many of whom are elderly and living on fixed incomes,” said John Breyault, NCL Vice President of Public Policy, Telecommunications and Fraud.

Fake Check scams remain most-reported

Fake check scams—in which fraudsters lure their victims with phony mystery shopper jobs or sweepstake “winnings,” and ask their victims to cash realistic-looking checks and wire a portion of the proceeds back to the scammer before the check bounces—continued to be the most frequently-reported scam to NCL’s Fraud Center, making up 29 percent of all complaints (37 percent of all Internet fraud complaints and 26 percent of telemarketing complaints).

“Fake check scams have been going strong since we first started hearing about them years ago. There are so many variations of the fake check scam, it’s often hard to keep track. But whatever the pitch, they all have one thing in common: there is no legitimate reason for someone to give you money and then ask you  to wire money back,” said Breyault. “If a stranger wants to pay you for something, insist on a cashiers check for the exact amount, preferably from a local bank or a bank that has a branch in your area.”

For more information on NCL’s 2010 Top Ten Scams report, click here.

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About the National Consumers League

Founded in 1899, the National Consumers League is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Its mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. NCL is a private, nonprofit membership organization. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

NCL to host first ever LifeSmarts Summit in Torrance, CA January 24-26 – National Consumers League

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January 20, 2011

Contact: (202) 835-3323, media@nclnet.org

Washington, DC—The National Consumers League has announced it will host the first-ever LifeSmarts Summit in Torrance, California later this month, convening experts in the arena of education, family and consumer sciences, and corporate consumer communications to assess and evaluate the 17-year-old program’s curriculum and plan for expansion efforts. The nation’s oldest consumer group, which runs the national teen education competition, hopes the three-day summit, hosted by Toyota Financial Services, a long-time LifeSmarts supporter, will result in a strengthened curricular foundation and a plan for implementing expanded outreach efforts. The first ever LifeSmarts Summit has been made possible from a cy pres grant awarded to NCL.

“In light of how dramatically the marketplace has changed in recent years, having become more global, more confusing, and lined with more traps for consumers than ever before, now is the time to roll up our sleeves to assess and redefine the curriculum educators are using to prepare the next generation of consumers,” said Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director. “American youth often graduate from high school, enter the workforce, rent apartments, lease cars, and apply for credit cards as illiterate consumers. There’s never been a stronger need for current, quality consumer curriculum, and we are delighted to convene a stellar group of experts to ensure that modern consumer education meets these challenges.”

Media Advisory

What: LifeSmarts Summit

Saturday, January 22: LifeSmarts program staff and state coordinators will train 30 educators, mentors, and community leaders to introduce them to LifeSmarts, focusing on high schools in East Los Angeles.

Sunday, January 23: 65 teenagers from East LA high schools, including members of the East LA Boys & Girls Club, will be brought in to be trained as future LifeSmarts participant-leaders.

Monday, January 24-Wednesday, January 26: Consumer literacy experts convene to validate consumer content, concepts, and develop educational activities to infuse consumer topics into the classroom and group settings.

When: January 22-26, 2010

Where: Toyota Financial Services

Saturday and Sunday: TFS South Campus

19001 South Western Avenue, Torrance, CA  90501

Monday: Toyota Plaza, 1411 West 190th Street, Gardena, CA  90248

Who: Participants include:

Curriculum and consumer education experts including past and current leaders from the American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences (AAFCS) and FCCLA; university professors in consumer sciences; nonprofit consumer advocates; representatives from the Federal Reserve; business executives from Toyota Financial Services, Visa, American Express, and Western Union, and others

Those interested in attending should contact NCL’s LifeSmarts Program Director Lisa Hertzberg, (651) 699-3650, lisah@nclnet.org

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About LifeSmarts and the National Consumers League

LifeSmarts, the Ultimate Consumer Challenge, is a 17-year-old consumer education program of the National Consumers League. The competition covers five topic areas in consumer sciences: personal finance, health and safety, technology, the environment, and consumer rights and responsibilities. Teens form teams, coached by volunteer educators and other adults, and compete online for a chance to participate in state and national championships. The program is coordinated at the state level by volunteers in more than 30 states, including Better Business Bureaus, consumer protection offices, banks, and others. Each year, participants answer more than 3.5 million consumer related quiz questions online, and more than 125,000 students participate in LifeSmarts curriculum in classrooms across the United States.

For more information, visit: www.lifesmarts.org,  email lifesmarts@nclnet.org , or call the National Consumers League’s communications department at 202-835-3323.

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

Surgeon General urges support for breastfeeding moms in ‘call to action’ – National Consumers League

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Surgen General Dr. Regina Benjamin speaking to a packed auditorium at GW University in Washington, DC.

Earlier today, Surgeon, General Regina M. Benjamin – a 2010 NCL Trumpeter Awardee – issued a “Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding,” The SG’s report outlines steps communities, clinicians, and employers can take to improve breastfeeding rates across the country. Dr. Benjamin spoke to a packed George Washington University auditorium.

The health benefits of breastfeeding, for both babies and mothers, are well documented. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, breastfed infants have a lower risk of contracting ear infections, stomach viruses, diabetes, and leukemia, and mothers who breastfeed enjoy lower risks of type 2 diabetes, breast cancer, and postpartum depression. They can also lose much of the weight gained during pregnancy because nursing burns up to 900 calories a day. And it’s free! Buying formula can cost $1,200-1,500 the first year alone.

Yet according to the Center for Disease Control, while 75 percent of American babies start out breastfeeding, only 13 percent are exclusively breastfed at the end of 6 months—rates Benjamin considers low compared to other countries. The SG noted that breastfeeding is significantly lower among African-American, with only 8 percent of infants exclusively breastfed at 6 months.

Some of the steps outlined in the call to action include:

Speakers at the Call to Action for breastfeeding moms.
  • Launch or establish campaigns for breastfeeding education that target mothers, as well as fathers and grandparents
  • Provide education and training in breastfeeding for all health professionals who care for women and children
  • Ensure access to services provided by International Board Certified Lactation Consultants
  • Work toward establishing paid maternity leave for all employed mothers
  • Ensure that maternity care practices throughout the U.S. are fully supportive of breastfeeding

NCL has been advocating for measures to improve the health of women and children since its founding in 1899. We’ve expressed concern that the IRS has denied nursing mothers the ability to use their tax-sheltered health care accounts to pay for breast pumps and other supplies.

NCL Executive Director Sally Greenberg was in attendance and asked Dr. Benjamin how the surgeon general’s office can work with the IRS to get breast pumps listed as medical devices. Benjamin pledged to work with the federal steering committee, which includes representatives from the FDA, FDC, and USDA, to ensure all branches of government understand the importance of breastfeeding for the health of America’s mothers and children.

Groups call for strong oversight to protect consumers from combined Comcast-NBC – National Consumers League

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January 19, 2011

Contact: (202) 835-3323, media@nclnet.org

Washington, DC – Despite tough talk about reining in out-of-control media consolidation, the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice have allowed the merger of two of the largest media empires in the country – Comcast and NBC Universal – to proceed.

In response, the National Consumers League released the following statement, attributable to Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director:

“Increased concentration among industry titans rarely benefits consumers. We appreciate that the merger has real, enforceable and pro-consumer conditions attached to it. However, these conditions will not be worth the paper they are written on without rigorous oversight by the FCC and DOJ. NCL, along with our consumer and public interest group colleagues will be closely monitoring the effects of this merger to ensure that the combined Comcast-NBCU does not abuse its market power.”

Consumer Action released the following statement, attributable to Linda Sherry, Director of National Priorities:

“Even with the conditions, we are disappointed that the FCC and DOJ did not seem to accept the tenet that the larger the company, the more imbalanced its relationship with consumers becomes. Consolidation inevitably leads to consumers losing the choices that come from a competitive marketplace.”

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About the National Consumers League

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

About Consumer Action

Consumer Action has been a champion of underrepresented consumers nationwide since 1971. A nonprofit 501(c)3 organization, Consumer Action focuses on financial education that empowers low to moderate income and limited-English-speaking consumers to financially prosper. It also advocates for consumers in the media and before lawmakers to advance consumer rights and promote industry-wide change.

Drink up! Tap water key to dental health – National Consumers League

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By Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director

The Washington Post had an interesting piece yesterday by writer Juliet Eilperin about using filtered or bottled water when she was pregnant and losing out on the important benefits that fluoridation in tap water provides. What I found interesting is that she expressed surprise about this fact. If a reporter for the Washington Post doesn’t know this important health information, then we need to do a whole lot more educating.

Bottled water consumption has doubled over the past decade and as a result, the exposure to fluoride from tap water, which can not only prevent tooth decay, it can repair tooth decay, has been reduced as well. Eilperin quotes a professor of dental sciences who says we should “look at this issue.” That’s an understatement. Eilperin opted for bottled water because of various trace chemicals found in the District of Columbia’s water system that are potentially harmful to health. She’s right that water that contains dangerous concentrations of harmful chemicals can be a threat to health of adults and children. But whether DC’s water reaches those levels is another question and whether it’s the right calculus to trade away the benefits of fluoride because of fear of these trace chemicals is another matter. That really does need to be studied. I also live in DC and make a point of drinking the water here and using ice cubes from DC water for my family because I want all of us to benefit from the fluoride. I guess I’ve made the decision that having healthy teeth is more important than worrying about ingesting tiny concentrations of chemicals.

But the value of fluoride cannot be understated. United States municipalities began adding it to public drinking water systems in the 1940s. Today, about 65 percent of Americans get fluoridated tap water, including 95 percent of people in Virginia, 99 percent in Maryland, and 100 percent in the District. It’s a huge public health advancement, because tooth decay and dental disease has such a ripple effect on health. If a child has a toothache, she can’t go to school, her parent has to take time off work to see a dentist, and the costs involved can be very high. For families with low and moderate income, dental care can be prohibitively expensive. So fluoride, as a prevention tool, is a very important health measure. And for an adult with tooth decay, missing a front tooth can prevent them from getting a job or getting a promotion.

Eilperin’s DC dentist told her that after officials began fluoridating public water supplies, “the cavities rate was cut in half. The only thing they could attribute it to was fluoridating the water.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identifies fluoridation of public drinking water as one of the top 10 public health achievements of the 20th century, noting that studies show it reduces cavities in adolescents by between 8 and 37 percent, and among adults by 20 to 40 percent.

Still, a South Australia study conducted between 1991 and 1995 showed that children who drank only rainwater and bottled water had a 52.7 percent higher rate of cavities in their baby teeth than those who drank only public, fluoridated tap water.

Not all filtered or bottled waters are totally devoid of fluoride: Brita filters do not strip it out of tap water, and some bottled brands such as Nursery Water advertise that they add the mineral. The ADA has introduced a certification program for foods and beverages that are beneficial to oral health, including fluoridated bottled water, in part to encourage bottlers to provide optimally fluoridated water.

Martha Ann Keels, the division chief of pediatric dentistry at Duke University, tells parents that taking a fluoride supplement (if you don’t drink fluoridated tap water) as effective as fluoride toothpaste in helping your teeth resist the impact of acid they’re exposed to during the day.

“The main benefit of fluoride is topical: You put it on the enamel to recharge it,” Keels said. “It’s like putting shoe polish on your shoe.”

That sounds good to me. Oral health is a critical component of overall health, and we need to spread the word about the importance of brushing with fluoridated toothpaste twice a day, drinking tap water wherever possible, and seeing the dentist twice a year. The benefits will pay off exponentially.

National Consumers League standing strong against those wishing to repeal Affordable Care Act – National Consumers League

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January 19, 2011

Contact: NCL Communications, (202) 835-3323, media@nclnet.org

Washington, DC—The National Consumers League, the nation’s oldest consumer group, announced today that it has joined with other consumer, health, and worker groups, to take a stand against efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. For decades, NCL has advocated for substantive reform to America’s health care system and was a staunch supporter of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which passed last year. Advocates argue the Act finally “allows us to move forward toward a higher quality system that is more patient-centered and cost-effective.”

“We recognize that reforming our health care system was no easy task, and we’re certainly not finished making improvements to Americans’ health care in terms of both quality and access,” said Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director. “But the Affordable Care Act is a large step forward towards the goal of insurance for all, and to repeal it would be a terrible disservice to individual consumers and workers and to our nation as a whole. We support the lawmakers who continue to put ensuring quality health care for all Americans ahead of politics today.”

Throughout NCL’s history, providing a safety net for Americans also means providing basic health needs of our citizens. The ACA – a long overdue measure – finally accomplishes that goal. No family should have to face financial ruin because of a medical condition or accident. If every other industrialized country in the world can give their citizens access to basic health care needs, surely the United States – the wealthiest country on earth – can find a way to do so. NCL opposes any and all efforts to undue or undermine the provisions of the ACA. We are proud to join with groups that share our passion for this cause.

American consumers need the Affordable Care Act, which is estimated to reduce the federal deficit by $100 billion over the next decade.  Repealing the law would add $230 billion to the deficit, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), and would leave 32 million people without insurance they would otherwise get under the Act. Without subsidies to the state insurance exchanges, consumers would likely see their health insurance premiums rise.

By repealing the law, consumers will once again face lifetime limits on health insurance coverage, may be denied coverage due to pre-existing conditions, and plans could provide fewer benefits and cover fewer costs.

“As consumers and workers, we need the protections afforded by the Affordable Care Act, as we continue to shift our health care system to one that emphasizes quality care and promotes health and wellness, said Greenberg.

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About the National Consumers League

Founded in 1899, the National Consumers League is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Its mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. NCL is a private, nonprofit membership organization. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

A tribute to MLK – National Consumers League

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By Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director

This weekend we pay tribute to the great Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his legacy of  racial equality, racial unity, and non-violence. The National Consumers League has a deep connection to the cause of racial equality –  Florence Kelley, the League’s leader from 1899-1932, was a founding member of the NAACP. After last week’s violence in Tucson that left six dead and Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords hospitalized with a grave bullet wound to the head, Dr. King’s message of nonviolence is needed now more than ever.  The political landscape in the United States is polarized – Tea Party activists have captured the emotions of the right, and elected 40 new members of Congress who seem to believe  government is the enemy. In the aftermath of this terrible attack in Tucson, Democrats and Republicans in Congress are looking for ways to display unity. We could sure use someone like Dr King today to help bridge that gap — not a politician but someone on the outside who can be a voice both of protest and reconciliation.

Dr. King consistently spoke about what was right, what was moral, no matter how unpopular. He and his followers paid a heavy price for their stance: in the quest for equal treatment for Blacks and their determination to dismantle Jim Crow,  some of King’s followers paid with their lives. Others were jailed, attacked by dogs, and  beaten by baton-wielding police. Yet they refused to attack back, preaching nonviolence that ultimately won the day and transformed America’s beliefs on racial equality.

Dr. King  was consistent – when he saw prejudice and wrongdoing, he spoke out,  even if it didn’t specifically address the cause of racial equality or was unpopular among members of his own community. For example, Dr. King opposed the war in Vietnam as early as 1967, tying his position to his belief in nonviolence.

I have walked among the desperate, rejected and angry young men. I have told them that Molotov cocktails and rifles would not solve their problems. I have tried to offer them my deepest compassion while maintaining my conviction that social change comes most meaningfully through nonviolent action. But they asked — and rightly so — what about Vietnam? They asked if our own nation wasn’t using massive doses of violence to solve its problems, to bring about the changes it wanted. Their questions hit home, and I knew that I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today — my own government. For the sake of those boys, for the sake of this government, for the sake of hundreds of thousands trembling under our violence, I cannot be silent.

Similarly, Dr. King, in the face of Anti-Semitism from some members of the Black community,  stood with Jewish Americans . “Antisemitism, the hatred of the Jewish people, has been and remains a blot on the soul of mankind. In this we are in full agreement. So know also this: anti-Zionist is inherently Anti-Semitic, and ever will be so.”

This weekend, as we pay tribute to Dr. King, a man whose bravery, eloquence, and righteous commitment to nonviolence in the name of racial equality, we’re reminded in the aftermath of last week’s violence in Arizona how much his voice is missed today.

USDA to school lunch ladies: less fries, more fruit – National Consumers League

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The days of Mystery Meat Mondays may soon be over for schoolchildren across the nation. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is proposing new guidelines for school lunches subsidized by the federal government, the first major nutritional overhaul in 15 years.

The new guidelines would require schools to drastically lower the amount of sodium in school meals, limit children to one cup of starchy vegetables (such as French fries) per week, and increase servings of fruit, whole grains, and low-fat milk.

The requirements are based on the 2009 recommendations by the Institute of Medicine that advocated reducing sugar, saturated fat, and sodium but increasing protein and whole grains.

Following these recommendations, the new USDA guidelines would:

  • Establish the first calorie limits for school meals
  • Ban trans fats
  • Reduce the amount of sodium in school meals by 50 percent over a 10-year period
  • Gradually increase the amount of whole grains required
  • Require both a grain and protein served for breakfast
  • Require more servings of fruits and vegetables
  • Require all milk to be either low-fat or non-fat

A before-and-after comparison of the new lunch standards can be viewed here

The proposal arrives at a critical time for America’s youth. According to the USDA, roughly one-third of children between 6 and 19 years old are overweight or obese, and the number of obese children has tripled over the past few decades. Obesity, a serious health concern in its own right, often leads to other problematic and hard-to-treat medical conditions such as diabetes and sleep apnea.

Experts argue that improving the nutritional value of school meals would be a giant step toward a healthier America. According to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, the new guidelines could affect more than 32 million children, an impressive number given that children consume more than half of their calories at school.

Although these guidelines are just a proposal and implementation could be far off, the Obama administration has been moving quickly on the nutrition issue; today’s announcement comes just a few weeks after President Obama signed the $4.5 billion Healthy Hunger-Free Kinds Act of 2010 that required the new nutritional standards and helps schools pay for healthier foods.

The USDA is seeking feedback on the proposed rule at www.regulations.gov through April 13, 2011.

Digging through decades of a family estate – National Consumers League

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By Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director

I spent the holidays combing through family papers and heirlooms in my family’s home in Minneapolis. My siblings and I were cleaning out the home we grew up in, a house that has been in the family for more than 70 years. Among the items I had to deal with was my childhood coin collection. I loved the books that held the Buffalo nickels, the Lady Liberty dime, the gorgeous silver Lady Liberty Dollars, and the Indian Head Pennies. I never had an impressive or valuable collection, but I used to enjoy sorting through the coins and looking at the often-hard-to-read dates. But I didn’t want to transport the coins back to my home in Washington, DC – nickels, dimes, and quarters are heavy! So I brought them to a rare coin dealer I found on the Web to see if any had value and whether I could sell them back.

I sat down with one of the experts, who looked through the coins and told me that none of them was terribly valuable, but the older ones did have some silver content. Silver prices have soared in recent months for reasons I don’t fully understand. My expert was taking notes, keeping numbers on what I had. I figured, given that the coins were not themselves valuable, I’d get $20-30 for the collection. Next thing I know he’s sending me upstairs to the bank with a check for $328! That is how much the silver in the older coins was worth.  I was astonished and delighted at getting this unexpected windfall. I must admit, however, that I feel a little sad that I no longer can look through those beautiful Buffalo nickels.

My siblings and I are holding an estate sale at the home in Minneapolis. I didn’t realize how useful these events are – not just for those who are looking for furniture and other items at bargain prices, but for the family. After more than 70 years in the house, our family collection of furniture and clothing is overwhelming. I had tried in recent visits to dispose of my mother’s designer bags, hats, and dresses and my father’s drawers of Brooks Brother’s shirts and bookcases of hardcover books. We did donate many of my mother’s designer dresses to the University of Minnesota’s school of fashion and design, but the other possessions are just too numerous.

And the problem with the vintage clothing or used book stores is they give you a pittance when you bring them in individually – $2 or an item or for a whole box of books, when you bring them in individually – yet they will turn around and sell them (particularly vintage clothes), for a lot of money. The advantage of an estate sale is that the folks running it will price the items much higher and the vintage/used book/antique stores will pay a much fairer price. The estate sale company then keeps 25 percent of the gross and the family gets the rest, minus the cost of advertising the sale. It’s a win/win for both buyers and families.

One caveat, however: as with all consumer services, you have to do your homework and use care in choosing the estate sale company. Find one that comes well recommended and will carefully cull through your family belongings, ferreting out first edition books or money found in pockets of coats and turn these items over to you. Then they come in, spend five or so days marking items and setting them out for display, and hold the sale, often both days of a weekend. The stuff that doesn’t go the first day gets discounted.

For families, it’s a manageable way to discard the decades of belongings that pile up and offers estate sale shoppers an affordable alternative to lamps, rugs, and furniture.