Scenes from the CPH Warehouse Sale held today. Publishing is an interesting business. Do you know of any other business that permits distributors to return products up to a year or more after they have purchased them, at a huge discount? Well, that’s publishing; consequently, every year we have items that we offer to the general public at huge savings because they have been returned. Oh, did I mention that the publishing business permits returns of products that are damaged, no matter how badly damaged? Yes, that too. And so we offer gently used materials every year. This is just the way publishing is. Here is how a warehouse sale, both before the crowds rush the tent and then during the sale.

Before the tent is opened.

After the tent is opened!

Don’t stand in the way of the folks when the tent first opens.

The sale begins at 8:00 in the morning. Here is the line as it had formed by 7:30. The first people at the front of the tent arrived from Illinois at 5:30. The evening before we let seminarians come and they start arriving at around 2:30 and the tent doesn’t open until 4:00.

Music lovers digging through sheet music.

Once people have what they want, they enter the check out tent where they first bring their items to tables with CPH staff members who tally up their purchases. Here is Rev. Benjamin Mayes (left) and Rev. Robert Baker (right) adding up somebody’s purchases. Serious business.