Since Madison's "hippie Christmas" turned out to be a bit of a bust, we were really looking forward to checking out SWAP today. It's only open to the public on Fridays and the 2nd Saturday of each month. Never heard of it? Neither had I. From the SWAP website:
"SWAP collects, processes, and redistributes surplus property generated by UW-Madison and state agencies, while providing UW-Madison departments, government agencies and non-profit organizations with low-cost, quality surplus equipment and supplies and finding reuse and recycling markets for surplus property. "
And what does this mean? Deals, deals, deals! Once we found the proper exit off of 151-S in Verona, we walked into a warehouse busting with furniture, electronics, and computers. The inventory changes weekly, with new (well, old actually) additions coming from all the UW sites across the state in 20 - 30 truckloads a week! You'll find solid desks ($5-30), 60s-style chairs ($5), metal file cabinets, gym lockers, random electronics and lab equipment, and cheap computers. They even have some Badger sports equipment and uniforms. Oh, and ever wonder what happened to that old rusty bike you left chained to a campus bike rack for a season or two? You'll probably find it here for $5.
Today they were giving away free dorm chairs (as many as you'd like) with a purchase. Once we crammed our loot into the car, we drove away with six cool vintage chairs for a total of $10. Not too shabby! Check their website for listings of new inventory and their online auction, too. read more