Dan Dudley hates to admit he's a "salvage rat," but he's lined up with about 25 other people by 7:15 a.m. every week in front of a large white garage door — it's the only thing that stands in the way of the hot deals they can't wait to get to.
"The 'salvage rats' line up at the door," Dudley said. "The door comes up. You can't run, but you can walk fast. There's an official with a yellow flag. If you run, you get (disqualified). What the 'rats' do, they come here Monday or Thursday at 3:30. If you see something you like, (you get here on Tuesday and Friday) no later than 7:15, press your nose against the door. They lift the door up at 7:30. 'Nobody run, be careful … go!'
"And the rats have a free-for-all."
Dudley is a self-proclaimed "salvage rat," his nickname for the regular shoppers at the MSU Surplus Store, 1344 S. Harrison Road.
One time, he lost a sandal in the hustle to get to the items. He didn't bother getting it back until he got the items he wanted.
"They get nuts over stuff," said Jessica Shaft, who works at the store and was once knocked down by a customer rushing in.
Dudley said he spends about $100,000 each year at the store, which sells everything from used cars and tractors to furniture, computers and old albums.
The store gets its inventory from unwanted items at every department of the university, including its farm and research labs stationed throughout the state, manager Ruth Daoust said.
Lost and found items from campus also end up at the store. Things such as eye glasses, clothes and cell phones are usually donated to the store, Daoust said.
Last year the store brought in about $1.7 million from revenue and gave $1.1 million back to the university, she said.
Aside from the usual furniture and electronics, some interesting things have made their way to the store, employees said.
A telephone booth with a Superman outfit inside, a go-cart in the shape of a football and pieces of the old Breslin Center floor ended up on the shelves.
Dudley said he usually buys a lot of farm equipment, cars and furniture for the farms, businesses and factories he owns.
He's bought about 400 refrigerators to supply some apartments he owns. He's also purchased about 20 tractors, 50 cars and 25 trucks in the 25 years.
Some of the items are sold via sealed bids, said Dudley, who added he's got that down to a science.
Customers write down what they're willing to pay for an item, and the highest bid wins.
Dudley said he's won a lot of bids by 10 cents or a few dollars because other people usually put down rounded amounts.
The store also has an account on eBay Stores online which offers CDs from WKAR radio, VHS tapes, books and even 19 copies of Mister Rogers' "Let's Be Together Today" album autographed by Mr. McFeely, the mailman character from the children's television show.
"It's like a small city," Daoust said of the store's wide variety of inventory. "Whatever a small city might have is what we get."
