In Normandy, in Saint-Pierre en Auge, an agricultural commune with an industrial past, the RN came well ahead in the European elections with 42% of the vote. And in this poor city, the practice of garage sales brings additional income to families harmed by soaring prices. A few days ago, one of them stood in the city’s main square.
On a rack, floral dresses, a knitted cardigan and a few slightly worn shirts. On the table, small household appliances and little pompom dolls sold for 50 cents each. With 900 euros of retirement per month, Mado never misses the opportunity to have a stand at garage sales.
“ If I have a flea market, there is a reason. No restaurant, no cinema, no going out, even going to the swimming pool, I can’t afford it. My only outing is to go to attic fairs to earn a little penny “, she testifies.
A little man with light eyes comes forward and negotiates the price of a shirt. Five euros is a lot. “ When you see the rents, electricity, gas… I live on 800 euros or so, with benefits. But otherwise, we don’t have that much “. At 57 years old, Franck is now on disability, he was exhausted working always squatting in the Orbec mushroom farm, 40 kilometers from here. “ I don’t work anymore. I hurt my back because of that. »
A meager pension for Mado and a small disability pension for Franck, so the garage sale helps a little. These two trust Marine Le Pen. “ There hasn’t been that party yet. It can’t be worse. It’s my opinion », assures Mado.
The garage sale, a survival economy
Jordane has beer glasses, crockery and children’s books spread out in front of her old gray van. She is seduced by Marine Le Pen. “ Marine is not Jean-Marie. The actions she wants to take are to help the population. He is someone who is close to the people, unfortunately not like the current government. She speaks without using difficult words and she gets straight to the point », explains Jordane.
With her hair damaged by dyeing, the 37-year-old young woman lives with very little money and deprives herself. “ Today, even just to get McDonald’s for the kids, it’s hard. I live on RSA because I have a child with a disability, which prevents me from accessing employment since I have no one to look after him. He is a teenager, he is not independent, he is not able to go home alone. »
So, everything is calculation. “ We pay the bills first, we keep the money to buy groceries for the month. I try to put a little aside each month, even if it’s five or ten euros. After five or six months, we can build something, a zoo or something, because we managed to save a little bit. But hey, a few years ago, it wasn’t like that », adds the young woman.
So, whether we need to sell grandma’s beautiful mirror or buy a shirt for three euros, for these residents, the garage sale is a survival economy.
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