PETS TO HOMES: CLASSIFIED ADS OFFER WIDE ASSORTMENT OF ITEMS FOR SALE

Hand-carved carousel horse. Ponderosa pine, unicorn design. $499. Call 555-1136.

Slightly used wedding gowns, free firewood and registered pets aren't the only items you can buy through the classified ads in the Southeast Missourian.

A quick glance through the daily ads shows puppies free for the taking, antique dishes and television sets for sale.

Classified ads are going to be around for a long time because customers can sell just about anything, said Pat Mungle, who heads the department at the newspaper.

Over the years, some unusual things have been offered in the ads, which are sold both over the phone and in the newspaper offices at 301 Broadway. Many of the ads also end up in the Big Nickel Advertiser.

"We've seen all kinds," Mungle said, adding that the free boa constrictor was probably the most unusual item.

The newspaper offers a pay-as-you-sell deal for classified advertisements. An ad for any personal item under $500 doesn't have to be paid for until the item sells through the classifieds. Discounts are also offered if ads are placed in both weekly and daily papers in the Rust Communication group.

The pay-as-you-sell ads get good response, Mungle said, adding that the ads are written on an assortment of pages from napkins, tissues and pizza boxes.

Other hot items to sell are vehicles and real estate.

Companies like Thomas M. Meyer Real Estate use classified advertisement to publicize apartments for rent and properties for sale. The number of ads placed varies daily but a Sunday ad is the standard.

Real-estate and automobile ads, along with personnel ads, make up the largest percentage of classifieds in a Sunday edition, Mungle said.

Other popular advertisements are "happy ads" like birthday and holiday ads.

"People pull pranks because they like to kid about being over the hill," Mungle said, adding that the ads can include references to a specific hobby or interest like sports.

The recent Valentine's Day advertisements filled a record five pages in the classified section.

Yet, one of the largest segments in the classified division is garage and yard sales. The ads are placed year-round in the newspaper.

"All it takes is the first nice day, and the garage sale people are here," Mungle said. Auctions also are popular spring and summer classified ads.