Something to think about re: Thrift Stores

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clydeselsor

clydeselsor

Lunatic Member
Lately there have been more and more posts complaining about thrift stores. I am really having a hard time understanding this. Most, if not all thrift stores are a non-profit, charity store. In other words, they are benefiting many people that are a lot less fortunate than we are! They also provide jobs to people who may not otherwise be able to find work.
Just because a thrift store gets the items donated to them for free, doesn't make the items any less valuable. If anything, we should be willing to pay more at a thrift store to help benefit those in need. Besides, the store doesn't operate for free!
Please think about this next time you shop at your local thrift.
 
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I think the problem is, that regardless of what the reasoning is or who it helps..
8 bucks for a scratched cd is not going to happen, and neither is 100 for an entry level receiver that wont power up and smells of smoke.

the problem (for them, at least, I dont have this problem down here) seems to be not that the fancy mcintosh that caught their eye is 100+ dollars, the problem seems to be that EVERY thing is 100+ dollars (again, for some of the people here, anyway)

thats what ive gathered from all these posts, which btw are against the rules.
personally.. I rather like the warehouse down here. cds are 50 cents each, as are dvds, speakers are generally $5 per cabinet, and receivers are $10 usually.

I have no problem what so ever paying THESE prices, if they start charging 100 bucks each for them I would likely stop going, i've never, EVER, seen a mcintosh at one. infact finding an amp worth the 100 is a pretty rare occurance, but it does happen from time to time.

most of what I see up there I leave for other people to get. I dont need a room full of entry level.

that being said. no complaints here. it is what it is.
 
My favorite is people who bellyache because Goodwill started an auction site. What is more consumer driven and fair than an auction?
 
My feeling is that it's bad business for them to price things too high. Thrift store merchandise seems to attract damage like a magnet the longer it sits. In the end, they often end up getting less for an item (maybe nothing) after it's been beat up or broken than they would have if the starting price had been a bit lower.
 
Spot on clydeselsor.

Would you believe, I've seen people haggling with charity staff. That is just not on in my book.
 
two of them around me have closed don't know ? when you get inventory for free whats the problem going to be?
 
I have no complaints, I have gotten some excellent deals over the past couple of years. My vinyl collection has increased 10x. I haven't paid over $3.00 for albums, usually $1-2. The thrift stores in my area are like junk yards, a tape deck is $7.95, whether it is a Nakamichi, or a BPC. Turntables? $19.95, receivers, $29.95. You get the picture. the key is consistency. I go make my rounds on a regular basis, and get what I can afford. I have some killer components from thrifts, and I know my $$$s are helping a worthy cause.:music::thmbsp:
 
Personally, in my neck of the woods, I could NEVER seem to encounter anything but junk when I went to thrifts and I never even saw anything that would make me look at its price- so I just quit trying.

The golden age of "scores" is probably waning as a side effect of the new age of the E-market- Ebay and Craigslist Today most people have become more savvy and know what their "stuff" is worth. So there is a lot less valuble "stuff" being carelessly dropped off at the GW box by people who are clueless of its value.
 
Elroy said:
Personally, in my neck of the woods, I could NEVER seem to encounter anything but junk when I went to thrifts and I never even saw anything that would make me look at its price- so I just quit trying.

The golden age of "scores" is probably waning as a side effect of the new age of the E-market- Ebay and Craigslist Today most people have become more savvy and know what their "stuff" is worth. So there is a lot less valuble "stuff" being carelessly dropped off at the GW box by people who are clueless of its value.
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Maybe your right, although I think there are still the people who say "well, Dad is in the ground, what do I do with all this old stuff?" They are busy, and just drop it off at a charity that they want to help. It's hit or miss after that. The manager may check e-bay prices for every item, or may just have a set price...
 
I guess what I am saying is that more people are just selling their "stuff" themselves in the E-markets where they probably get the most they will be able to get for it. Consequently, less of this more desirable "stuff" ends up in thrifts and yardsales. More and more it seems that the "stuff" ending up in the thrifts and yardsales is pretty much 1 step from being junk- at least in my neighborhood.
 
Something to Think About

With nice but misguided thinking proposed in this tread if thrift stores were to price items at fair market value they would cease to be what that have tended to be, thrift stores
Such pricing would hurt the less fortunate thrift store shoppers while not affecting the more well-to-do.
Americans are the most generous when contributing to the charity of choice however the classic thrift store should forever be a place of shopping fun and opportunity:yes:
 
timofred said:
Spot on clydeselsor.

Would you believe, I've seen people haggling with charity staff. That is just not on in my book.
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Yeah, right on clydeselsor.

At the shop I manage, people are ALWAYS haggling, it is really obnoxious. Our shop gets really generous donations, furniture, persian rugs, high end clothing. Some of the things that have come into our shop would blow your minds. Six months ago we received a donation of a 19th century grand piano from Vienna Austria, with a recent appraisal for $42,000. Another recent donation was an art deco parlor set, professionally restored by a leather upholstery specialist trained at the Louvre, valued at $22,000. We ended up selling that parlor set for $8,000, a fair price given the condition and work that went into those pieces.

Our shop has a bit of a reputation for merchandising and having a sales staff who knows the merchandise well. We were fortunate enough to have somebody donate a Ralph Lauren Purple Label suit, new, with tags. It was a $1,700 suit, and we priced it at $200. The kid who wanted to buy it wanted to pay $100 for it. I asked him if he knew what the suit was worth and he goes "Yeah, but don't you wanna make it cheaper for me?" Cheaper for me? If there was a stain on it, or if it had a rip, sure, but this has the original tags still on it, pockets still sewn up. It is absurd if you ask me.

Yes, thrift stores should be "thrifty" but that doesn't mean everything should be $2.00. I agree that many times there are shops who overprice items, but for the times when a store prices an item accordingly, it shouldn't be looked down upon as "greed."

A lot goes into running a charity shop, and many times the donors know full well what their goods are worth. They donate them under the premise that the charity will be able to benefit greatly from their contribution. It is about raising money for a cause and using that funding to help those in need, not provide an outlet for "scores."
 
It's mostly hit or miss. For example after dropping off my girlfriend at work, I always go to the SA then down the street to the Goodwill. Been getting nothing for close to six months, then one day found some 2 pairs of KEF Speakers. One pair is the C40 and the other pair is the C10. All 4 speakers for $70. They sound great, by the way.
 
I love my thrift stores.....I have found so much good stuff for good prices...and enjoy talking to the employees who work there. The good more than outweighs the bad...we need to keep things in perspective some customers are using thrifts to get by in these hard times, buying necessities like shoes and clothing. Yeah I am on the look out for the Mcintosh also but something tells me I am gonna have to save up and get it the old fashion way.
 
i've been going into goodwills since i was about ten and have always enjoyed making the rounds of some choice shops in several locales. i've no problem w/a profit making thrift as i've been to several which were well run deals w/plenty of interesting cargo and prices suited to the economic means of the majority clientele. the goodwills of my youth were pleasant places indeed. somewhat low rent district(safe and reasonably clean but older strip mall sort of thing. inside was stuff of every sort, a surprising(for now, anyway) amount of things which were quality but had outlived their utilty to their owners- nice books, well bound and illustrated, camping gear and wooden skis from minn., good kitchen stuff and sometimes interesting furniture. i probably walked past the gear i would like to have today. i did look for radios, as i had built an sw receiver and used it frequently. the place was good.
nowadays, as it seems everything is tending to maximize monetary profits, i would expect goodwill to be maximizing their sales and holding costs to a suitable level. so, what i need to know is; 'what are the numbers?' how much comes in and where does it go specifically(what charity work is supported, to what purpose and to what extent)? if all is cool, i'll even go along w/paying a little premium over competing prices to help out.
 
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theprofessor said:
Yeah, right on clydeselsor.

At the shop I manage, people are ALWAYS haggling, it is really obnoxious. Our shop gets really generous donations, furniture, persian rugs, high end clothing. Some of the things that have come into our shop would blow your minds. Six months ago we received a donation of a 19th century grand piano from Vienna Austria, with a recent appraisal for $42,000. Another recent donation was an art deco parlor set, professionally restored by a leather upholstery specialist trained at the Louvre, valued at $22,000. We ended up selling that parlor set for $8,000, a fair price given the condition and work that went into those pieces.

Our shop has a bit of a reputation for merchandising and having a sales staff who knows the merchandise well. We were fortunate enough to have somebody donate a Ralph Lauren Purple Label suit, new, with tags. It was a $1,700 suit, and we priced it at $200. The kid who wanted to buy it wanted to pay $100 for it. I asked him if he knew what the suit was worth and he goes "Yeah, but don't you wanna make it cheaper for me?" Cheaper for me? If there was a stain on it, or if it had a rip, sure, but this has the original tags still on it, pockets still sewn up. It is absurd if you ask me.

Yes, thrift stores should be "thrifty" but that doesn't mean everything should be $2.00. I agree that many times there are shops who overprice items, but for the times when a store prices an item accordingly, it shouldn't be looked down upon as "greed."

A lot goes into running a charity shop, and many times the donors know full well what their goods are worth. They donate them under the premise that the charity will be able to benefit greatly from their contribution. It is about raising money for a cause and using that funding to help those in need, not provide an outlet for "scores."
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Nice response. I'd like to know of another good thriftstore in NY.
 
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