More middle-class and upper class shoppers are raiding the thrift stores

[chill_wind]

# Thrift store chain CEO: 30 percent of customers make more than $100,000
# Salvation Army fears inventory shortage and plans first-ever ad campaign


COLUMBIA, Missouri (AP) -- Forget about the outdated notion of thrift shops as the refuge of the working poor, the down and out or the vintage fashion hipster. In these troubled times, the powerful lure of a secondhand retail bargain is attracting a whole new breed of customer. Thrift stores report seeing more middle-class and upper-class customers, who they haven't seen before.

Thrift stores report seeing more middle-class and upper-class customers, who they haven't seen before.

The Salvation Army and Goodwill Industries International, the nation's two largest charitable resale organizations, report year-to-date sales increases of 6 percent to 15 percent.

The gains are even more pronounced in the private sector. In an industry trade group survey of more than 200 resale and thrift shops, nearly two-thirds of those businesses reported higher sales in 2008 compared to the previous year. The average sales increase: 35 percent.

Consumers "can't change the price of gas. They can't change the price of food. They can't make the stock market go up again," said Adele Meyer, executive director of the National Association of Resale & Thrift Shops. "But they can control the price of clothes and furniture by being a savvy shopper."

The Salvation Army store in Dublin, Georgia, located halfway between Atlanta and Savannah, has seen its sales increase by 50 percent this year, said store operator Gary Spivey. The comparative affluence of his new customers is obvious.

"We're seeing a lot more middle-class and upper-class customers we haven't seen before," he said. "Without even asking, you can just look in the parking lot (at their cars)."


more: http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/10/06/thrift.shops.ap/index.html?iref=topnews

People with $100,000 raiding bargains in Salvation Army Stores? I know that shouldn't make me angry, but somehow...it does.

[dysfunctional press]

1. "...I know that shouldn't make me angry, but somehow...it does."

why be angry...? :shrug: the money they spend goes to help the causes as well- the thrift stores aren't there JUST to clothe the poor folks- they're money-making enterprises as well.

[notadmblnd]

18. Exactly, they are there to make money and they will raise their prices

and then the poor will be priced out of being able to shop there too. I see it all ready. There's a big difference in thrift shop prices depending on the location of the thrift shop. For example, I live in Michigan. Oakland County to be exact. Oakland county is the richest county in Michigan but there are poor urban cities like Pontiac along with the very wealthy West Bloomfield. I can tell you, that there are no deals in the thrift shop in West Bloomfield (yes, they have one). I've asked why the prices were so high, (6 dollars for a blouse) and I've gotten the "that's because it's designer" crap from them. I've also shopped at the Pontiac thrift shop and gotten 30 gallon garbage bags full of cloths for 6 dollars.

[intheflow]

59. But are you talking about upscale thrift stores, or Goodwills?

As a poor person, I've been shopping at thrift stores all my adult life, and it's always been more expensive at the locally owned, upscale thrift stores. Poor people have never really shopped at those places, because poor people are not their target market. In fact, I'm sure the more snooty town thrift shops would be just as happy if they didn't see poor riff-raff coming through their doors; it upsets and drives away the upper-middle-class and rich customers. Poor people shop at Salvations Army stores, Goodwill and ARC. Those prices have not gone up significantly in the 25 years I've been shopping at them--and that's a consistent observation as I've lived in the Northeast, the Deep South, and now the Rocky Mountains region.

[notadmblnd]

63. I'm talking about the Salvation Army

[Liberal Gramma]

2. The Republicans are on their way to their covert goal

A permanent underclass of workers supporting a top-tier group of moneyed aristocats. Isn't this why we fought the Revolutionary War? Is that what it'll take to restore the balance?

[jtrockville]

3. I do it because it's GREEN.

Why buy new when someone has discarded an item that is still useful?

One man gathers what another man spills.

[FedUpWithIt All]

4. The money they spend there then goes to help pay for utilities, food and housing

and other aid for lower income families. Goodwill and the Salvation Army turns over a lot of the store profits as aid.

I hope the wealthy keep shopping there so that their money goes toward helping someone in need instead of simply enriching the mall chains.

[Chan790]

5. Honestly...

a part of why I'm fairly well-off is because I never stopped shopping at thrift stores...if I'm naughty, I might splurge and go to Marshall's or TJ Maxx. I also only use public transit...it's the best deal in America. I pay someone $1.25 (or $5 for a day pass), they pick me up on corner near my house and I can go anywhere I want within the greater Hartford area pretty much. You can't own a car, gas it up and insure it for $5 a day.

The rich got to be rich usually by being thrifty...who shops at Nordstrom? New money...people who have gotten rich suddenly without effort and have no idea how to spend money.

[bread_and_roses]

16. The rich got rich by exploiting the labor of others, not by being thrifty

"Rich" means that you have "wealth" - ie, that your income does not depend on wages.

[SteelPenguin]

24. It's often the same thing

From what i've seen there are three components to becoming wealthy...These are anecdotal from knowing and interacting with many 'rich' people.

a) Exploit the work of others
b) Be Thrifty
c) Know People

Who you know is huge. The more people you know, the more successfull you'll be from what I've seen. But what I'm saying is the same is thrifty and exploitation of the workers. It's really the same thing. People want to get as much out of their workers as they can for nothing. There are people who will arguing against paying and thrash against paying any bill, no matter the size, just out of habit. They'll do this for as long as they can without getting sued and only pay once the other person budges, or their time is up.

I've seen it time and again. It pisses me off when people do it as I think it's really dicky, but it's definatley a common thing that people do to exploit other people' swork.

[melm00se]

37. i would urge everyone to

read "The Millionaire Next Door" (chapter 1 can be viewed here: http://www.nytimes.com/books/first/s/stanley-millionaire.html) and get a sketch of what a millionaire looks like.

Some high points:

* We live well below our means. We wear inexpensive suits and drive American-made cars. Only a minority of us drive the current-model-year automobile. Only a minority ever lease our motor vehicles.

* On average, our total annual realized income is less than 7 percent of our wealth. In other words, we live on less than 7 percent of our wealth.

* We are fastidious investors. On average, we invest nearly 20 percent of our household realized income each year. Most of us invest at least 15 percent.

* I am a tightwad.

[bread_and_roses]

39. and this refutes that "wealth" is derived from exploitation exactly how?

"wealth" is derived from profit, and profit is derived from exploiting the labor of others. That one may do it second-hand through "investments" makes it no less exploitation.

[melm00se]

44. it was to support

point "b" (thrifty) from above.

I find "exploitive" such a loaded word - there are plenty of folks who employ others, especially in the smaller business arena, pay a wage commensurate with their contribution to the business. it's tougher to be a dick to people you have look in the eye on a daily basis.

and before you pooh-pooh the profit motive, please understand that it is a powerful factor in driving change and development, while there are people who are entirely driven by altruism, they are extremely rare.

[bread_and_roses]

48. er...how's that "change and development" working out for the planet and most of its' people?

by "the planet" of course, I mean all that lives, including people, but we can look at just the majority of humans on the planet and see the same result. The "profit motive" is the most destructive force on the planet, slaughtering humans and other animals everywhere and destroying the entire ecosystem on which all depend.

One can only even remotely justify the profit motive as a positive force by looking at humans in the industrial West, while totally ignoring the plight of the rest of humanity and of the entire ecosystem.

Your "please remember" seems to precede an assumption that "the profit motive...a powerful factor in driving change and development" toward positive ends, an assumption with which I profoundly disagree.

[Selatius]

62. Exploitation is a fine word to describe what happens.

When an opportunity arises, you exploit it to make profit. If you find a highly-skilled worker, of course you want to exploit his talents to better your firm, and you're going to try to bargain his asking price down as much as you can get away with so that you could possibly fit in another highly-skilled worker into your payroll without cutting your own take-home pay. People start businesses to make money, above all. Exploitation is what drives the economy. Exploitation of mineral wealth, oil wealth, the exploitation of labor and of natural resources like lumber, farmland, etc.

If I had millions of dollars, I'd say I see an opportunity to get into the solar panel manufacturing business, and I'm going to exploit it.

[Lorien]

56. Sometimes, but certainly not always

I know many multi-millionaires personally. Most work in the entertainment industry doing jobs that they love-and being very well compensated when the pictures they've worked hard on do well. Why should a studio CEO make all the money? They work, they get paid when their work is a huge success; nothing "evil" about that. I also know a few millionaire artists, oddly enough. None of them have ever taken advantage of anyone, but they were smart with their careers and with their money.

[SteelPenguin]

20. Same

Though I wouldn't classify myself as well-off yet, plenty of people have it worse.

We rarely buy new clothes for us or our kids, in comparrison to friends who constantly go to Gymboree or Children's Place etc. We look in those places but very rarely spend anything. It's wasteful, in our opinion. We go to Once Upon a Child or other thrift stores and get perfectly good children's clothes at half off, or more. You can't tell when looking at our kids or our friends kids any difference between us. We just consider it wastefull spending.

Same for groceries. We go to friends houses and are always amused by how many 'fancy' or 'expensive' things people have. Fancy italian capers in the fridge, different microbrews, fancy top shelf spaghetti sauces. Then they complain about their money situations and how the budget is tight, while I look around the room at all their waste. it's a microcosm of america in some ways. For a while there we were very very tight budget wise. We got rid of everythign we didn't need from cable television, to fancy foods. Now we cook nearly everything from scratch, from bottom shelf stuff (with a few exceptions) and really it's fine. We treat ourselves occasionally, but for the most part we spend alot less than anyone we know with groceries too.

Anyway good on people for using Thrift Stores, even if they do have money. Just because you can afford a 50 dollar shirt for a toddler, doesn't mean it's sane to waste money that way.

[prolesunited]

60. And I wouldn't be poor if I

just pulled myself up by my bootstraps. :eyes:

[mod mom]

6. I've done it for years for environmental reasons-especially with kids.

[Lance_Boyle]

7. "just look in the parking lot (at their cars)"

Will it be OK for them to shop there once those are repossessed?

[TCJ70]

36. I don't think that was an indictment of anyone. n/t

[garlicmilkshake]

8. I've done that for many years! I guess we're a bit above strict middle-class but we buy

from thrift stores all the time. I don't think I have bought a brand new piece of clothing in 30 years. :D
(or a brand new car either)

[goddess40]

9. It's worse when they hit the food pantries

Years ago (like 20+) I knew a couple, both with good paying jobs would go to the local food pantry. It really pissed me off but he was my boss and I was not in any position to say anything to him. The look on my face must have said something though because he immediately stopped talking about it and never mentioned it again.

[Gormy Cuss]

35. That's just theft.

Thrift stores are retail marts open to anyone, but food pantries aren't. Jerks like that deserve dirty looks and social ostracizing.

[Turbineguy]

10. While landing in Cincinnati

saturday, I noticed a mall with a Macy's parking lot nearly empty, Walmart parking lot was full. Several airport shops shuttered.

[NNN0LHI]

11. My wife has been going for 30 years

She calls the local AMVETS store her Marshall Field.

Don

[EFerrari]

67. LOL. My mom and I used bring clothes home, hold them up and say

"I. Magnin's". It feels great not to throw your money away AND to have something nice to wear. :)

[Fresh_Start]

12. I've bought at thrift and resale shops my entire life

including when I was a child because my mom shopped there.
I also donate to the same organizations.
I buy books at library sales whenever I can
I have a 12 year old who's already 5'11" and has size 13 adult feet.
Why not reuse? Its green and makes sense.

[elocs]

13. I've always shopped at thrift stores, more so now since I haven't worked in 4 months.

Other than food, I have pretty much shut down any buying now. I'm not upset about rich people who shop at thrift store since they are open to anyone. Republicans will get upset about people on food stamps who buy junk and things like that. (The manager of my local bakery thrift store said a woman came in and used food stamps to buy $80 worth of junk so she could sell it along the parade route of our big Oktoberfest parade.) Everybody is upset and angry about something someone else is doing.

[Fleshdancer]

14. Here's the thing about thrift stores...

For me, shopping is boring unless I find a great deal. I call it sport shopping and I love it. I'll continue to thrift no matter what tax bracket I'm in, but I also donate anything I no longer use/wear to the same thrift stores I shop at.

[Horse with no Name]

27. That's the difference

I buy big bargain bags at the Goodwill for $5.
Sometimes I get a great bag and have very little to donate...but sometimes they are the wrong size, etc.
I ALWAYS take the clothing that I don't use to our LOCAL clothing closet (they outfit the poor for free).
I also buy there as well. They use the proceeds from the "clothes closet" to fund the food pantry and the clothing that is unsaleable is donated to another non-profit organization in the adjoining county that takes the clothing and makes rags out of it and sells it to fund their organization.
Nothing is wasted. The money I spend funds the ones who are down on their luck. IMHO, it is a great example of a community taking care of one another.

[demmiblue]

15. Generally, I think it is a good thing.

As other posters have stated, it is green & they are not supporting importing cheap crap from China.

However, I have noticed that thrift store prices have increased quite a bit in the last decade. I wonder if this has anything to do with this influx of more well-to-do shoppers. Perhaps it could also be a result of generational differences. In my late teens/early 20's, going to the thrift store was a great way of finding unique items... this is when I became appreciative of thrift stores (and I haven't stopped). I think that there was more of a stigma with previous generations (not that there should have been). Although I need to shop at thrift stores at this point in time, I would still shop them if I had more money.

[demmiblue]

17. I also wanted to add...

You can always donate your items directly to those who need them, such as a battered women's shelters. They are definitely in need of professional attire for job seeking, as well as children's toys/books and clothes.

:hi:

Edit: omitted word!

[chill_wind]

19. I guess the point made about inventory/donations being down

in the midst of this make me feel somewhat anxious.

"At some point it's going to come to a head," Temme said. "If donations continue to stay down, we're going to lack items to sell."

As a result, The Salvation Army is rolling out a national ad campaign in January -- the first in its 128-year history in this country.

I've shopped at thrift stores too, because at times it was the only way I could afford a certain item, or to help out someone else ( ie in need of childrens' or maternity clothing.)Yes, of course it is everyone's right, and I applaud those here who make a point of donating to someone-- somewhere.

[Sheets of Easter]

21. My wife and I have rekindled our love affair with thrift stores.

Mainly because I recently took an interest in circuit bending electronic toys, and because she recently lost a dramatic amount of weight, and can now fit into things she couldn't before. Why buy new when there are some good values out there if you just do a bit of searching?

[Horse with no Name]

22. Why does it make you angry?

I make a decent salary but I have shopped thrift stores for YEARS. Even before it was cool.
I hardly remember the last new thing I purchased.
I am able to buy good quality clothing at good prices. I am not buying cheap Chinese shit.
I have also noticed the prices going up at the Goodwill. Goodwill also has an online auction--like Ebay. The proceeds from what I pay go to help give people jobs and help with rehabilitation.
The money I spend at the Salvation Army goes directly back into our community. Can you say the same for the money you spend at Walmart?

[chill_wind]

26. I'm not sure-- I think I just fear the possibility of the poor getting priced out

in this trend (prices going up/inventories going down) of one more resource...

[gollygee]

23. I try to buy used things when possible to reduce my family's use of new materials

It's an environmental thing. Like in The Story of Stuff - we try to reduce our impact.

I also bring used things to thrift shops for them to sell, well either that or give them away on Freecycle.

Should I buy cheap stuff made at sweatshops overseas at stores that exploit their workers instead?

[Toucano]

25. Reduce, reuse, recycle.

It's sort of sad that it has come to this, but there is an up side too.

[earth mom]

28. This pisses me off on many levels but mainly because thrift stores will now raise prices

which screws over the poor and the middle class who really need the bargains. :argh:

I shop thrift stores all the time and I've already seen ridiculous prices there. Levi jeans you can buy on sale for $20 or $25 on sale are priced at the thrift store for $19.99! I'm talking USED jeans here! And where's the savings? Like :wtf:

[gollygee]

30. Only if people don't also donate to the thrift store.

Like, if I buy six things for my daughter, and donate 30 of her outgrown items of clothing, I'm not causing prices to increase.

People in my income range get people angry no matter where we shop. We certainly can't shop at Walmart. If we shop somewhere expensive we're wasteful. And now, if we buy something used we're hurting people with less. Buying used things when possible is a great thing to do for the environment, and I'm going to keep doing it. And I'll keep donating our used items as well.

[earth mom]

34. My post was really directed at the thrift stores themselves.

I really don't care where the well off shop, plus I think it's great that people are recycling and not being so wasteful. So good for you.

But I am annoyed that thrift store prices keep going up and up to the point that they are the SAME price as stuff in TJ Maxx or Ross or on sale at Macys etc.

Not only that, but many people don't realize that these days, thrift stores are set up FOR PROFIT for private entities, with just a small portion of the money going to charity.

I'm talking Goodwill & Value Village/Savers. Heck, even the Salvation Army doesn't do as much with their money for charity as they should.

So now that these thrift stores have a more well off clientele I'm sure they will take advantage of the situation.

Which is just wrong, considering the fact they get their merchandise for FREE in the first place. :grr:

[Lorien]

57. I've noticed that too

mostly at our local Goodwil. I'm shopping more at consignment shops now; their prices are often more reasonable.

[Bill McBlueState]

29. The Salvation Army is embarrassingly anti-gay

If I were considering shopping there, I'd try my hardest to find other ways to save money on clothes.

[gollygee]

31. I took the article to be about thrift stores in general and not just the Salvation Army

I don't even know where the Salvation Army is in my town. I assume we have one. But I mainly see Goodwills.

[TCJ70]

32. Not when it comes to offering services...

...anyone can go get help at a Salvation Army.

[Bill McBlueState]

33. yeah, that would be really sick

if they asked people about their orientation before providing them services. At least they don't go that far.

[vanderBeth]

38. Actually, I do understand your anger.

I don't shop at the Goodwill store (I don't have a Salvation Army nearby). I only shop at neighborhood thrift stores.
They aren't frequented as much by middle and upper class shoppers and they're half the price.

[anarch]

40. next up: more working poor and lower middle-class folks digging around in dumpsters

+ more homeless people starving (or freezing) to death.

[Patiod]

41. Thrift stores are great for some things

I'm a tall girl, and buy unworn, expensive men's jackets and blazers for myself for very little money at thrift shops on the Main Line. Better made vs. women's jackets, and all those nifty little pockets we women dont' get.

But women's clothes - not so much. A woman at an upscale re-sale store told me that most people give away their clothes as they move UP in weight (YMMV - some do give clothes away when they lose weight, but that's not as common) so there are always a LOT of small-sized clothes at her store, but far fewer items when you get up into the sizes that fit 14+

Also, there aren't any Tall pants, so I'm a big fan of JCPenney on line.

We do, however, donate lots of clothes to thrift stores. Clothes that have...uh...shrunk at the dry cleaner, or, uh...shrunk in the attic, or in the wash. Amazing how that happens.....

[Horse with no Name]

43. I purchased some very nice luxury linens/blankets at an estate sale

recently. I then went through all of my stuff. I saved the old ratty stuff for the dog to lay on(and chew into small pieces that I have to pick up everywhere...I digress though) and bagged up my old ones (which were still in good shape) and sent them to the clothes closet.
I always love to upgrade from used to BETTER used.:)

[Arugula Latte]

42. I've done that for years. People think $15 for pants or a shirt is a good deal at a regular store,

but I always think, "Wow ... They paid that much?" :)

[vanderBeth]

45. What a rip.

I know where you can get it for $3. ;)

[ContinentalOp]

46. It's not like there isn't enough to go around.

The vast majority of the clothes that Goodwill and other places take in, ends up being sent to Africa in one-ton bales or sold as scrap to fabric salvage companies to make filler for stuffed animals and stuff like that.

http://dwb.thenewstribune.com/business/story/5583524p-5021353c.html

[CrispyQ]

47. This is a little off topic,

but last night's local news had a story about a man who owns & operates an Ebay store in a little strip mall. He sells your things on Ebay for a fee. He takes the photo, sets up & watches the bid & ships the item. If I heard correctly they said his cut is approximately 30%.

The point is, last night they interviewed him & he said business was definitely up. He said the big difference is that when he first started this business, people brought in stuff they found while cleaning out their closets & they were selling it to get a few bucks to offset the cost of something new they wanted to buy. Now, he said, more & more people are bringing in items that they really don't want to let go, but they need the money to pay bills.

[wildflowergardener]

49. Thrift stores

I saw something in the TV about how places like Goodwill have quite a few TV's because of the transition to digital. I thought about going there to see if I could find a good deal on a small TV because one of mine died, but somehow I thought it was wrong to go there if I could afford to shop elsewhere. I'm not rich certainly, but do ok - a lot better than plenty of people.

I'd feel better about it though if I knew the money was going to a good cause and I did just donate a bunch of stuff there - trying to clean my house.

One thing this economic crisis has shown me is how much I spend on things I don't need - which is why I have no emergency money saved - I could have had money saved but I don't and hopefully it's not too late. It is just to easy to charge things, unfortunately, in a way - figure I'll pay for it later - though I do pay my bill off every month.

Meg

[Geek_Girl]

55. You shouldn't feel bad about shopping at goodwill or other thrift stores

The money you spend there goes to a good cause and if you donate as well then you are doubly supporting that cause.

[chill_wind]

50. NYT and McClatchy-- donations.

Thrift stores desperate for donations; sales increase
By Jim Faber | Island Packet (SC)
Friday, September 26, 2008

Many local thrift shops are facing shortages of goods because sales increase and donations decrease during difficult economic times.

Goodwill Industries of Lower South Carolina, which operates 15 retail centers, has a critical need for donated clothing, said Jennifer Oldal, marketing manager for Goodwill. She also said the centers have seen donations of all types of goods slide.

"Donations are down for the summer," she said. "Donations are down across the board."

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/100/story/53133.html

Thrift Shops Thriving, but Running Low on Stock

G. Paul Burnett/The New York Times
Joe Raymond for The New York Times
Published: September 9, 2008

Greg Arbogast, left, and Ryan Cleary loading up a coffee table from a Salvation Army store in South Bend, Ind.
Thrift stores say they are competing for a shrinking pool of quality castoffs.

While the nation’s best-known retail chains are pulling out all the stops to lure shoppers and bolster their abysmal sales, their customers are defecting to an unlikely rival: the local thrift. The must-have item for fall, it turns out, is someone else’s castoff.

That may sound like a boon for the thrift stores, and in some ways it is. Yet the same economic woes that are sending buyers their way are causing donors to hand over fewer items, so that many stores are running low on inventory.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/10/business/10thrift.html

[queenjane]

51. It's the ultimate in recycling

I started shopping thrift stores while on my way to losing 50 lbs--saw no need to pay retail for "interim" clothes. Found a wonderful resale shop near my office that uses the proceeds for medical school scholarships. As I lost weight, I donated my too-big clothes, as well as unused household items, and restocked my closet. I've maintained now for 3 years, but I still shop there. They have wonderful things I could never afford new. When I tire of something, if it's still in good condition, I re-donate it.

On the same tact, I donate books to the library for their book sales, where I stock up on reading material again. It's continuous recycling, raises money for good causes, and keeps stuff out of landfills.

However, I am royally pissed at my neighbor, whose grown children signed her up for Meals on Wheels--and then THEY come over to help her eat the delivered lunch! They are neither poor nor disabled, and Mom is perfectly capable of cooking for herself. They told me it was "owed" them.

[leftyladyfrommo]

52. I've been shopping in thrift stores for years and years.

I get most of my blue work shirts that I wear everyday from there. $1.75 a piece. They would be at least $10 at Walmart.

Nothing wrong with the thrift stores.

[littlebit]

53. I make well over six figures

and I have been shopping at Goodwill for years. I started shopping there when I was flat broke and never stopped. I don't see spending a lot of money on name brand clothing. Especially since most of my clothes end up getting axel greese on them.

[Lorien]

58. Roy Disney used to be my boss. He always shopped for his clothing at

K-Mart. Sure, he had a castle in Ireland and another seaside home in Greece, but he thought that spending a lot on brand names was pretty stupid.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

54. Why not? We both donate to, and shop at, Goodwill. A bargain is a bargain.

[prolesunited]

61. I just bought

a beautiful red wool trapeze coat with black velvet collars and cuffs for $6.50. It's in amazing shape and just needs a button tightened and to be dry cleaned (and I can get that done for half price.) My husband is wearing his "new" Claiborne dress shirt to work today.

I like it because it's green and we're going through a rough patch like so many now.

[SoCalDem]

64. Americans just CANNOT break their shopping addiction...

Most people could just STOP shopping altogether, and manage just fine, for a very long time.. (aside from the obvious food-shopping)..

Most of us have closets, full of clothes and overstuffed cupboards, full of gadgets we never even use..

We need a nationwide swap meet....no money..just trades..

Years ago when my boys were small, our neighborhood did just that..with toys & kids clothes... We had a large common yard behind all the houses in our development (those were the days before fences).. We'd set up tables & haul out all the stuff our kids had outgrown or were tired of, and we just "shopped" the boxes & tables.. we did this twice a year, and we all saved a shit-load of money:)

[ismnotwasm]

65. No doubt more of them, but not a new thing

Upper class "consignment" store owners have been doing it for years. Saw one with a cart full of baby and young kids clothes once in a second hand store (in my economically deprived area) Didn't bother to take her personal car, had the co-sign's name on it. Checked it out. Very pricey. What was a buck fifty for say, a single working mother was now 10 dollars because of a particular name brand.

Pissed me off, but I knew why in that case.

[EFerrari]

66. I used to volunteer at a thrift store that benefited local youth science programs.

We had a GREAT time there and made a thousand dollars a day, a quarter at a time.

It's a great way to recycle, too. Since then, I've never been able to walk into Macy's without feeling slightly nauseous.

:thumbsup:

[vanboggie]

68. Went to Goodwill today

My mid-20's daughter called to see if I wanted to go with her. Her thrifting is something I've always been proud of. When she was in high school, she despised the mall shops and wouldn't think of wearing Abercrombie or the other names of the day. She wore my old hippie clothing and items she found in thrift stores. She always looked nice and enjoyed the hunt for unique things to wear. One of the few new items I remember her wearing was her Citizens for Legitimate Government t-shirt. That really ticked off her Rethug teachers and she enjoyed getting them into debates about Bushco. But I digress....I am proud of her though. :)

[comtec]

69. I shop and donate to thrift stores

When I was teaching computer repair, i encouraged my students to goto thrift stores to buy second hand computers to work on.
The advantage is that they could get units to work on for cheap (heald is horribly expensive and doesn't include a lab box for their repair program!!!)

I buy clothes where ever I can... being rather large *blush* I'm kind of stuck, but I nearly NEVER buy clothes at full price. I always goto the clearance rack, and deep-cut sales. I always buy when I can in my sizes and my wife and I always donate our *ahem* smaller clothes and the like ever couple months.

Granted we're currently in Holland, but the kringloop is nearly all non-profit, and helps many under privileged people. They also have large dumps for clothing to be sent to afrika.

I generally buy my electronics new because I use those for a long time. I like to balance value with cost, which is why I buy local (european no, sorry) as opposed to chinese. That also means reading labels every time I goto the store ( you would be mortified how much food is imported from china!!!!)

But yes I agree, support the thrift shops, especially the ones that ACTUALLY HELP PEOPLE!!!!!

[OakCliffDem]

70. I like seeing rich people recycle used items

It is good for the environment, and good for us all