| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Miss Bee Haven |
Posted - Sep 16 2009 : 06:04:12 AM
Bad news, bad news! Two out of the three Salvation Army thrift stores in Louisville are closing their doors in two weeks! What does this mean? Are people not donating? Is the economy so bad that noone gives up anything? I've shopped at these stores since they opened. They are in totally opposite ends of town and serve large areas. This leaves only one thrift store(hopefully we can keep one) in an inner city area. I am very, very sad/upset. Goodwill stores are overpriced here. There are still two stores nearby in Indiana where I shop. But I wonder if this is an indication of a bad direction for thrift stores. Anybody else losing thrifts???
Farmgirl Sister #50
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'Br.Dave Gardner' |
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| MagnoliaWhisper |
Posted - Sep 17 2009 : 7:40:45 PM
There was something like that in Kansas for a while Alee, every thing in their store front was 25 cents! I got suits once for my neighbors sons for church, 25 cents for EACH three piece suit! So I got all three of her boys three piece suits for 75 cents! I used to get myself stuff there too often!
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
| Alee |
Posted - Sep 17 2009 : 09:39:48 AM
There is a place in Moscow ID called "The Hope Center" it's run by the Church of the Nazarene. They have been doing a hardship clothing center and food bank for years, but now they are expanding. They have started a store front thrift shop to help fun some community help projects like their foodbank and soon they will be adding in housing assistance as well as energy assistance. I think that is neat! And I bet they will have great prices too! I emailed them for more information. Maybe we could help encourage something like that in our own communities!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
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| Hosanna |
Posted - Sep 17 2009 : 07:28:44 AM
You know what, there was a commercial on TV the other day; for Goodwill. In some nearby bigger city like an hour from me, (Greensboro, NC) They opened up a new Goodwill "Outlet" store. They were selling housewares, clothing - everything but furniture- for .59 a pound. .59 cents a pound! Wow! Everything was apparently in bins, and you'd have to sort thru it big time, but for .59 a pound I'd sort all day! I haven't gone yet; like I said it is pretty far from me. I am rarely in that neck of the woods these days.
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| knitnpickinatune |
Posted - Sep 16 2009 : 3:43:45 PM
We have one in Torrance here,and it always looks run down & quite frankly,can be depressing to go into. I've went in once or twice & found a book or two,but honestly,the prices aren't that great and it's far more cheerful & better deals at yard sales. I do however,give every holiday season whenever I see a person with the traditional red kettle!
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| MagnoliaWhisper |
Posted - Sep 16 2009 : 3:16:21 PM
Exactly Hosana, with what I've been finding lately, I'm convinced either some one working there is taking home the nice stuff and selling it on ebay, or the store itself is. Cause when I used to go, I rarely could leave with out buying. I would buy mis match china cups for 10 cents, and then I could take them on vacation and drink my tea in a hotel from real china (thin and all) rather hen diner thick cups they have in the hotels, etc. And if it broke or got lost it was 10 cents, but made me feel oh so pampered being able to drink out of real china! Or cute little bags of vintage costume jewelry etc. Not any more. The last few years when I go, I have left with nothing.
For instance I went to Goodwill last month and they had old Golden Books (children's books) for 1.00! Well, they were musty colored in, etc. And with coupons lately I've been able to get them new from Borders for 50 cents! Not musty or drawn in! I remember when I used to go to Goodwill and get books like that for 10 cents! I would of gladly bought ALL the golden books they had for 10 cents! And I could tell the ones they had had been there a while....as they had soo many they were exploding out of the book case!
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
| Brenda Kay Groth |
Posted - Sep 16 2009 : 2:52:28 PM
we had our first resale shop in dozens of years open in our town last year..and i love it..i dont' have to drive so far to donate things..they put it by a new low cost housing project..smart..i don't buy from them but i do donate
bloom where you are planted |
| krissy |
Posted - Sep 16 2009 : 11:08:34 AM
I haven't been to a Salvation Army. We have a St. Vincent DePaul a couple towns away and I don't visit that, but there is a thrift store called Helping Hands that is run by a Lutheran church and I LOVE it! I can always find something there. Their selection always changes. We also have Value Village here and there and they have tons of stuff as well.
I don't know what's going on with people these days though. I would gladly donate things than just toss them in the garbage.
http://lateinlifemommy.blogspot.com/ |
| Miss Bee Haven |
Posted - Sep 16 2009 : 10:49:46 AM
We have a couple of DAV stores here in Louisville, Hosanna. And they do keep some older things in a case in front of the store. But they also sometimes have good sales on the stuff in cases. They usually have some kind of sale written on a big board in front of the store. Pretty much the only time I buy clothes there is when they have a sale. Sometimes books will be as cheap as ten for a dollar. :)
Farmgirl Sister #50
"If you think you've got it nailed down, then what's all that around it?"
'Br.Dave Gardner' |
| Hosanna |
Posted - Sep 16 2009 : 10:37:59 AM
My salvation army store recently moved to a bigger newer location and all of the sudden they jacked up their prices big time. Ticked me off. I collect vintage clothes, and usually I could get dresses and such for about $3. Yesterday, They charged $5 for a simple polyester Princess-Dianna style 1980's day dress! It was cute as heck so I paid it, but I was ticked. Plus, their selection got cruddy all the sudden, too. Like they're taking the better stuff and selling it on eBay or somewhere. I still go in just to scope. But more and more I don't buy a single thing.
We have a DAV thrift in town.... disabled American veterans. Their store ricks; although sometimes they charge out the whazoo for more "antiquey" stuff.
Even people doing yard sales charge a lot! I stopped to ask about a pink velvet loveseat this weekend, and the dude wanted $85! It was worth, maybe, about $40. But he was adimant about $85 so I waled away. He was griping about having to haul it back to storage. Too bad, buddy.
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www.thewindofheaven.blogspot.com |
| Alee |
Posted - Sep 16 2009 : 10:27:27 AM
Yes- exactly! I wish some of the stores would drop their prices. In Moscow, ID their Salv. Army was AWESOME! They had great prices and they MOVED their items because people could say "Well It was only $.50 so if it doesn't work out- no problem." Some of theses stores around here will probably cease to exist with the same stuff on their shelves as when they opened. Why not cut the prices to something realistic and move out the inventory and get fresh stuff in? Sure it's not a huge profit, but that isn't the point, is it? I mean these shops didn't used to be about extracting money but about helping the community (and weren't most of them supposed to be NON profit?)
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
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| MagnoliaWhisper |
Posted - Sep 16 2009 : 10:02:46 AM
Same here.........you think 10 dollars for a worn out pair of jeans is bad? Here at ours 10 years ago when I first went to the one near where I lived they were 25 dollars! I could go to walmart and get them new cheaper then that! It was so ridiculous! Chipped unmatching dishes were 3 to 5 dollars a piece! I could get a whole box of dishes new from big lots for less then 10 dollars! It was so crazy I never went back.
The prices in Kansas weren't bad when I went while growing up. But, I was highly disappointed here. Plus not only were the prices wack, but it was all garbage, I wouldn't of bought for any price. Literally like I said all the jeans in my opinion were worn beyond wear or even reuse for material (as most of it was big holes, with a few patches of thread bare material holding it together between the holes), and chipped ugly (not cute vintage, but way ugly) cracked, etc dishes-again way over priced. I used to get them nice, cute vintage pieces for 10 cents! TOPS 25 cents in Kansas. I couldn't believe they were ugly and broke for 3 to 5 dollars a piece! And were just stuff like from walmart or kmart in the 70's or 80's, not like what I got in kansas-IE real china tea cups for 10 cents!
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
| melanie47601 |
Posted - Sep 16 2009 : 09:20:25 AM
We used to have a Salvation Army here and it was just the opposite as the Goodwill stores in our area as it was the one that was outrageously overpriced. $10 for a pair of ripped up jeans just cause it was a name brand!?? They closed it down a couple of years ago. The prices were so high and they didn't have much of a selection. But I heard that anything decent that was donated to the store was taken by employees and sold on ebay and what not. So that left the rest of us to pick over the junk that was left. Very aggravating. Also I know Goodwill has started an oline shop and auction and I think Salvation Army stores may have one too. But I'm not positive. We also have a local consignment shop that likes to go clean out the Goodwill store. They just buy the stuff and slap a higher price tag on it in their store. I saw a lamp at this store the other day taht was from back in the 80's most likely with a $20 tag on it. Is that crazy or what? Sorry for the venting girls.
Melanie
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| Alee |
Posted - Sep 16 2009 : 07:27:46 AM
Our Salvation Army unfortunatly is very dirty and the selection is horrible. I have been in it several times and have never bought anything. The few times they have had something worthwhile in, their prices have been as bad as goodwill. I have seen some independent "Sale Today" places pop up but they were overpriced too. It's discouraging to see peope charging $5 for mass produced small bud vases!
However we do have a fantastic place here in town with fantastic prices, and they are willing to negotiate!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
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| peapicker |
Posted - Sep 16 2009 : 06:48:35 AM
The Salvation Army stores where I used to live in the Ft. Worth metroplex area had tons of stuff and I loved to shop there. Now, its a different story here in this area. We stopped in at this one and it was so picked over that I felt sorry for them. This is a much more depressed area with more needs for sure. I hope there is another explanation for closings in your area other than lack of donations, but I can see where it could be the case based on this one. My fear is the needs will continue to increase.
Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.
Robert Brault |
| Miss Bee Haven |
Posted - Sep 16 2009 : 06:47:38 AM
Maybe that's it, Jonni. They closed one of those stores about six months ago, but opened it again when the folks in the area got so upset and pleaded for it to open again. But the time I've been in both those stores recently, they both were pretty empty looking as far as selection. The two Indiana stores I frequent seem to be well stocked and thriving(I hope).
Diana - Wow! My jaw fell when I read your post! That's astounding! Where does the money go when they sell stuff? Are taxpayers paying these workers to root through the landfill?
Farmgirl Sister #50
"If you think you've got it nailed down, then what's all that around it?"
'Br.Dave Gardner' |
| FebruaryViolet |
Posted - Sep 16 2009 : 06:42:11 AM
What? What? I can hardly believe that. We seem to have more and more resale shops opening...even just random "sale today" signs hanging in vacant shop fronts. I can hardly believe that they would close their doors, especially with the economic areas they serve. Have you contacted their offices, Janice? I believe I would. I can't imagine it's lack of donation--it's got to be more that they are lacking $$$$ funding to maintain the store and pay the employees.
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| gramadinah |
Posted - Sep 16 2009 : 06:14:58 AM
I see so much more going into landfills now that you get no tax credit.
It has gotten so bad that Our landfill will go through and remove things and sell them. They actually used county tax money to build a shed to house it all.
Diana
Farmgirl Sister #273 |
