Thrift store musings

How many Christmas albums and microwave cookbooks does one planet need?

Answer:
Fewer than we have.

That's why the leftovers are in thrift stores.

Reciprocal:

How many great vintage Tiki Mugs does one planet need?

Answer:
LOTS AND LOTS.

That's why there aren't enough in the thrift stores.

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind.

On 2005-02-25 13:03, purple jade wrote:
How many Christmas albums and microwave cookbooks does one planet need?

As many as there are orange owl cookie jars and Ponderosa Ranch tin cups.

Answer: All of them.

How many copies of Herb Alpert's "Whipped Cream" does one world need?

I hhave noticed a preponderous amount of plastic squeezie promo bottles at the goodwill. They sit there, multiplying on shelves, day after day. I wondered why goodwill even bothered putting them out - then, after 15 years of thrifting, the other day I actually saw someone buy a used squeezie bottle. Will wonders never cease?

I'm a firm believer that most of the "good stuff" gets snagged by the employees before it hits the floor. I used to find really cool '60's suits, ties and shirts (like bowling type sport shirts, dress shirts w/ snap tabs and skinny button-down collars) back in the late '70's and then a rash of "vintage" clothing stores (like Flips on Melrose) started opening up and things got harder to find. A friend of mine had very good luck finding those great '60's shoes and go-go boots with razor sharp pointy toes and stiletto heals in barely worn condition, but she was like a size five.

Just think about how many plastic combs exist-that one boggles the mind.I mean,I don't think there's that much hair in the world that needs to be combed.

My favorite are the loads of cookbooks next to the untouched diet books.

How many random beige items infused with the aromas of mothballs and/or catboxes does the world need?

How many lady's high heel shoes, encrusted with shell macaroni, spray painted gold, filled with plastic flowers, for display on top of a console T.V. does one need?

Actually I haven't run across any of these for quite some time. They must have all disentegrated by now.

Yesterday, to mock me futher, I saw an entire 20 volume set of microwave cooking encyclopedias. I ask you...

it's all because of THE OWLS...

On 2005-02-25 19:40, Shipwreckjoey wrote:
I'm a firm believer that most of the "good stuff" gets snagged by the employees before it hits the floor.

They do. My daughter worked for one up in the Valley & would get all sorts of new, old stock & barely used items for us (but no Tikis :( ). I'm certain that other Thrift Stores do the same, whether they mean to or not.

The Goodwill in my hood has a policy where employees can't buy anything until it's been on the shelf for atleast 24 hours, but everything there comes from Tacoma where the "good stuff" is snagged and put up for online auction. http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQfgtpZ1QQfrppZ25QQsassZtacomagoodwill

Life is cruel

This whole Goodwill and Salvation Army selling on Ebay and marking up prices has got me torn...on one hand I understand the good work that Goodwill and other charitable organizations do for the less fortunate and that any financial contributions they receive will go to a good cause!

But on the other hand I'm madder than hell that by sorting the "valuables" and selling them at antique store prices they're kinda defeating the purpose of a thrift store. I went to the Salvation Army last week and checked out the front showcase - inside were two carved mahogany busts of wahines one with a flower in her hair - I looked at the price it appeared to be $15.00 so I said, sure they're expensive but I'll check them out and if they're nice then I might just splurge. So the girl hands me the one without the price tag, I check it out, it's pretty cool and I have an extra $20 in my wallet. She starts ringing it up and proceeds to tell me the total is $39.99!! Forty bucks??!! Needless to say I told her no thanks.

In a way I find it offensive that they take donations that people provide through the kindness of their hearts (or lack of space in their closets and basements) and then paw through them looking to make a super profit off items their original owners didn't realize were valuable.

THANK YOU! I totally agree! At the Goodwill on EL TORO (Yeah! You know who you are!!) All the employees are sittin around discussing how much more they could get for dis n dat and go ahead and put it on E Bay. So I bring up a really cool Eames-ish lamp and the manager tells me "Oh- that needs to go on E Bay"!! And TAKES IT FROM ME and starts to enter it on her computer!!!! Needless to say, I was stunned! My jaw is still draggin! They were asking about $10.00 for it. I'm sure it went for more. Every one around (shoppers) were lookin at each other with wide eyes and puzzled looks. It's like no one knew what to say cuz, yeah, it IS a charity and they give to the needy...so what do you do? But I'm PISSED! I'm needy. I need a lamp.

Oh. I got so worked up...KCTiki- I made a beautiful decor craft from my Nana's old pumps, complete with plastic red, white and blue plastic carnations! Splendid! She has it on her TV which sits on the console (doesn't work, you know). I think I was 8. I better go see if it's still there,cuz she may have accidently gave it to charity and she'll probably want that back!