The saddest thing I've ever seen in a thrift shop

[rockyroadtradingpost]

Went thrifting today with a friend.

My friend was thrilled to find two beautiful handmade quilts, each bearing a sewn-in fabric tag stating in detail that it was made by Grandma for her grandchildren and for what occasion.  

The tags stated their names and the dates of the boy's birthday a few years ago and the girl's graduation in June 2023 -- not even a full year ago. 

They were both colorful and very detailed. Imagine the time and love put into each of these! 

The lady who worked there said the quilts had been dropped off earlier that day by a mother and the two grandchildren in question. When she saw what they were dropping off, she was shocked and questioned them about why they would discard such precious items handmade by their Grandma. They just shrugged. She told us she felt the children were being raised to have no soul.

I hope Grandma never visits and sees that the quilts are missing. Something tells me she probably isn't ever invited.

[mam98031]

That is so SAD!!!!  So many questions but no answers.  I hope Grandma never finds out.  How hurtful that would be.

My Mom was a rather unusual person, I loved her deeply, but she was an acquired taste to be sure.  I've got all the quilts she has made for us over the years both fabric and crochet.  She gave me a couple of those beautiful quilts crochet with the 3D roses in each square.  OMG they are so beautiful and I love them.

I didn't follow with the crafts my mom did, my thing is Cross Stitch.  I made her a beautiful poem / letter expressing my love for her.  She hung it BEHIND her wall calendar.  That stung for awhile.

[chapeau-noir]

I really think thrift shop employees need to stay out of people's personal business and not make assumptions. Just take the stuff. I grew up in a completely broken family and never appreciated people's inferences of why I did what I did.

[mam98031]

You are right.  Still it is sad.

[chapeau-noir]

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@mam98031 wrote:

You are right.  Still it is sad.

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As Tolstoy said, happy families are all the same, unhappy ones each have their own story. This may have been an unhappy family for whatever reason.

Hopefully the quilts find a good and appreciative home.

[ckimodog]

@chapeau-noir 

Totally agree.  I watch this show, a pawn shop show & every time a customer would come into the shop, the attendants would ask why they want to sell or pawn the item...who cares?  Give them what they want, make the sale and move on.  It's business.  

Happy Easter

[sakic92710]

I agree.  No one knows, a lot of times, what goes on inside a family unit.  Grandmothers are just humans, too and, they can have serious issues.  I was not close to either of mine.  Neither were well liked.  My aunt caught 1 of them tripping me when I was very little.  lol  Ahhh.......a grandma's love.   😛

[soh.maryl]

To add to the general tone of the responders here:  No one can ever know or fully understand the reason behind the actions of another person.  And it is not our business to know or try to find out.

The TS employee had no business asking why the quilts were being donated.  A simple "thank you" should've been sufficient.  

And, because of one simple interaction, this employee felt the children were being "raised to have no soul". Really, an amateur psychiatrist working in a thrift shop? 

[conservitvs]

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@chapeau-noir wrote:

I really think thrift shop employees need to stay out of people's personal business and not make assumptions. Just take the stuff.

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Exactly. Yes. 

[soh.maryl]

In that case, however, the question could be justified because the pawn shop employee  wants to make certain the person knows the value of the item, like someone selling what seems like "grandpa's old junk" when, in reality, it's a very rare gun or piece of jewelry.  If you don't ask, there is always the risk of the customer returning, wanting it back, now that they know how much it's worth.  

[silverstatetreasureboxes]

@rockyroadtradingpost 

     I work in a thrift shop and have for 10 years. Things like what you described are very common. In my area there are a lot of older residents from other states who left their families and bought homes here when prices were reasonably priced.

     Now they are dying off and the homes are worth on the average of half a million. The families donate everything they can grab and place in cars. They want the money from the house, maybe some jewelry and they want out of here.

    I have received 3 cremated remains, samplers from the early 1800s, countless photo albums with pictures, purses with personal items, military awards and casket flags and grandmother's quilts as well.

     Everyone has a story and a reason for donating,  I never ask questions, I just take it, clean it and price it, but I do often think to myself " why on earth would they donate this, didn't they care?"

[ed8108]

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@rockyroadtradingpost wrote:

I hope Grandma never visits and sees that the quilts are missing. Something tells me she probably isn't ever invited.

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Mothers serve as role models, & some are better at this job than others

[soh.maryl]

Yours is a very reasonable response to such situations.  Thank you for keeping your thoughts to yourself.  And for not arbitrarily deciding that the person donating is raising children without souls.  

[glenvonnie]

I had the sister of an Army Lt. who served in the Infantry in WW2 and Korea, who died of wounds in Korea in March of 1951 after being recalled to fight in that war, give me his Purple Heart, Bronze Star, and many other items to sell. This soldier is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. He never married and had no immediate family.

I contacted his nieces and nephews and helped them put the items in order in a glass cased display, they were grateful to have them.

I went to Vietnam twice and I wouldn't sell anything like this, I know, deeply respect, and value the sacrifices this soldier made.

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

@ckimodog Having worked in antique malls (similar to pawnshops, people from time to time bring things in to sell), asking why they want to sell something is a way to get a feel for whether they are offering you stolen merchandise. My mall was in an area with a huge concentration of malls and flea markets, and people would steal from one place, drive down the road and try to sell it to another place. So, asking these kinds of questions was not idle curiosity. And while the answer itself might not prove anything, experienced mall owners developed a feel for when answers just didn't "feel" right.

Now, a thrift shop is a bit different, because people dropping off stuff are not trying to sell it to the thrift shop, they are just trying to get rid of it. So I agree....just take whatever they drop off (unless the item is against the rules)