Thrift store pricing increases again?

[stonevintage]

Seems like the thrift stores are getting a little greedy.  Price increases averaging 15% per year for the last 3 years, especially on general clothing and speciality or NWT items.

A used pullover sweatshirt or pair of used sweatpants here was 3.95 three years ago.  Now, they're all asking 5.95-6.95.  Run of the mill, no name brands.

Decor items.. with the Ross "compare at 9.99 stickers",  yours for a great bargin of 4.99.   I guess here, half price of what item was new - is their best deal to offer.  Apparently, items fallen out of trend have no impact on their pricing considerations.  Lots of owl and elephant figurines of all shapes and sizes getting donated now cause they're over - but still marked at on trend prices. 

 Don't they know, before these new items were donated - they were likely offered at half price or better in the retail store before they did their shelf pull and donated them???

Anyone else notice yet another price jump in the last month or so?  The winter clothes just coming out now have about a 30% jump in last years pricing:(

[divwido]

They are there to make a profit.  Why does that surprise you?

[stonevintage]

Ha! Great blanket statement.  Thanks for all your insight.  

[18704d]

They don't know how to realistically price their items.

Hence, they'll make little profit.

Lynn

[divwido]

While I love the hence, I think most are smarter than you think.  The world is a simple click away and it has prices for everything.

[the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth]

Are the items overpriced for the final market or overpriced for Ebay sellers to resell?

[nowthatsjustducky]

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@divwido wrote:

They are there to make a profit.  Why does that surprise you?

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We have one thrift store here, the Salvation Army.  Their prime directive is helping the needy, not profit.  Granted, they frequently get noob employees there who do not understand that the majority of their buyer base is resellers, and if they start coming even remotely close to eBay prices, then their stuff is just going to keep racking up until they have a huge discount sale on everything in the store.

Despite the occasional periods of trying to get eBay prices locally, they do tend to keep their prices down, and still manage to help those who need it.  Heck, quite often, they end up having to put out carts of donated foods (often really high quality stuff) for anyone who wants it.  So apparently charging sane prices in their store is not hurting their ability to fulfill their primary purpose.

[muttlymob]

Are you complaining because the thrift store may not sell much at these prices?

Or complaining because the thrift store may no longer be forfeiting their own profit in order to keep prices low so resellers can make a profit?

[stonevintage]

It's their statement, that if the item is originally priced too high - it will self adjust in time when their color/date code indicates it should go to half price.  The problem I've seen with this is that fragile shelf items get broken over time and end up being a complete loss,  clothing doesn't move and the jam up prohibits them from pulling the non sellers so they have room to place fresh stock.

2 of the 4 thrifts I shop are now fully converted into computer pricing.  The pricer simply searches the category lists and prints a label that shows the price.  This results in a disposable 5 pack of aluminum mini 3 inch tart pans to be priced at 4.99:)  Same as a regular pie plate. Lol, or the Sweat pants/top to be priced same as an Adidas or Nike track suit.  Or, that 16 gallon beat up plastic storage container to be catagorized as "Garage - Storage bin"  to be priced at 12.99.... the list goes on and on and they have to price at what the computer says.... 

[nowthatsjustducky]

Remember, these are thrift stores not chari...  Oh wait.  Never mind.  😉

[stonevintage]

I'm not shopping for resale. I'm shopping for winter clothing etc I'll need to stay warm.  I used to shop for resale too but have purchased 90% of my clothing and household goods via thrifts for the last 10 years. 

So, I'm used to small yearly price increases to keep up with inflation.  This lately, is something else.

[18704d]

"  The world is a simple click away and it has prices for everything.

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Local small town prices are far different than internet prices.

LYnn

[retrose1]

I am signed up for our local Salvation Army mailing list and they notify me of their markdowns and clearances.  I can walk in and pay 50 cents a piece for most of what I buy.  Pulled out a $250 vintage Ralph Lauren sweater for $1.99 a week ago out of there.  

Most fundraiser thrift shops are there to make money for whatever cause they have.  I don't know where you shop, but when their prices go up, they sell less and better stuff is available for markdowns.

Instead of expecting them to have bargains whenever you walk in the door, shop smart and the bargains come to you.

[dakotasmoke]

Most of our thrift store prices are in line with what you would pay on eBay. Especially purses and Jewelry it makes it almost impossible to buy for resale now and their reasoning is is that if people are unable to buy for resale it's more likely to go to people that actually need it.

[retrose1]

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@stonevintage wrote:

I'm not shopping for resale. I'm shopping for winter clothing etc I'll need to stay warm.  I used to shop for resale too but have purchased 90% of my clothing and household goods via thrifts for the last 10 years. 

So, I'm used to small yearly price increases to keep up with inflation.  This lately, is something else.

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The best time to be buying winter clothes was 3 months ago.

I have over 100 Christmas sweaters I'm going to list that I did not pay more than a buck a piece for.  My winter coat this year is a puffy warm down Eddie Bauer that I paid $3 for in May.  I have maybe 30 items that I bought in the summer for myself, including jeans, tshirts, sweaters, thermal underwear, and so on and I averaged less than a buck a piece for.

I always pick up the best cashmere sweaters for a buck on the hottest days of the year.