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:(

[emerald40]

And it always felt strangely thrilling going in and seeing stuff I donated actually out on the shelves at sensible prices, and then a few days later, going back and seeing those items were sold already.
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And to just add -" sold already" .... to people in need, not seeing it being listed on ebay for 3 or 4 times what a reseller paid for it.

[stonevintage]

That's the trouble with thinking in black and white.  Last winter, I had no way to pay my monthly heating bills (over 200 mo).  I walked into the thrift with 20.00 and found a few obscure items that brought me over 1,200 in profits here.  These were lenses for specialty micro biology electronic microscopes.  I sold them to labs in Berkley Ca and some to a lab back East and a couple of individuals, retired but still dabbled in the field.

Paid my heating bills for the winter, yes, I made many times the money but I did not have to go on emergency public assistance for heating.  No, I'm not taking advantage of the poor.... I am the poor and I give back.

The thrift manager was worried about my finances and getting thru the winter and I share with her my "find" in her store.  She was so happy for me and not negative at all.  I have since donated items back many times my net on those sales.  That's the way it goes. 

[nowthatsjustducky]

What kids need a rare UK exclusive Care Bear or an old TRS-80 computer, or that XM radio that they would have to pay a monthly subscription to use?

That said, I typically don't deal much with the typical "essentials" like clothes, or kitchenware, or furniture, unless I am buying for myself.  Everything else are simply wants and not needs.

Oh, and to show how these symbiotic relationships work, here is a cool story that hit my FB wall recently...

A guy looked at my Corvette the other day and said, “I wonder how many people could have been fed for the money that car cost.”

I replied, “I am not sure. It fed a lot of families who built it in Bowling Green, Kentucky; it fed the people who make the tires; it fed the people who made the components that went into it; it fed the people in the copper mine who mined the copper for the wires; it fed people in Decatur, Illinois at Caterpillar who make the trucks that haul the copper ore; it fed the trucking people who hauled it from the plant to the dealer, and it fed the people working at the dealership and their families. BUT … I have to admit, I guess I really don’t know how many people it fed.

[emerald40]

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@stonevintage wrote:

That's the trouble with thinking in black and white.  Last winter, I had no way to pay my monthly heating bills (over 200 mo).  I walked into the thrift with 20.00 and found a few obscure items that brought me over 1,200 in profits here.  These were lenses for specialty micro biology electronic microscopes.  I sold them to labs in Berkley Ca and some to a lab back East and a couple of individuals, retired but still dabbled in the field.

Paid my heating bills for the winter, yes, I made many times the money but I did not have to go on emergency public assistance for heating.  No, I'm not taking advantage of the poor.... I am the poor and I give back.

The thrift manager was worried about my finances and getting thru the winter and I share with her my "find" in her store.  She was so happy for me and not negative at all.  I have since donated items back many times my net on those sales.  That's the way it goes. 

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Stone I remember some of your posts.  From what I read it sounded like you would have qualified for assistance.

And I do remember those microscope lenses and followed those postings.

Didn't you just mention that in Idaho those who are in need are given vouchers.  Well maybe the thrift did not give you an actual one but you are the type I feel should have been shopping there.

And as far as taking that $20 and investing it in those lenses, not everyone is as cautious as you or as knowledgable.

I have read horror stories here about newbies buying a bunch of inventory with intent to selling it here and losing everything to scammers or it just not being sellable items that they have to practically give away.

[nowthatsjustducky]

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@stonevintage wrote:

That's the trouble with thinking in black and white.  Last winter, I had no way to pay my monthly heating bills (over 200 mo).  I walked into the thrift with 20.00 and found a few obscure items that brought me over 1,200 in profits here.  These were lenses for specialty micro biology electronic microscopes.  I sold them to labs in Berkley Ca and some to a lab back East and a couple of individuals, retired but still dabbled in the field.

Paid my heating bills for the winter, yes, I made many times the money but I did not have to go on emergency public assistance for heating.  No, I'm not taking advantage of the poor.... I am the poor and I give back.

The thrift manager was worried about my finances and getting thru the winter and I share with her my "find" in her store.  She was so happy for me and not negative at all.  I have since donated items back many times my net on those sales.  That's the way it goes. 

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Likewise, I have had some thrift store managers genuinely interested in how I was doing in general reselling stuff (no specific items in particular named); and pleased that I was able to at least pay my bills, keep food in the fridge, and even stash a little regularly for emergencies.

Sounded to me like they were glad their stores could provide a path for those struggling hand to mouth to ultimately bootstrap themselves out of the extreme poverty mire with a little hard work and self education.  I think they thought that was even better than just living on handouts with no motivation to do better.

Don't get me wrong, handouts are fine for immediate needs so you can focus on improving your QoL without having to worry about whether or not you can make your next electric payment, or get caught up on rent, or whether you can eat.  But in the long run, those relying on handouts need to eventually view them as handups to get them going.

[emerald40]

Sounded to me like they were glad their stores could provide a path for those struggling hand to mouth to ultimately bootstrap themselves out of the extreme poverty mire with a little hard work and self education.  I think they thought that was even better than just living on handouts with no motivation to do better.

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Again these are not the people I am referring to.

If it helps you pay the bills, fine.

If it is just more merchandise to add to your already bloated inventory, then no.

[southern*sweet*tea]

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@stonevintage wrote:

That's the trouble with thinking in black and white.  Last winter, I had no way to pay my monthly heating bills (over 200 mo).  I walked into the thrift with 20.00 and found a few obscure items that brought me over 1,200 in profits here.  These were lenses for specialty micro biology electronic microscopes.  I sold them to labs in Berkley Ca and some to a lab back East and a couple of individuals, retired but still dabbled in the field.

Paid my heating bills for the winter, yes, I made many times the money but I did not have to go on emergency public assistance for heating.  No, I'm not taking advantage of the poor.... I am the poor and I give back.

The thrift manager was worried about my finances and getting thru the winter and I share with her my "find" in her store.  She was so happy for me and not negative at all.  I have since donated items back many times my net on those sales.  That's the way it goes. 

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<sarcasm> Nope, what you should have done was taken the $20 and buy a bunch of coats and blankets to keep you warm when you ran out of fuel. By reselling specialty lenses you took advantage of the poor who could have used those lenses!!! </sarcasm>

[emerald40]

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@southern*sweet*tea wrote:

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@stonevintage wrote:

That's the trouble with thinking in black and white.  Last winter, I had no way to pay my monthly heating bills (over 200 mo).  I walked into the thrift with 20.00 and found a few obscure items that brought me over 1,200 in profits here.  These were lenses for specialty micro biology electronic microscopes.  I sold them to labs in Berkley Ca and some to a lab back East and a couple of individuals, retired but still dabbled in the field.

Paid my heating bills for the winter, yes, I made many times the money but I did not have to go on emergency public assistance for heating.  No, I'm not taking advantage of the poor.... I am the poor and I give back.

The thrift manager was worried about my finances and getting thru the winter and I share with her my "find" in her store.  She was so happy for me and not negative at all.  I have since donated items back many times my net on those sales.  That's the way it goes. 

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<sarcasm> Nope, what you should have done was taken the $20 and buy a bunch of coats and blankets to keep you warm when you ran out of fuel. By reselling specialty lenses you took advantage of the poor who could have used those lenses!!! </sarcasm>

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Or the thrift could have priced the items more to their value thereby bringing in more money to help more of those in need (reality)

[getitright1234]

What if thrift store exclusively sold to the poor, they would be closed down in 6 months to a year!

Truly poor people do not buy a lot, (remember they are poor), so how does a thrift store pay their:

employees, rent, gas/electric, water/sewer, trash, and etc........etc.     We all know thrift stores can not pay these bills by giving the electric company or  landlord a donated sweater, pair of socks. or shoes.

Remember:  the truly poor people do not have money to buy things, they are usually the recipients of donated goods.  Thrift stores "need" cash money to survive, and if they "only" allowed the poor to shop for goods; they would go under fast.

[nowthatsjustducky]

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@getitright1234 wrote:

Remember:  the truly poor people do not have money to buy things, they are usually the recipients of donated goods.  Thrift stores "need" cash money to survive, and if they "only" allowed the poor to shop for goods; they would go under fast.

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And if they priced everything at online rates, they would also go under fast, though not quite as fast as the above scenario; due to neither the resellers (who are often still poor, but making it on their own) nor the really really poor either, because neither of those demographics are willing to pay those prices for nonessentials, and the second demographic would not even be interested in such pieces.

[emerald40]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-hrabe/the-worst-corporation-in-_b_1876905.html

An American multi-national corporation, which accepts millions of dollars in government funds, pays its top executives more than half a million dollars per year in total compensation, while simultaneously paying some of its employees less than the federal minimum wage.

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The only thing I can add to this thread is - read the link above and then decide if you want to give.

And in answer to the above poster, apparently they are well compensated in government funds.

[nowthatsjustducky]

I've never donated to Goodwill.  St. Vincent's was the one I donated to exclusively before the move.  And now, Salvation Army is who would get the goods, at least anything that is not clothes or other basic essentials.  For the latter category, we actually do have an organization of sorts locally that takes donations and gives them to those who do really need them.  And if they catch you reselling, you are banned from receiving their assistance ever again.  I just recently learned about them, and will gladly donate clothes and housewares that I no longer need when the opportunity arises.

And if I were to start making thrifting runs to the Caldwell/Nampa/Boise area, Re Style (the pet charity thrift store I mentioned several posts back), and Idaho Youth Ranch would be the thrifts I would be donating to.

[emerald40]

For the latter category, we actually do have an organization of sorts locally that takes donations and gives them to those who do really need them. 

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Can you name them here?  

Curious if they have a presence in my home state.

[bacicat67]

Great for you. You knew what you were buying and turned a profit, at a difficult time. I see no wrong in that. Sure the profit went to good use.

Re: Thrift Stores. I live in NYC. I only know people who donate for tax write offs. Not for the 'poor' getting great deals. Charity is not in their mindset, just tax write offs. Don't slam me for this - just my knowledge of the neighbors.
However; as for me, I get a lot from those who move ( VERY often) who don't want to be bothered about taxes or charity.. I have so much to list and so little time.

As someone who shopped GW, Nada for me.. I gained weight and it's impossible to find my size . GW is so unorganized, Kudos to those who re sale and find stuff.

Where does charity begin?
Where does it stop?
If someone takes the time to work the Thrifts as their work/$ ....why judge? This re seller could be poorer than those who shop the thrifts.
Ebay is not so great. So if someone has 'an eye' for good stuff to re sell from a thrift store...what is the issue if helping someone who needs gets a deal or resells to make money for bills or food...or simply profit. Time and energy and reason is all involved. Ebay is not easy.

[nowthatsjustducky]

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@emerald40 wrote:

For the latter category, we actually do have an organization of sorts locally that takes donations and gives them to those who do really need them. 

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Can you name them here?  

Curious if they have a presence in my home state.

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I'll have to get back to you on that.  I saw them mentioned on the Baker County Classifieds page on Facebook.  I think they are just local only, but I could be wrong.  Can't check at the moment.  Time to go do today's shopping (since there is no shipping for us today, so it can't be shipping and shopping.)  😄