posted on October 9, 2000 01:53:50 PM new
Outoftheblue-I also can't believe how people can rationalize taking items from a thrift store. I deal with this attitude on a daily basis, they think that if its within their reach, they can take it. However, our box used to fill up and people had no choice but to put it on the ground. Now, with the guard, we don't have this problem any longer. It's been funny to watch their reactions when they have driven up and started to look for stuff and the guard comes from around the corner, and they run for their cars. LOL
As for the employees getting first choice, forget it, doesn't happen. EVERYTHING has to be priced first and on the floor. This is just my store, but I don't know how any of the others could stay in business if they let their employees have first choice. And that's what these are, businesses, even the charity stores.
Getting back to the original thread, our dump won't let you go thru their stuff, they have these big dirt loaders and as soon as you drop it off, they are rolling it under.
Alot of the stuff that used to get dropped off was from people that are to lazy or not wanting to pay the fees for the dump. So, we wind up having to pay the fees when we have to take it to the dump. Do they really think that we want a refrigerator that has no door, or the couch that has no cushions, or the mattress that has a huge hole in the middle of it. Its much easier for them to come in the middle of the night and drop it off the back of their truck and leave it up to us. Another reason I now have a guard.
posted on October 10, 2000 12:04:36 AM new
As an occasional dumpster diver I often wonder at the "intent" of the original owners.
In my great grandmother's day the idea of leaving "good" stuff out with the trash meant you were basically giving it to the garbage man.
I sometimes load my car up with things I won't ebay, but are good for goodwill. Kinda keeping it in the "food chain" a little longer.
Jeanyu, pretty ballsy admitting that one. I just don't go near the piles of goodwill donation stuff. Not good form. Kind of a wheat and chaff thing, ya know?
Capriole
Here's hoping you find the good loot it other places.
(only wheat here...lol)
[b]WE DON'T CARE WHO GETS IT EVENTUALLY - we consider the items TRASH....Putting it into or nearby the donation boxes is a heck of a lot easier than bringing it to the dump or paying money to have someone haul it away.
[/b]
Nice attitude!
Why would anyone donate trash to a charity? If it is trash, throw it away. If it is useable then donate it.
[ edited by outoftheblue on Oct 10, 2000 12:29 AM ]
posted on October 10, 2000 02:55:46 AM new
Coming back to the subject at hand...
Usually, there are laws that concern Dumps. And regulations.
Techniclly, if you leave trash on your curb, the law, as defined by the US Supreme Court, says it's pubic domain. You don't want it, you put it out, you can't yell at that homeless man or neighborhood kids who rummage thru the can.
OTOH, at the dump, depending on the rules and ownership, usually, according to Dept. of Health or some other similar Dept. or agency, once the stuff hits the ground, it's trash. You can't pick it up and throw it into your truck. It's on Property that isn't covered by the Supreme Court law.
It's waste, and taking it away is considered a health risk. After all, there have been cases where people sued Local goverments for the items they took from the dump.
Also, some dumps and transfer stations have inked contracts where private companies can salvage goods, provided they pay a fee for the priviledge and their responseable should they run into trouble.
So, that's why you can't haul stuff. Thata, and, rules are meant to be broke...and at your own risk.
:\\\"Crystalline Sliver cannot be the target of spells or abilities.
posted on October 10, 2000 01:30:28 PM new
This is probably a dumb question, but I've actually never been in a thrift store. Closest I've been is the warehouse for the local goodwill. I was donating a bunch of stuff and a couch caught my eye....almost perfect except for a quarter size burn mark on the back (put that side against the wall). Got a sectional couch for $100.00! Couldn't believe it was so cheap!
Anyway, my question is: Are thrift shop items that expensive? I've always thought that thrift shops sold used items at a very low price. Am I wrong?
posted on October 10, 2000 01:37:36 PM new
lotsafuzz
In my experience, thrift store prices are usually not that bad unless you are talking about "designer" items. Some of these items are priced at double the current market value for that particular item. If something sells on Ebay for $25 you will find it at thrift stores (like Goodwill or Salvation Army) for $50.
posted on October 10, 2000 01:48:12 PM new
Our local Goodwills aren't so bad pricewise...although it's obvious different people are pricing things, as similar items often call for different prices, and the handwriting on the tags is different.
Adding..on all of our local Goodwill drop boxes, there are signs, and the signs are printed with the statement: "Taking any object from inside or around this drop box consitutes stealing and is punishable by law."
[ edited by skylarraye on Oct 10, 2000 01:53 PM ]
posted on October 10, 2000 02:23:40 PM new
I gotta find the case, but this case law was liked by Law Enforcement, as now they could rummage thru known suspects to find the needed edvidence for cases.
Don't ask me about the bike. I only know the general aspect of the matter.
:\\\"Crystalline Sliver cannot be the target of spells or abilities.
posted on October 10, 2000 02:27:08 PM new
My neighbor loves to trash pick but she has a policy of only taking something if she asks first! She actually will knock on the door and ask if she can have an item!
She has never been turned down and she will leave without the item if no-one answers. Works for her and I admire her spunk and principles.
I have had people ask for items out of my trash and if I had more of it in the house I would volunteer to go get it for them! To me, it's better than taking up room in a landfill.
I think trash picking is a pretty well accepted pasttime, but a donation box is not "out to the trash." Sure, some of it may BE trash and END UP in the trash, but that's up to the organization it was donated to to decide. Until then, it belongs to them and no-one has any right to it.
posted on October 10, 2000 02:51:21 PM new
Often when going thru the kids clothes to weed out the things they can't wear anymore I think about just trashing it all, then inevitably a guilty feeling will hit me about waste and all. It's easy to take trash to the curb, it's a hassle to drive it to the Salvation Army, but I want other people to be able to use the clothes if they need them and at Goodwill they pay handicapped workers to go thru it all. I don't like the idea of someone taking that payed work away from the handicapped and I don't like the idea of someone stealing things meant for the poor.
Once when I was working at Chief Auto I watched a lady pull up in a brand new pickup to the Goodwill trailer across the street and help herself to some furniture. I called the cops, but they said Goodwill won't prosecute so they didnt come out. I was so upset I was jumping up and down and saying to the cop on the phone but she's stealing from Goodwill! At the time it seemed unbelievable to me. The manager was kinda laughing at me because I was so upset.
posted on October 10, 2000 02:57:42 PM new
and krs
about the bike question, My littlest ones mountain bike was stolen a couple weeks ago. The kind only their Grandparents can afford to give. So.....I have to save till Christmas to get another one. And she is still cheated because I shoulda been able to spend Christmas money on other cool stuff she wants, not to replace a bike she already had. Thievery sucks, thieves suck. I guarantee it wasn't anywhere near the curb and did not look like trash.
posted on October 10, 2000 03:24:30 PM new
Our dump has an outdoor store where you can buy the trash too. The workers pick the stuff that looks good out of the trash and put it on tables and sell it. It's outdoors and partially covered. There are people who hang out there all the time and wait for stuff to be put out so they can buy it and sell it on ebaY.
I went there one time. I got a nice brass umbrella stand for a buck that my son keeps his baseball bat and stuff in and a toy I sold for $35... for 50¢ from the dump store.
When I lived in Seattle, there was a story in the paper about people who hung out and ripped off the thrift store dropoff at night. Finally the police started staking them out and after a bunch of people wound up in jail for stealing from a thrift store charity dropoff, it didn't happen as much anymore. At least for a while.
The thrift stores intend to SELL that stuff, whether the people who donate it think of it as 'trash' or not. People take charitable deductions for their donations. Many thrift stores are now getting cars too. If someone left a car out by the dropoff box would anybody take that? Is there any difference between a donated car and a donated sweater?
1. The Fourth Amendment does not prohibit the warrantless search and seizure of garbage left for collection outside the curtilage of a home. Pp. 39-44.
(a) Since respondents voluntarily left their trash for collection in an area particularly suited for public inspection, their claimed expectation of privacy in the inculpatory items they discarded was not objectively reasonable. It is common knowledge that plastic garbage bags left along a public street are readily accessible to animals, children, scavengers, snoops, and other members of the public. Moreover, respondents placed their refuse at the curb for the express purpose of conveying it to a third party, the trash collector, who might himself have sorted through it or permitted others, such as the police, to do so. The police cannot reasonably be expected to avert their eyes from evidence of criminal activity that could have been observed by any member of the public. Pp. 39-43.
Have fun reading.
:\\\"Crystalline Sliver cannot be the target of spells or abilities.
[ edited by Crystalline_Sliver on Oct 10, 2000 05:37 PM ]
posted on October 10, 2000 06:37:12 PM new
Alright, let's get in the pickup and go on some search and siezure missions to the local Goodwill sites. Yeeha!
posted on October 11, 2000 04:22:39 AM new
In my area, the ladies (and I use that erm loosly) that work the thrift stores, Good Will, Sallies etc. are REAL pros. They have various price guides (Christ, one even carries a laptop to check ebay) and they even argue amongst themselves for the booty. These items NEVER make it to the floor and of course, IF they pay at all for the item(s) or finds, it is a paltry sum. I have heard stories of excellent sterling, great jewelry, pottery - Roseville, Rooswood etc. and these stories hqve come right from the horses mouth. There is one woman who makes a fortune on ebay selling designer clothes that she has gotten through her "job" at one of these thrift shops. There are many wealthy towns along the Jersey Shore and these "ladies" (and yes, even "gentlemen" know exactly which stores and churches are lucrative and that is where they "volunteer". So ... what do you call these lovely, upstanding citizens???
Just a quick drive-by post today, on my way to the Lakes region to enjoys Mother Nature's beauty!
Have a nice day [everyone[/b]!
affirmation comes from within ...
not at the expense of another.
posted on October 11, 2000 05:25:27 AM new
The laws governing thrift store thiefs could be local ordances.
I heard one story of a local dealer while he was a the dump someone came along and dumped some collectibles. The dealer was going through it and the dumper came back with more collectibles and didn't dump the second time after seeing the dealer keeping his stuff.
This was before they stopped allowing people to poke around in the dumps. Which what we used to do many years ago.
nobs:
That is why I don't volunteer at the local thrift store. Don't want to ruin my perfect reputation. Poking fun at myself while making a statement. Got any coffee?
posted on October 11, 2000 06:33:26 AM new
When I donate items to the local thrifts, it is my intention that the items either be used for people who need it or sold to provide funds for the charity. It is NOT to provide goods for someone else to pick up & sell for their own personal profit.
What thrift store employees do is really a separate topic. Just because there may be some bad ones out there doesn't justify stealing from charities. If I find out the employees are taking advantage, I donate the items to a different charity.
posted on October 11, 2000 07:18:00 AM new
Eventer
I don't think anyone is trying to justify taking donations by talking about employees also pilfering. It's just something else that came up in the thread.
If stealing is wrong, then employees stealing the stuff is wrong as well. It's related to the thread in a way.
Nobs hits it right on. Ever wonder why there is not a whole lot of good stuff in your local thrift store? It's likely not because no desirable items ever get donated...
Sure, I've found a few good pieces in the thrift shops over the years, but darn few.
[ edited by loosecannon on Oct 11, 2000 07:20 AM ]
posted on October 11, 2000 09:19:42 AM new
loosecannon,
Ever wonder why there is not a whole lot of good stuff in your local thrift store?
Maybe you should look for a better class of thrift stores.
Seriously, I agree, there does seem to be less "good stuff" on the shelves these days. I'm not sure if it's being siphoned off by backroom employees or due to all the "dealer" types I see hovering on the days when items are put on the shelves.
I feel fortunate that I've had some incredible finds in the past year: a pristine Burberry Raincoat for my daughter for under $10, an Armani (yep, it's real, I have other ones) all weather coat for me for under $15, a whole series of Dick & Jane readers for $.50 each, some sterling items (they WERE pretty yucky initially but cleaned up beautifully) for under $5 each & some super old books.
I think ebay has had an impact since I hear the name mentioned frequently in the stores these days as opposed to a year ago. Maybe the "good stuff" gets sold to consignment shops, seems there are a lot more of them these days around here.
posted on October 11, 2000 12:50:45 PM new
Yes, a few months ago I found a good toy car at a thrift shop for 3.00 that brought slightly over 100.00. I don't know how that got by 'em. But mostly, around here anyway, it's a lot of junk that no one in their right mind could want, excluding the good used clothing of course.
I still go to the thrift shops when I can. There's always a small chance for finding something.
But mostly, around here anyway, it's a lot of junk that no one in their right mind could want, excluding the good used clothing of course.