I happened to pass a well-know chain thrift store in Massachusetts, so I decided to stop and see if there was anything that tickled my fancy. I saw some cat figurines and took them up to the check-out. They had no price tags. The cashier said that they were $3 a piece! This would mean I'd have to shell out $45 plus tax for them. I thought that was a little pricey for some small ceramic pieces especially in a place that promoting itself as a "thrift" store. In this same store chain where I live (upstate NY), the prices are already marked on them so you know what you're paying before you decide. Also for something like small figurines, the price is hardly ever more than 50 or 60 cents. She also added that it was because they had just come in and the person that brought them said to get "good prices" for them. I feel once they are donated, the donor has no say in what's charged. Do they size you up then charge what they feel you can afford? Any opinions?

That's a pretty unusual thing, what you'd experienced, I'd say. In most thrifts (and especially the chains) things are marked. And some chains actually won't let you buy something if it's not marked, since the pricing has to come from their corporate office.

It does sound pricey for cat ceramics, but that's not really my area of previous-purchasing.

I don't imagine they'll get that price for them. You may find the price has gone down the next time you're there!

I know what you mean certain store prices are higher than others. Last visit I found things that were really used and were priced as if they were new. In some cases I could by a few of those items at a retail store on sale or clearence and do better.

I think it just depends on the store. In my area in Canada some genius decided to have a "nearly new" section and charge the earth for the stuff (which was nearly junk). They don't get it, people were shopping in there to find a deal not to pay more than you can buy something on sale brand new. They lost so much business they almost put themselves under. I don't think they have ever re-couped what they lost. Everyone I know that shopped there stopped and never went back.

I do shop a lot at the Sally Ann in NY (BF lives in states), I have found my best deals there lately. The store is one of the most organized stores I have seen and the manager is just a sweetheart. She is very fair with her prices and will sell things without price tags at a very reasonable price.

This is one of my trash to treasure items I got there for 12.99.

This is the after shot. I painted put bead board on the back and added the shelf that I also got there for 1.99.

Oops forgot to put the pic in. Boss is on the prowl. I hate when he interrupts my snooping...LOL

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Sorry, but I respectfully disagree with some of debodun's statements. Thrift shops are either profit-making businesses or support charitable causes. They absolutely should mark every item. However, if a donor points out that certain pieces are worth more than dimestore stuff, the thrift store should mark the pieces accordingly.

I used to donate to a small thrift in my neighborhood. When I found some dusty plates that I'd put under plants 30 years ago and checked on EBay and saw that they were asking around $50 apiece, I told the thrift and they kept them in their locked case and asked an appropriate price.

You have a valid point but the whole purpose of thrift stores is to allow the average person access to decent things at good prices while at same time funding the charitable works.

Always Looking, the cabinet is darling!

Do all Goodwill stores clean the clothing before selling?

I live near 2 Goodwill stores. One is brand new. I have gone into both to see if they have anything worthwhile and they don't. Their things are overpriced, dirty and junky, not to mention broken. It's a shame but I'd rather buy stuff on clearance new for about the same price. Also I know someone who manages a thrift store. He says all the good stuff is snatched by the employees and never makes it to the sales floor.

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I have gone to my local GW and bought McCoy pottery for $2. Then by the same token,they will over price junk. I don't think they are trying to over price their stuff, it is just ignorance on the part ot the person doing the pricing.
Debodun failed to mention if the cat figuines were marked by a maker, and were actually collectibles. If they were, and the store knew it, then they ceratinly have the right to ask a fair price for the cats. As it has been stated, they are not there to give the items away, but to make a profit for their charity, as well as provide us with bargains. As much as I loved getting McCoy for $2,I don't expect them to knowingly give it to me at that price, but i will certainly snap it up if they do!
We have another thrift store in town that also due to ignorance, will lock up and overprice any item they get just because it looks old and therefore might be collectible. Needless to say, it usually stays locked in the counter. They also sell new overpriced "cheap" home furnishings. One has to be careful in their store!

I totally agree with ringo's tree house. Goodwill is a good thing for teaching other people who would be unemployable to get out into the work force. But I was also under the impression that GW was a place for lower income folks to shop for non-luxury items such as clothes and small appliances at affordable prices. However their pricing is sometimes rediculous. I owned a used furniture store and people were telling me that my items were nicer and cleaner and cheaper than GW. I sold beautiful lace curtains for about 8 dollars a pair...GW has curtains that are faded and wrinkled for 12 dollars a pair. My daughter worked at GW a short time as a manager.Sales were way down and she was very bored...every week it was the same. Slow, few sales and they never recieved the weekly recognition for the highest store sales of all the GW's in the area. She lowered the prices on lots of items( not clothing...just junk that was sitting around taking up space for weeks) and the store broke a record in sales that week....plus she got rid of all the junky clutter to make room for better stuff... However, her boss had a fit and said they could not sell those items that cheap. She quit after a few months. Its almost like they don't want to sell the stuff!!

I wonder if the home board or whatever they are called is aware of how much business they lose. Do they even care? Our GW is one of the junky ones.Seems like there is a complete personel turnover every few months in the store. I have been in other towns where the higher end ones are. Like Ringo, I have no problem paying for something used that is nice and clean. I have yet to go to ones that cleans their items.But it would be nice. I wash everything before I use it anyway.

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I started this thread because I stopped at a GW in Connecticut and bought these two pictures. The pic of George Washington was marked $9.99 and the lighthouse was $3.99. They are relatively small pictures - Washington is about 11x12inches and the lighthouse is about 4x6 inches. Do you think they were overpriced? While I was there a bunch of costume jewelry came in and the attendants actually pulled out jewelers magnifiers and started looking at them. Which leads me to believe, as someone already mentioned, that some of the stuff never makes it to public display.

I think the pictures could have been a tad lower...say 3 dollars for the lighthouse and 7 for the GW picture. But if I liked them...as you did...I would have paid the price marked.

We have GW in our county and one in the next county over. One is very small and cluttered and the prices are high. The other, in the other county, is much larger, cleaner and prices are much more reasonable. They even have a "bid" item each week. My daughter is doing her kitchen in "rustic" and got 8 pieces for $12.00. She was pleased. We also have yard sales with high prices. Aren't they supposed to be reasonable?

quote:

Originally posted by mom-mom-6:
We also have yard sales with high prices. Aren't they supposed to be reasonable?

What's reasonable to me might be high priced to you, and vice versa.

Once again, anyone who is selling something has a right to put whatever price they want on an item.

If they've priced it too high, they'll either have to lower the price or keep it.

But if someone else buys it at a price I think is too high, I have to revise my opinion about what's high and what's reasonable.

Gee guys, it's awful that some charitable places charge a lot.
At least twice a year I donate A LOT to the Salvation Army Thrift Store near my town. Many of my things are brand new. I get too busy to return or get tired of things so I gather all the extra stuff & donate it.

It bothers me when something isn't right. I thought the stuff should be sold for minimum because they get it free.

I bought a bronze statue of a modern/Scandinavian-looking horse at the salvation army. They asked 45$. I knew it was bronze and the base was marble and felt that 45 $ was fair. I would have thought a nice bronze like that could have cost 2-500$. I brought it home, and looked up the artist who had etched his name in the bronze. I found it was a special edition of a sculpture by a California artist John Jaegger. The sculpture was worth at least 1,500 to 2000$, and I got it for 45$. I've found lots of other things at thrift stores which, while they were a bit more pricey than they would have been if they were "nothing" they were quite a savings. My Orange X came at 15$ and to get a new one would have been 100$ plus shipping. I've also gotten 2 cookie jars from the "locked cabinet" and paid as much as I would have paid on ebay. It all depends on the person, the value and what you are willing to pay at the time.

My son bought a house the end of May and half of the furniture was still there. It belonged to a 96 year old lady. Her niece who was selling it told him he could donate it to GW. Instead he put it out fron with a free sign on it. He had a traffic jam going but people got what they needed and were pleased. We donate alot to GW but sometimes their prices are a little high. Point is, he got rid of what he didn't need and other people got what they wanted. Happy day after turkey!

Kind of off topic but debodun, your picture of Washington has Masonic signficance. He is wearing his Masters apron and is, I believe, standing between the East and the West altars.