Is it wrong?

[Matt Deckard]

I was in one of those vintage shops in Hollywood and speaking to an employee when he told me that alot of the they stuff they get in is from GoodWill. He explained that Goodwill sorts the vintage or higher end looking items and sends them to the shops that correspond to those tastes. He also explained that some of the better vintage goods go overseas where they fetch a higher prices. Now I know it's a non-profit organization and they need funds to run... And being a devout capitalist I would probably do the same... though when i drop off goods at good will I'm hoping someone who is looking for a low cost deal is going to buy the suit or the tie or the shirt just like I do when I go into those stores. It smacks of favoratism to the ones who have the ability to not go for a bargain.

Anywho what's your take? Should charity organizations sort the high end from the low end and hand over the higher end and more saught after goods to the overseas market and vintage stores where the prices will be marked higher than if they were just put on the shelf or a hanger at the local goodwill?

 

[McPeppers]

Well I would be fine with it if they had like... a timelimit before it was sent out. Like you hold the suits etc in Goodwill for maybe 2 weeks and then send em off to the higher pricing places. That way we let everyone have a shot at it on the cheap and if noone pounces off it goes to make money and keep the Goodwill alive. Would be a shame to see it go bankrupt...

 

[BegintheBeguine]

I have heard from boastful thrift store employees that there is a lot of corruption going on: they set aside the good stuff for themselves, for dealers, for friends, for pushy greedy collectors. Poor little ol' me has to go in every chance I get on the off chance that there is something I need that came in the day the honest crew was sorting and therefore made it to the selling floor. Good idea, McPeepers.

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

I say let the chips fall where they may, and give everyone a fair shake at getting a bargain on an item they will more than likely cherish and preserve. There's enough profiteering going on in this world as it is.
Goodwill gets all the stuff they sell for free,...no? So they should be making a fair profit from sales. If not then Mr. McPepper's suggestion is a good one.

 

[Senator Jack]

Matt, Matt, Matt, where have you been? They started doing this in NY about 15 years ago. Within two years I saw the amount of vintage dwindling down to nil. 'Vintage pickers' they call them. They have people on staff that sort through everything and they sell it all to vintage wholesalers. These wholesalers turn around and sell it to retail vintage shops.

Once in awhile, things get by, but it ain't like it used to be,

Regards,

Senator Jack

 

[Matt Deckard]

Is it wrong?

 

[Lincsong]

It's a BIG racket. If I know someone who's going to say Mexico or some other third-world country and wants some old clothes to give to the village then I'll give them some old stuff.

fftopic: Not to get offtopic but even the old ratty clothes they shred up and make into rags, so don't fall for the shame/guilt trip some people give about how you should donate only quality clothes. Our parish priest pulls that one.

 

[BegintheBeguine]

I think i forgot to say yes. My mom's friend who volunteered at a shop got so disgusted she quit, joined the neighborhood patrol group. People here in Rochester, in the sorting rooms, I think they're lining their own pockets.

Ashley

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

I'd say yes too.

I think i forgot to say yes. My mom's friend who volunteered at a shop got so disgusted she quit, joined the neighborhood patrol group. People here in Rochester, in the sorting rooms, I think they're lining their own pockets.

Ashley

Greed can corrupt anything.
Ultimately it harms their own business. People like us loungers just won't bother to go and look at Goodwills if there is nothing that's worth looking for there.

 

[Senator Jack]

Well, Goodwill does exist to make money, and as much as possible, for a good cause, so I can't say it's wrong. If it's the workers that are lining their pockets that's a different story, but I don't think that's going on too much here in NY. They do have professional pickers on staff.

 

[pablocham]

Speaking specifically of Goodwill, it is their mission to make as much money as possible by selling donated items. They use that money to fund various charitable endeavors related to education and job-training. If sending the clothes to japan or wherever makes more money for their programs then it seems like a pretty good idea to me. The point of goodwill and salvation army is not to sell cheap clothes, though they do that too; no, their mission is to help needy people with the programs those clothing sales fund. Same for Salvation Army, St. Vincent De Paul and a whole host of others.

 

[carebear]

As long as they are open that they sell merchandise outside the stores there's nothing "wrong" with it i can see.

If you want to donate directly to the poor apparently Goodwill is not the way to do it.

 

[deanglen]

Anywho what's your take? Should charity organizations sort the high end from the low end and hand over the higher end and more saught after goods to the overseas market and vintage stores where the prices will be marked higher than if they were just put on the shelf or a hanger at the local goodwill?

So that's why I can never find an Open Road in one of those places! Why don't they list them on the 'bay? At least we'd get a chance at them and they'd get a good price!


dean

 

[ITG]

People send their clothes there to benefit that charity. If they are making more money by selling elsewhere that's up to them but I like someone's idea of putting the clothes in the GW shop for a few weeks and then what doesn't sell off to the vintage shops for a price.

 

[green papaya]

yep, most of the clothing in GOODWILL is crap, they take the good stuff for themselves

I have never seen a decent piece of clothing on the racks! it's always the lowest quality Kmart special cheapo junk.

 

[LizzieMaine]

A few years back, Goodwill's national headquarters was trying to start up an online auction program for selling off prime goods at top dollar -- I don't know if they're still doing it or not, but I recall that when they were there was quite a bit of vintage showing up there.

I used to know a gal who worked at our local Goodwill, and asked her about what went on out back -- she said they were under very close supervision to prevent cherrypicking. That may not be true of all stores, but according to her, it was the case here. *Was* being the operative word -- this was a few years ago.

Currently I drop in on several different Goodwills within a 60-mile radius of here, and only one of them has any vintage section at all -- apparently all the vintage that comes in for our area gets shunted up to this one store, where it's sold for a premium price. Not boutique hijack prices, but more than the usual Goodwill price points. That kind of manipulation, though it's inconvenient for me, I don't much mind. If the stuff was being funnelled to upscale dealers out of state/overseas I'd mind that a lot.

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

People send their clothes there to benefit that charity. If they are making more money by selling elsewhere that's up to them but I like someone's idea of putting the clothes in the GW shop for a few weeks and then what doesn't sell off to the vintage shops for a price.

Or maybe a special permanent high end section in one corner of the store where they could sell the better items for a higher price and make a fair profit, even a bit more than what they would sell for to a middleman. I know it would be a huge success and everyone would benefit.
Just eliminate the profiteers that would sell these items overseas. That is totally wrong!

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

I've only been to one goodwill around my area. They don't have anything vintage. I asked the lady who worked there is she ever sees any of it. She said that there isn't much of a market for it, so it gets shipped to other locations. For some reason she couldn't tell me what the other locations were! This made me wonder. I don't know where the other Goodwill's are in my area. I should probably find them, for I'm hearing it mentioned as a good source of lower priced vintage, from other people here on the lounge. We have only 2 good vintage stores here, and a few stores that are mostly miss but sometimes hit. One of the good stores is great, and has great prices. The other is amazing, but incredibly high ridiculous prices. I would love to find a Goodwill. I hear their prices are much better than the smaller vintage shoppes and ebay.
My thoughts on the original question. Like Matt, I'm all for making money. But this process is kind of against what Goodwill is all about. They are in no way making it easier for people who can't afford to buy things at top dollar, to actually buy the things that they might want. I know they are a non profit, and should do what they can to make money, but they are not being honest in the service that they are supposedly providing.

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

LizzieMaine,...

You should steal my avatar! lol
fftopic:

 

[LizzieMaine]

You should steal my avatar! lol
fftopic:

Hey! I should get residuals!!!