Salvation Army rant!

[loveabargin]

Not to mention, I would much rather someone who needs it, can use it, appreciate it, get my item than a place that is going to sell it for too much money that a less fortunate person can not afford half the time and then not use the money to take care of the homeless people that the money should be used for! & I am not blowing smoke- I know this has happened many times over!

Many people don't know this, but generally speaking, the Salvation Army doesn't "sell" to those who come to them in need...they are given vouchers for certain items and they go to the stores and get what they need. For instance, a woman comes to us and has nothing, she's staying in our shelter. We send her (or take her) to our store with vouchers for X number of pants, X number of shirts, 1 coat, X pairs of shoes (I'm saying X because it depends on the individual circumstances as to how many they get. ) So, don't think the price you see is for people who are truely in need.

 

[czycropper]

Yes, don't get me started on them as well. I had posted on another thread my experience with SA in the past after a bad flood and it wasn't a good one and it continues to this day.

I had books (most hardback), some Gymboree clothes which some were brand new with tags, a sofa from Ethan Allen that was not stained or anything-just not our style anymore, a dining table made of real wood with chairs and I kept calling for them to pick it up to no avail. Then I called the store near us and gave them a list of the items and they said that they couldn't use any of the stuff and the lady was very nasty when I said "Really, right before the Holidays there aren't people that need furniture or nice clothes for their kids".

To say the least I was mad so I called our local United Way (I know the Exec. Director-from the Emergency Mgt. Committee we were on a few years ago) and she told me that the Red Cross and Lupus Foundation would take the stuff no questions asked. Sure enough our local Red Cross took the big items with no problem and I gave Lupus the books and some other things I had. The Director of the local Red Cross even called me and thanked me because they were able to give it to a family that had a fire.

From now on I will give to Lupus and Red Cross!

 

[scanmom]

the need to question if the appliances work or not. But the lady was downright rude about it... using a snide tone that told us that she didn't believe us. Very unprofessional. But what really got me was her saying that poor people don't need dishwashers! That they should wash their dishes in the sink!! I know that a dishwasher is a luxury item, but if I am DONATING it, why shouldn't someone in need have it? Or SA could sell it and use the profit to buy other things!!!

 

[scanmom]

I almost forgot... we didn't even want these items picked up... we had loaded them into the truck and taken them down there ourselves!!

 

[msmayor]

the need to question if the appliances work or not. But the lady was downright rude about it... using a snide tone that told us that she didn't believe us. Very unprofessional. But what really got me was her saying that poor people don't need dishwashers! That they should wash their dishes in the sink!! I know that a dishwasher is a luxury item, but if I am DONATING it, why shouldn't someone in need have it? Or SA could sell it and use the profit to buy other things!!!

Is it a portable? Realize that if its a built-in dishwasher, someone who doesn't have one may not be able to afford the cost of a plumber to have it installed. Or they're living in a rental and simply cannot add a dishwasher to the kitchen.

Again, too many people use them as a cheap 'disposal' site. That doesn't mean your intentions weren't good...it just means that the SA wasn't the right place for your generousity. Try not to take it so personal.

 

[gaelic grace]

the need to question if the appliances work or not. But the lady was downright rude about it... using a snide tone that told us that she didn't believe us. Very unprofessional. But what really got me was her saying that poor people don't need dishwashers! That they should wash their dishes in the sink!! I know that a dishwasher is a luxury item, but if I am DONATING it, why shouldn't someone in need have it? Or SA could sell it and use the profit to buy other things!!!

I know that because dishwashers have to be installed properly before you know that they work that many re-sale places are not as excited about them. They also aren't as conducive to working as well after being moved and the gaskets dry out relatively quickly after you detach them. Imagine paying a plumber to have something like this installed only to find out that what you paid for it as well as the installation was a loss.

I have volunteered at out local Christian Services and I am just disgusted by what many people donate. It's alot of wasted time to sort through and throw away and pay disposal fees. That of course is no excuse for rude treatment. Maybe the worker was having a bad day or had a run of problems with donated items. I wish that more organizations would take the time to explain why they don't take certain things. It sounds like there are alot of hurt feelings and anger about things that have legitimate reasons for occurring. I think those of us who give with the right motives can't fathom what some of these organizations go through and the organizations begin to forget that there are lots of good people who still have very usable things to donate.

 

[petlvr1064]

I Work at good will and we do not take applinces at all. I do not know about I good wills around the country but good will of the heart land dose not. I think it is a issue of deposeing of them like others have said if they do not work. we have a compactor but it is hard to compact a washer.when we get things like micro waves by mostake they go on the truck becuse we cant compact them. soafa beds are anouter thing we donot take. Baby items also people are alwsy trying to give us which is a no becuse of liablity. so there are reasons why places like good will and the salavtion army say no to some things

 

[BeckyScott]

Our local SA has been trying to "upgrade" their store image, and it's totally ruining the fun.

I shop SA all the time, buy 80% of our clothes there, we've picked up some really good deals in the past (a very nice couch, a whole-house air purifier). I think it's fun to dig for bargains, but apparantly this is not the image they want.

When I was in college and trying to dress funky, the local SA had a small warehouse and they'd do the $1/bag sale once a week. It was total chaos, all these donations just dumped on tables, no order, I thought it was a blast. I was sure that if I hung there long enough I'd find something cool. And because the stuff was just dumped in the order it arrived, usually if you found something good, the stuff right around it was from the same donator and would be the same size or brands.

Now they think they're running a boutique. If you donate (what I would consider) used-but-decent clothes, it gets bundled and sold in bulk to third world countries or to recyclers. They only put the really good stuff in the store so the racks are half-empty, and price it crazy. The problem with our local stores, in particular, is that they need a little fashion education, because they don't know their way around designer labels.

We use freecycle for big stuff. I like doing it that way because you're not responsible for delivery. If there's a good local group, you can post almost any piece of junk you want to get rid of, and somebody will want it. I don't understand why, but I don't ask. I have also- we live on a fairly busy street- put things out on the curb with a big "FREE" sign and it's gone within 1/2 hour. I wouldn't leave it out there long in case the neighbors start complaining, but it always dissappears quick. I know it might not be benefitting the truly needy, but at some point you kinda give up and just want it gone.

 

[mrspaha]

I guess I can see both sides arguments about this. I had a sofa that got rejected a few years ago; it was a little worn, but extremely functional and comfortable; I ended up putting it out for garbage pickup. There's people that drive around our neighborhood the day/night before pickup days and take things that are out by the curb. The sofa was gone in a snap.

But this thread reminded me of another one of my pet peeves -- these 'giving trees' at church, and toys for tots, etc. They always want new, unwrapped gifts for the children in need. Well, I'll tell you, when my kids were younger, I got ALL of their toys/games/books at garage sales. It used to get to me that I was asked to buy "better" things for others than I would get for my own kids.

 

[janni518]

Don't get me started on the Salvation Army.

First of all, I work in a Department Store, I see the bell ringers at the entrance 5 days a week for 2 months. Every afternoon when I left, they were standing there either smoking cigarettes or having loud conversations on th cell phone. Needless to say I wasn't giving change most days.

Then I figured I would spread some cheer and pull an angel off the tree for the Salvation Army's needy child drive. I figured I could spend $30 or so on a sweatshirt or a toy. The tags on the tree were for PSPs, an I-pod, Nike sneakers. 3 of them had the kid requesting their own lap-top -- 2 of them actually said $100 cash!

Boy, you really showed them huh? I don't get people I really don't. Charity should be somehing that comes from within. It shouldn't come with conditions.

I am also a big fan of freecycle, sounds like it might be a good alternative for those that feel their donations aren't getting the proper respect.

 

[HoneyPooh]

When I worked at the Red Cross we had people mad at us all the time for not taking their large items. Washers, dryers, chest of drawers and sofas all needed to be thought about very carefully because we had very little storage space for items of that size.

We couldn't take everyones donations, we just didn't have the space for them until we had someone who requested it or had a fire etc and needed it. People would get downright abusive about it if you said no thank you! If we had someone with a sofa that was in perfect condition and someone with a sofa that had "some slight damage" but still good condition or had "just one rip". I'm sorry but we would have to take only one and that would be the one in perfect condition.

I was screamed at on a fairly regular basis believe me! It got so the director was inviting people to come and check out our storage availability.

It really never ceased to amaze me how upset people got that their stuff that was no longer good enough for them had best be good enough for the needy by gosh, or else

BTW, I was always very pleasant to them no matter what they hurled at me .

 

[happygirl]

I don't blame them for being picky, you wouldn't believe how many people take all there old junk there so they don't have to pay to get it took away.

 

[Banana magic]

When my Mom moved into a nursing home this past fall I had to clean everything out of her apt. I had a neighbor of hers that took all the small items she had and donated them throughout the other seniors in her apts, and a charity she worked for. So I was left with her bed, loveseat, tv cart, table and chairs and power lift chair. I tried every place I could think of, but could not find anyone to take the items. So as a last resort I called Salvation Army (they would not be able to get there soon enough and I would have to pay extra to have her apt for a longer time). They scrutinized everything I had, and only ended up taking the table and chairs (which were very nice maple). I can see not the loveseat because it did have some wear, and the mattress (they found a stain which I didn't even notice), and maybe the tv cart because the door wouldn't latch (altho the piece to fix it was taped right on it) but not the lift chair. It was in excellent condition and would have been great for someone to use that needed it. So I had to have my husband drag all the stuff to the dumpster because I had to have it out that day. Felt terrible about it since I know someone would have been able to use it. I really wish the women's shelter could have come, but the man who I needed to talk to was out that week, so I couldn't wait for him.

 

[scanmom]

that she would not take the dishwasher. I have no problem disposing of it myself, or paying the fee to do so. I can understand a lot of the reasons that they may not accept it. she should have told us a better/more acceptable reason. What offends me is her attitude toward us, and her statement that "poor people don't need dishwashers, they can do their dishes in the sink". It seemed very obvious that she looks down on people that are having financial hardships. I have been there, I know how it feels to be looked down on due to being poor. It is not fun. And to have somebody at SA with that attitude is just awful!

 

[BeckyScott]

Well, there is also the implication that the only people shopping the SA store are poor people, which isn't true. If some "rich" person would buy the dishwasher, that would give the SA money to buy some nice drying racks for the poor people.

It's like the air purifier I bought last year. Probably poor people don't need air purifiers either, they should just suck up whatever air they can get for free. (sarcasm intended) But I wanted it, we have a child with asthma, and I'm not poor, and they got $50 to spend on something else.

I know around here, the SA store only has two real employees, they often have people working that are on community service or through agencies. Is it possible you ended up talking to one of them? I don't think they let them really interact with the public, but maybe that would explain the attitude.

 

[iheartdisney]

I hate when you see a donation place dumping clothes and linens in the dumpster! Because they are outdated, worn, maybe stained. I love deseret industries for this reason. First they pick out the clothes good enough to go in the thrift store. Then they pick those good enough to go overseas to developing areas. The rest don't go in the dumpster. They get cut down into rags and sold.
Most "thrift Store" type charity (goodwill, salvation army, Waterfront mission) have are to help to unemployed or paroled or rehabilitating, right?
Why not teach them a new skill- sewing or weaving. Then all those clothing and linens that are dumpster bound can be sold at a decent price as a quilt or a rug? Same with furniture repair. High Schools don't have shop classes anymore. So are we to be anation with no skills or production?
The Habitat for Humanity thrift store here is great, they'll take just about anything. Last week they had hip replacement medical tools. about 10 boxes of them, still in the sterile packages. So...if anyone needs a new hip, I know where you can DIY!

 

[winnapooh]

In my experience, the salvation army/good will stores I've been in recently haven't been in the position to reject anything that they thought wasn't the highest quality...the stores I was in were really dirty in general (and they smelled). We were looking for a couple small pieces of furniture and everything was either super outdated or just junk (like the assemble-yourself, fake wood-type stuff from Walmart, which is fine new, but once it's been moved a few times just starts to fall apart). I'm sure all the stores aren't like that, but these were. I think if it works well, why not take it?

And I know that they can't do this for everything (like a dishwasher), but it would be really helpful if the dropoff locations would at least provide one outlet to quickly plug in appliances for them to test before you drop them off, rather than getting the third degree about whether they work or not. I know that would cost more money, but it would have to be less than the cost of disposing appliances that don't work.

I used to go to Salvation Army a lot for clothes, but in the couple of few years, everytime I've gone into one, it's been so dirty that I just can't even fathom trying anything on. Maybe it's just these stores, I don't know.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

I hate when you see a donation place dumping clothes and linens in the dumpster! Because they are outdated, worn, maybe stained. I love deseret industries for this reason. First they pick out the clothes good enough to go in the thrift store. Then they pick those good enough to go overseas to developing areas. The rest don't go in the dumpster. They get cut down into rags and sold.
Most "thrift Store" type charity (goodwill, salvation army, Waterfront mission) have are to help to unemployed or paroled or rehabilitating, right?
Why not teach them a new skill- sewing or weaving. Then all those clothing and linens that are dumpster bound can be sold at a decent price as a quilt or a rug? Same with furniture repair. High Schools don't have shop classes anymore. So are we to be anation with no skills or production?
The Habitat for Humanity thrift store here is great, they'll take just about anything. Last week they had hip replacement medical tools. about 10 boxes of them, still in the sterile packages. So...if anyone needs a new hip, I know where you can DIY!

Most of the thrift stores I know do this with clothes. That's why I donate clothes that I don't think are worth anything and would normally throw away.

As for furniture; most people sell their furniture or know someone who can use it before they think of a thrift or a charity store.

But for the idea of teaching people weaving or sewing or furniture repair. . .uhm, where in your city would there be jobs for those skills outside of the charity? The point of these charities is usually to give people training and skills to get them employed in non-charity stores and then hire new folks who need basic job training, skills and an employment history. If those jobs exist outside of the charity in your neck of the woods, then teaching those skills is workable. If not, then that kind of specialized skill isn't something they're going to teach.

 

[JacobsMommy11002]

Don't get me started on the Salvation Army.

First of all, I work in a Department Store, I see the bell ringers at the entrance 5 days a week for 2 months. Every afternoon when I left, they were standing there either smoking cigarettes or having loud conversations on th cell phone. Needless to say I wasn't giving change most days.

Then I figured I would spread some cheer and pull an angel off the tree for the Salvation Army's needy child drive. I figured I could spend $30 or so on a sweatshirt or a toy. The tags on the tree were for PSPs, an I-pod, Nike sneakers. 3 of them had the kid requesting their own lap-top -- 2 of them actually said $100 cash!

I think people forget that the people asking for these gifts are just like our kids. They want to fit in...they want to have the same things the other kids have so they don't look poor. Its really sad when you think of it.

 

[iheartdisney]

But for the idea of teaching people weaving or sewing or furniture repair. . .uhm, where in your city would there be jobs for those skills outside of the charity? The point of these charities is usually to give people training and skills to get them employed in non-charity stores and then hire new folks who need basic job training, skills and an employment history. If those jobs exist outside of the charity in your neck of the woods, then teaching those skills is workable. If not, then that kind of specialized skill isn't something they're going to teach.

Where in my city are those skills needed? For starters, in the home. Sewing and woodwork and machinery shouldn't have to be specialized skills. They need to be life skills. These things used to be taught in school. Now, if you walk down the street and picked 20 people at random, how many could even thread a needle? Or change a tire? Or can pick the phillips head screwdriver on the first try?
Now I'm not talking about advanced garment making, but mending and basic stitching are skills that just about everyone needs and no one has.
As a Navy wife, do you have any idea of the of money I've saved in the last 12 years because I know how to sew on buttons and patches?