Thrift Stores, Goodwill and Salvation Army

[Robinrs]

I have used this thrift store to sell items on consignment and made over $300 in just three months. A dollar earned is a Disney dollar!!

If your looking to make a quick buck buy newer textbooks and older looking cameras at thrift stores then sell them on ebay. I bought a camera (1980's style) for 2.99 and sold it for 200!

I do this every week! 99% of my eBay inventory comes from high end thrift shops.

One of the shops I frequent sells Chico clothing for 99cents to 2.99. They sell for $19.99 to $100.00 on eBay. I survived unemployment doing this!

 

[thebeesknees]

Wow - I'm jealous of all your great finds! We have a couple of thrift stores here, but neither one ever has anything good, and I check frequently, hoping that they will change, but nope - just junk! I think the only time I bought something at the one was when I found a big bag of Duplos for $5, so I scooped it up, ran the blocks through the dishwasher to clean and sanitize them, and then took them to the church nursery.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

Well, if the Salvation Army and Goodwill are loike the ones here in town, they are nothing but junk and garbage. I dont' even bother. My grandmother used to go when I was younger and would get relly good stuff, but they have gone down hill since then

Clarabelle, where is the thrift store on Post? I haven't seen it, maybe I just missed it. My mom used to stop by there when she worked on Post, but I don't remember where it was and that was a long time ago, everything has changed so much there in the last 5 years.

Suzanne

 

[ssawka]

As the other poster said, the Goodwill and Salvation Army use the monies collected from purchases to help their own goals. They help people find work, employ them to give them guidance on how to work and find a better job and do great things within the community.

I think it's great that you want to buy everything new and I agree with you to a certain point; however, if I can find children's clothing on the cheap then I will. Kids grow so fast it almost seems a waste to put any large amount of money into clothing. I draw the line at shoes since kids have different walk/wear patterns and shoes are just...well, shoes...stinky!!

I too have found ball gowns at the thrift store for myself for military balls. I have also sold them when I have only worn them once, they cost around $300 because I don't want to wear something someone else has on at the same ball and I can't wear it again (pictures, you know). I dry clean it and then sell it cheap. If anything, the lower enlisted can find great deals on these items....I use to be a lower enlisted and know the feeling of no money but wanting to enjoy those functions.

We make a great plenty of money, but I also am thrifty to save it too. I refuse to pay full price for a Disney Tshirt or any other number of expensive name brand clothing IF I can find it for cheaper. I do hit the sales racks at the stores at the end of the season for the following year, especially when my girls were smaller, but not now...they are growing too fast and teens.

No judgement taken, but I agree with other readers that the GW and SA are not for the poor but the public in general...even those with a good wod of dough to spend!!

Thanks for sharing!!

ITA on kids clothes, I hadn't really thought about that since DD has so many cousins, she has been wearing hand-me-downs for years. I can also see your point about dresses, however guys cannot really relate to the "buy a gown and wear it once" mentality. Oh well, there's some differences between the sexes that will never change!

Maybe it is a regional thing, but growing up I came from a rather depressed area. Fortunately, my parents made a decent living, but many in the area did not. Anyway, the SA and GW stores back home were only frequented by the poorest of the poor (people that didn't even have running water). Maybe things have changed, and maybe in a more affluent area the stores may carry better stuff, but I simply cannot get past the conotation that the SA and GW stores had when I was growing up.

To other PPs, I am not saying to go out and pay retail, I refuse to do that! However, I buy most of my clothes on clearance, and mostly from Kohl's.

 

[dzneelvr]

I totally agree with poster #10 I love love love a good hunt in a thrift shop--whether it be a local church or a national chain. I've found literally everything from diamond vintage jewelry to the Animal Kingdom shirt with Day 1 opening graphics. My young-adult DS and DD are hooked too so I'm please to have another generation of smart shoppers in the family

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

Well, if the Salvation Army and Goodwill are loike the ones here in town, they are nothing but junk and garbage. I dont' even bother. My grandmother used to go when I was younger and would get relly good stuff, but they have gone down hill since then

Clarabelle, where is the thrift store on Post? I haven't seen it, maybe I just missed it. My mom used to stop by there when she worked on Post, but I don't remember where it was and that was a long time ago, everything has changed so much there in the last 5 years.

Suzanne

It's over near the Infantry School and the freestanding Java Cafe' - I couldn't tell you how to get there but I know how to drive from the PX to there. I always get lost on the way back though and end up going out the wrong gate. They have funky hours like most Post thrift shops - only open 1st Saturday of the month and only a couple of hours during the week.

There is always a line for people dropping off consignments so they must make some money.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

It's over near the Infantry School and the freestanding Java Cafe' - I couldn't tell you how to get there but I know how to drive from the PX to there. I always get lost on the way back though and end up going out the wrong gate. They have funky hours like most Post thrift shops - only open 1st Saturday of the month and only a couple of hours during the week.

There is always a line for people dropping off consignments so they must make some money.

Thanks, I can probably find it. The Infantry school and SoA aren't where they used to be, but I am sure Dh can find it, he knows where most everything is. It is pretty easy to get lost out there.

Suzanne

 

[weezyree]

It's over near the Infantry School and the freestanding Java Cafe' - I couldn't tell you how to get there but I know how to drive from the PX to there. I always get lost on the way back though and end up going out the wrong gate. They have funky hours like most Post thrift shops - only open 1st Saturday of the month and only a couple of hours during the week.

There is always a line for people dropping off consignments so they must make some money.

If you are looking for the Thrift Store on Benning, it's located on Ingersoll about a block south of the Faith Middle school. They are open Tues, Weds, Thurs from 9 til about 2?? and until 6pm on Thurs and then the first Saturday of the month. Consignments are from 9 til noon.

 

[jandel]

I have tons of relatives in the Columbus/Phenix City area (was born there) and my aunt used to (couple of years ago) manage the Goodwill store out on Victory Dr (like you're going to Fort Benning.). She loved her job and only left it cuz she got remarried and moved. I would somethimes visit her if I was in town and was always very impressed with how clean the place was.

If you go into the Salvation Army stores around here the nasty, musty, mildew smell will knock you out! They're grossly dirty and unorganized, not to mention whoever does the pricing thinks it's a retail store I can't stand to even go in there they stink so bad.

Around here it's better to sell your good stuff on eBay and your bigger or common items at one of the big flea markets.

 

[petlvr1064]

I work at a good will as a "client"' and love it. If only poor people shopped in our stores we would have no mony to keep the mission going. I shop at the. Store on my days off and there is always a bargain to be found

 

[charming23]

I love our goodwill. It is around the corner from me and I go in about once a week. I do not always buy but I look. My favorite buy was a small bench (think doll sized) decorated with snowmen. It was $10 and looks so great in our family room around the holidays. My mom finds tons of clothing there. She has lost 110 pounds in the past few years and needed clothes to wear during that time. She recently went back in October and got a whole new winter wardrobe for less than $100.

 

[anewvance]

I am so jealous of you all! I don't have a great thrift store or Salvation Army around me. If anyone lives in the Orlando area and knows of a great thrift store, please let me know!! The rest of you, enjoy your bargain shopping!!

There is a huge Savers and a Goodwill with a Goodwill warehouse attatched both on Orange Blossom Trail, about a mile from the turnpike.

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

If you are looking for the Thrift Store on Benning, it's located on Ingersoll about a block south of the Faith Middle school. They are open Tues, Weds, Thurs from 9 til about 2?? and until 6pm on Thurs and then the first Saturday of the month. Consignments are from 9 til noon.

Thanks! Are you a local here as well?

I have tons of relatives in the Columbus/Phenix City area (was born there) and my aunt used to (couple of years ago) manage the Goodwill store out on Victory Dr (like you're going to Fort Benning.). She loved her job and only left it cuz she got remarried and moved. I would somethimes visit her if I was in town and was always very impressed with how clean the place was.

If you go into the Salvation Army stores around here the nasty, musty, mildew smell will knock you out! They're grossly dirty and unorganized, not to mention whoever does the pricing thinks it's a retail store I can't stand to even go in there they stink so bad.

Around here it's better to sell your good stuff on eBay and your bigger or common items at one of the big flea markets.

There's a Goodwill on Victory Drive?? I haven't been to that one. Guess I will have to make a detour on the way to the Commissary tomorrow. The one up on Veteran's is decent but it is totally hit or miss.

The Salvation Army on Veteran's closed down or moved. I rode by there the other day and it was empty with For Lease signs on the building. No big loss there - the place was disgusting.

 

[*JoGo*]

i went to two Goodwills today as it's Half-Off weekend

i don't go as often as i did before i started working (no time ), but when my kids were younger i found lots of clothing and toys for them. a few years ago, when my oldest was in kindergarten (our first year paying tuition.. major financial shock even though we planned for it), i was able to buy my children many new or like new toys/books for xmas. and i still do!

my finds today... i wasn't in the mood to go thru the clothing...

Willow Tree metal stars for Nativity (retail $20, paid $3.49) - for my mom
Cake plate & stand (retail $20, paid $6) - for my SIL's wedding - bonus, it's the one that turns into a punch bowl!

Fisher Price purse w/ accessories like new for niece ($2)
3 books for me $2.50
2 boardbooks for niece .50
book for ds .25
Old Navy windpants for ds $1
Suit jacket for ds (for SIL's wedding) $2
bottle cooler $1
piggy bank for niece $2
labyrinth travel game for ds $2
game for dh $2
Night Sky kit w/ charts/constellations/books for ds, like new (retail $20, paid .25!) for his bday


i'm planning on hitting a kid's resale shop next week to look for some things for niece (bibs, burpcloths, baby spoons). i babysit her on my days off and now that's she's not a newborn anymore, i realized i have nothing for her to sit in or look at/play with as my "baby" is 8yrs old. hoping to find some things cheap -- it's tiring dragging a huge diaper bag from SIL's to my house and STILL going thru all the bibs and clothes she's packed for niece.

 

[*JoGo*]

wanted to add!
i also donate regularly to goodwill. my goal for the year is a box a week. we have WAY TOO MUCH stuff.

also a funny story:
today, of the hundreds of children's books on the shelves, my 8 year old immediately finds not one but TWO of HIS old books! "mom! why did you return these? i was reading them!"
(he was NOT reading them and we'd had them for over a year... from the goodwill)
i did not re-buy them!

 

[gandycat]

I can understand the stigma people feel about shopping at thrift stores. I can remember when I was a kid feeling very embarrassed when my mom brought home stuff from the Salvation Army. But, I've taught my kids the opposite. We talk about consumerism and not filling land fills with things we didn't need to buy in the first place. Buying something used is helping the earth and donating our stuff to freecycle or a thrift store helps to keep it out of a landfill. It also helps me to purge, I think of my local thrift store as a storage area for me, lol. Almost always I can find another one of what I donated if I need it.

My dd loves to shop at thrift stores. She can pick just about any dress off the rack and I can afford it My son saves his allowance to shop there too, I'm glad I'm making them both into responsible shoppers.

I never feel like I'm taking things from people who can't afford to buy things new. Every dollar I spend goes to help the agency who runs the shop and I donate a ton of stuff back to them. And the inventory is huge! My son grew 3 sizes when he was in 2nd grade (started in a 7, was in an 8 a month later and was in a 10 by Easter). Could I have afforded to buy him new clothes each time? Sure, but it was much smarter not to, lol.

 

[Dax]

There is a huge Savers and a Goodwill with a Goodwill warehouse attatched both on Orange Blossom Trail, about a mile from the turnpike.

Ohh...I have never heard of Savers...I have been to the Goodwill store though..Some good finds can be found in there.

 

[torinsmom]

Like the Duggars say, "Buy used and save the difference!" LOL I can't bear to spend $$$ on clothes, when I can get three outfits for the price of one pair of jeans at a retail store. Ours have plenty of goodies for everyone, rich, poor, and middle-class, and I donate as much as I buy, so it evens out.

 

[englishteacha]

We have a lovely "chain" of thrift stores in our area run by the United Way. There are 3 of them, one very large and 2 small. The two small ones really feel like shopping in a boutique! It's great! I've purchased a lot of my clothes there, many of DH's jeans and dress clothes there, and household goods, too. They don't sell big things like furniture, though. I always donate there. I haven't had much luck consigning items locally. I sometimes luck out in the discount section of the consignment store, though. I found some items that we can adjust to wear for an upcoming Renaissance wedding we're attending. I refuse to pay $150 for a Renaissance gown!

Growing up most of my clothes were secondhand-Goodwill, Salvation Army, yard and rummage sales. I had a foster brother when I was little and my mom bought his whole wardrobe at Salvation Army and the case worker was shocked that mom had barely put a dent in his clothing allowance since he came to us with nothing. He was the best dressed kid in school! The case worker was a bit concerned that perhaps mom would treat him differently than me (you know, buy my clothes retail and his secondhand), but since all my clothes came from SA, too, that idea was pretty much moot from the start!

 

[kidshop]

Poor people can't afford to shop in our local Goodwills.........I don't know who prices that stuff. Yesterday, I saw a pack of 6 Mighty Beans (salvage from Target) marked at 14.99! Kids shoes, no matter the condition are from 6.99 and up. VHS tapes are 4.99. I did buy 3 hard cover Magic Tree House books for 1.99 each. The deals are few are far between, I rarely find something worth paying what they are asking.

I don't donate to them, I prefer the local church thrift shops who sell all clothes for $1/piece. I also shop there!