About those fabric bales....they are frequently sent overseas to other places like Africa or South America so they can be picked over and resold in local markets. Haven't you ever seen a show where a guide in some desolate area is wearing a t-shirt that says something like "Bob's Better Bait and Tackle Shop" and wondered how he got it? The thrift shop sells to a jobber who sells to a middleman who sells to a local wholesaler and so on. Not all bales go this route but many do. The thrift shop makes a profit on it. There is a difference between "not for profit" and "non Profit". Hopefully some of that goes to the folks who need it. The Goodwill here sells at very high price and is not really all that good a deal. I don't see where they put the money back into the community although they might and I don't see it. The Salvation Army is very much in love with it's merchandise and it is not renovated or fixed up in anyway. However they do a lot of donating and Christmas stuff. They do have a hidden agenda. They want to convert people to their church. That is OK, if you want to but how many of the helped feel pressured? I don't know. We have a good thrift shop run by Hospice and the money they make goes back into the program so I feel good about shopping there. Their prices are a bit high but the stuff is good and not junk. Sometimes I find a real bargain. I know that 100% of the money they make stays local which is good. I am leery of the other Thrift shop as I know the owner and she makes a living off of volunteers and donated items. She takes all of the profit she gets for herself, it is a business. No matter how warm and fuzzy the name not all thrift shops are for charity.