Originally Posted by
yobrosew
Our GW prices high, also. If antique, priced as such. Absolutely no deals. Like, hello?????? I really am going to pay $5 for a used Walmart shirt that I can buy on sale at Walmart new for $2 ????? I scored though the other day. In the blankets/quilt area was a blanket that looked like an overwashed polar fleece material. No,no,no. Not pfleece but Merino Wool and beautiful! It wasn't marked which meant between 5 and 10 dollars and would not know until got to register. Well, my goods -- a little cracked crock priced 2.99, a measure cup marked .99, and the queensize blanket/spread all rang up to 4.99. Go figure! I came home and washed the spread and my, oh, my how beautiful! But scoring like this at our GW is very, very rare.
Nice! There's nothing quite as satisfying as finding great deals on stuff you'll actually use.
I began thrift store shopping (including GW) in high school in the '80s. (I was going through an 'alternative' phase, complete with punk hair. Don't ask.) During this period, I noticed that prices suddenly began rising and I assume that word got out that thrift store diving was becoming cool.
It used to be that you could find screaming deals at GW but since everyone is wired and thus eBay is now setting the prices for everything, those days are pretty much over. And if someone sees a Singer 15-91 for $250 on eBay in fair condition, then GW's $99 price is a steal, right? (Doesn't matter that the eBay Singer will never sell.) CL is the best source in my area, i.e. people needing to sell things quickly for cash, free stuff, etc. and I've found other deals at smaller thrift stores and Value Village (a national chain of thrifts that includes Savers).
Another eBay effect has to do with those who buy at GW and other thrifts, then turn around and throw it on eBay for 400% markup. I don't fault anyone for adding to their income but this contributes to the upward spiral of prices on used goods.
And as I implied above in my earlier post, GW is supposed to be a THRIFT store, not a hoity-toity Ye Olde Antiques Shoppe. They're getting this stuff for free because tax law allows write-offs and it makes more sense to donate and make a claim on one's return than try to sell it. (I should add though that our family accountant has mentioned that the federal government is cracking down on write-off valuations. Just a word of warning.)
I'm betting there are bureaucrats in some non-descript office building in suburban Washington, DC cooking up some scheme to make all CL transactions taxable. You saw it here first!!
/rant over