Originally Posted by garysgal

What I wonder is why, when you go to a store, apples (for example) are 1.29 a lb. then the next week they are on sale for .99 a lb. they don't sell a lot that week either. so the next week, when the sale is over, they are back to 1.29 a lb. If they could afford to sell them for .99 why not keep them at .99? When we had a rabbit, I use to go to the market and ask for the lettuce, etc. that was being thrown away and they gave it to me. Now they say they can no longer give any of it away (some rule-EPA maybe? I don't remember)they have to throw it out. my point it, stores have to throw out any food that doesn't sell and the prices keep going up. True, quilt shops don't throw fabric out, but I wonder if they think about their customers very much. If I had to chose between fabric or food for my family, I won't be quilting as much.

Originally Posted by butterflywing

i agree with the throw-away theory. when i worked in a home furnishings store, whatever comforters, pillows, other textiles, etc. came in damaged or were returned, they were tossed. tossed! i asked upper management why they weren't being offered to shelters (they could after all be washed), and was told it would require too much bookkeeping for tax purposes. it was cheaper to report to the manufacturer what was damaged and be issued a credit, they didn't want the stuff back. but anything that required any effort was too much to expect. so, if they could afford to lose money on the return, why can't stores lower the prices and be stricter about returns? (especially sheets that have clearly been used. shelters would still wash them and use them)