I have worked for several retail stores. People sueing is the problem and reselling on e bay. If for instance a store donated a blanket and a kid got burned in bed, with the blanket, while playing with matches....the store has a certain responsibility. Thrift stores get sued....people have spoiled it :roll:

Most retail jobs are minimum wage, most of these are part time these jobs are dime a dozen and clerks know it. So if the boss is nasty or customers are, you can leave and have a new job in a few days. Just the way it is

I like this kind of job cause I like talking to so many different people, but it is what it is :D

I know one thrift store in my area gets display models from a big box office supply company. I guess printers and such aren't recalled that much. In terms of safety, child car seats and cribs are the ones you hear about turning up used long after recalls and causing problems.

Henry - this is great news- you can start with a 'small' business loan and then rapidly progress (as we will buy you out in no time) to a huge chain store operation. Then we can all say we knew you when.... Just think of all the people on this board that can sew samples for your awesome store. I personally make a great cup of coffee and am really really really good at putting people on hold, so I am calling dibs on being your secretary. Oh, and I have a Costco card so I can buy toilet paper for our potty.... This is such a win-win situation hahahahaa......

Henry
One of my students started a year ago selling fabrics and notions from her home.. She gets alot of her business through referrals from me to my students, and they then in turn pass the comments on to their friends and family that sew/quilt. She is bringing in some fantastic things, and she provides delivery services sometimes too especially when she has orders from her fellow students in classes she attends. Each Monday night I see her come with her own sewing/quilting things and then another bag of orders to deliver to students who call in orders and pay her at class.!!! I promote her every chance I get.. and in turn I get awesome deals!!!

Down the road when I get my house and sewing studio the way I want I too want to have an area to set up fabrics and notions to sell. But for now, I just dont' have the room, time or money to do that. Right now I'm trying to promote my teaching/designing business and work on getting an inventory set up for this summer!

Actually it's the lawyers who allow these suits by awarding big money. it all gets your dander up cuz they ruin it for us normal folks.

I had a bad experience at Michaels and never went back. It just doesn't exist in my mind when I am looking for any craft stuff etc.

I did not stop to read all the posts but I do have a question:

has anyone made a visit to the dumpster at the back of the store???

Many people get plants for their gardens from the dumpsters. And a TV program told of a new group of people who don't buy groceries but make a habit of checking dumpsters to see what they can salvage.

There is no shame in taking things that are thrown away. We have become a very wasteful society. It is common knowlege that many Flea Market sellers drive the street the day of trash pick up and if there is no ordinance to prevent it, they take what is set out for the trash and sell it. Times are a changing and people are getting to be creative.

About 20 years ago my daughter and i went to an estate sale. It was very crowded so we sat in the car a while. I noticed a row of garbage cans that had some items on top. One was an old portable radio and the other was an occilating fan. The homeowner was sitting on her porch, so I went over and asked if she meant to throw these items away. She said "Yes" and told me to take whatever I wanted. I took home an old Crosley radio (Crosley was made in Cincinnati) and an old table fan. Both worked and we gave the radio to the oldest member of our family who thought we had found a great treasure.

The old saying "one man's junk is another man's teasure has come to mean a whole lot these days."

Let's all go dumpster diving and see what we can find!!! Don't be hanging around too long and get picked up by the dump truck!

June in Cincinnati