"Thrift stores"

Why do Americans persist in calling such outlet "Thrift Stores" or " Goodwill" when in reality these are merely second hand shops selling one man's rubbish to another at appropriate prices for what is little better that reject tat?

Hypocrisy and a cop out?

Why do Internet posters insist on trolling about things that are of obviously no interest to them? Lack of sufficient hobbies to occupy their time, or a desperate desire for moral superiority?

"Goodwill," by the way, is a chain of such stores, if you were unaware.

GDR,

Opinions like yours ensure the rest of us will continue to have good finds at these 'garbage' stores.

Originally Posted by GBR

Click to expand...

Why do Americans persist in calling such outlet "Thrift Stores" or " Goodwill" when in reality these are merely second hand shops selling one man's rubbish to another at appropriate prices for what is little better that reject tat?

Hypocrisy and a cop out?

Sounds like you are not a Thrift Store afficionado.

That's fine, but you ought to read the Thrift Store bragging thread right here on SF.

Here it is

Some of our members have found things like NWT high dollar suits, and someone just found some new condition Lobb Matta shoes with the JL shoe trees.

That's hardly rubbish! While most of the stuff at these stores (call them what you will), is definitely crap, there are obviously some gems there.

Some SF members literally go there to outfit themselves and some go there to resell as a business. And some do quite well.

So I really don't see your point of hypocrisy and a cop out. What do you mean exactly?

Thrift means cheap. When you shop at a thrift store, you buy used stuff for cheap. As DocHolliday said, Goodwill is a particular chain of stores. We also have Salvation Army. Is it an army? No, it's a thrift store. Stop trolling.

Originally Posted by GBR

Click to expand...

Why do Americans persist in calling such outlet "Thrift Stores" or " Goodwill" when in reality these are merely second hand shops selling one man's rubbish to another at appropriate prices for what is little better that reject tat? Hypocrisy and a cop out?
I'd venture that roughly 99% of the stuff in second hand shops is (to me, at least) worthless rubbish but most SF thrifters are after that 1% of "diamonds in the rough". Over on this side of the pond we (innocently, or perhaps even absent-mindedly) use the terms "Thrift Stores" and "Goodwill" as mere euphemisms for second hand shops. A lot of our thrift stores are tied to charities (like hospitals) so they benefit a good cause by selling donated items at "thrifty" (cheap) prices. So is the use of the terms "thrift stores" and "goodwill" an example of American hypocrisy and a cop-out? I dare say no... it's a descriptive term. Here's a brief history of Goodwill: "A Brief History of Goodwill Industries International The roots of today's Goodwill Industries International began as a simple idea in 1902 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Rev. Edgar Helms, a young Methodist missionary fresh out of seminary, arrived at Morgan Chapel in the poor community of Boston's South End. There he found struggling immigrants from Germany, Poland, Italy and other countries who had little money, no jobs, did not know the language and were losing hope. To help meet their immediate needs, he took some burlap bags up to the northern part of Boston and went door to door, asking the wealthier Bostonians for whatever clothing and household items they could spare. His original intent was to give the materials away, but to his surprise, the immigrants were too proud to simply accept a handout. So, he carried his idea a step further. He enlisted members of his parish to repair and clean the clothing and fix any damaged items, and set up a small operation where they could sell the donated clothing and goods at reasonable prices. He used the income to provide wages to the workers – and the first Goodwill store was born. Ultimately, the funds generated helped provide some basic education and language training, and gave the immigrants a "hand up," not just a "handout." Some 100 years later, Helms' simple idea has become a powerful one. He pioneered an organization that has given hope, dignity and independence to more than 5 million people across the world, by helping them earn a paycheck and support their families. Today, Goodwill is indeed a worldwide movement: there are 173 regional Goodwill organizations in the United States and Canada, and another 24 across the world. There are more than 2,000 Goodwill stores." http://www.goodwillncw.org/goodwillhistory.htm

I find a nice relaxing sunday spent hunting for a gem is a much better time then other sunday activities like painting the fence or mowing the lawn. I just hope that I stumble upon a fantastic deal so when I am paying the student painters or mowers it all equals in the end but if not its still a good time.

Originally Posted by GBR

Click to expand...

Hypocrisy and a cop out?

Sour grapes of an unsuccessful thrifter?

Originally Posted by GBR

Click to expand...

Why do Americans persist in calling such outlet "Thrift Stores" or " Goodwill" when in reality these are merely second hand shops selling one man's rubbish to another at appropriate prices for what is little better that reject tat?

Hypocrisy and a cop out?

Geez, what got your panties all bunched up?

I vote the OP is merely marsupialed. No biggie.

Originally Posted by xchen

Click to expand...

Thrift means cheap. When you shop at a thrift store, you buy used stuff for cheap. As DocHolliday said, Goodwill is a particular chain of stores. We also have Salvation Army. Is it an army? No, it's a thrift store. Stop trolling.

I think Salvation Army is some sort of Christian charity that also operates a thrift store.

Originally Posted by Percy Trimmer

Click to expand...

I would be interested know exactly what a thrift shop is.

In the UK we have 'charity shops' which collect donations from the public and sell them on, with all the proceeds going to a single designated charity (Oxfam run so many of these that the term 'Oxfam Shop' is often used generically). The shops are usually rented cheaply at the end of, or between, leases. The people working in them are for the most part volunteers.

Is that the same as a thrift shop?

Here schools often have stores selling used uniforms and books to the next generation (or size) of student with the income (maybe less a small commission) being returned to the seller. Is that a thrift shop?

in the states, a thrift shop is usually a place where people donate or sell their old/used/unwanted clothing + accessories. the store will then sell it at a slightly higher price to the general public.

Originally Posted by Percy Trimmer

Click to expand...

I would be interested know exactly what a thrift shop is. In the UK we have 'charity shops' which collect donations from the public and sell them on, with all the proceeds going to a single designated charity (Oxfam run so many of these that the term 'Oxfam Shop' is often used generically). The shops are usually rented cheaply at the end of, or between, leases. The people working in them are for the most part volunteers. Is that the same as a thrift shop? Here schools often have stores selling used uniforms and books to the next generation (or size) of student with the income (maybe less a small commission) being returned to the seller. Is that a thrift shop?
Yes, it sounds like your "charity shops" are synonymous with our "thrift shops" -- with one difference being the part about the shops being rented at the end of, or between, leases (this doesn't seem to be the case in America, where thrift shops are found in normal strip malls and in stand-alone buildings, just like other places of business. Obviously thrift shops don't have huge volumes of capital at their disposal and aren't hugely profitable, so you will usually find them in low-rent districts as opposed to prime real estate areas.) Speaking of profit, we do have some thrift shops which are not linked to any charities and are strictly for-profit, like this one called "Unique" in Falls Church, VA. Be forewarned that if you choose to read the below article about Unique, you will encounter the term "woman stain". http://www.associatedcontent.com/art...ls_church.html Some thrift shops do carry used school uniforms and books, but to my knowledge we don't have stores like you mentioned dedicated to this purpose; however, many university bookstores will buy back books from students at a steep discount and then resell them to the next generation of student (with a "used" sticker on such books) -- the difference being the items aren't on consignment (i.e., the money is given up front for the product). Speaking of consignment, we also have "consignment shops" where people bring in the items they wish to get rid of and leave them in the shop for a period of time (e.g., a month) and then after the designated period of time is up, the total of all items sold will be tallied and a commission will be extracted from that total, and then whatever profit is left will be given to the seller. If certain items don't sell within the designated time frame, the seller can choose to donate those items to the shop, or take them back. Consignment shops usually have better merchandise than thrift shops, which will take almost anything.

Thrift stores are owned and operated by a charity. church, hospital,health organization. all funds after expenses are given to the charity.

consignment shops take in merchandise that is re sold. (ebay before ebay) the owner of the item and the store split the sale price.

vintage and second hand stores are usually not charity related. these are run for a profit.

did you know that most of the dontated items at high volume thrift stores like housing works, never even make it to the selling floor.
Most is sold by the pound to large used garment dealers. the vintage dealers will sort through this stuff in hopes that it will be in style in 10 years for the young kids.
the rest is put in containers and sent and sold to seriously poor countries.

Carl