Jesus must have an Ebay store!
August 9th, 2008 by Sarah Morrison
After a pretty good run with thrift store shopping in the Greenpoint Bushwick area last Saturday, I decided to venture to Queens this Saturday aka today. I mapped out Salvation Armies in the area. My first stop was super Salvation Army. On the walk from the car, I passed a Goodwill. I tend to avoid Goodwills at all cost, due to their prices. Their dresses are always 9.99 or up. The rest of the stuff is equally as overpriced. It didn’t used to be. Like two years ago someone got the memo that vintage was cool or something. Blah blah. Goodwill sucked.
Salvation Army has never done me wrong, across the country. Even last weekend I bought a couple pairs of shorts for 1.99 and a dress for 2.99.
Then I entered Super Salvation Army. I first approach the tank top rack full of two seasons ago Target and Old Navy numbers. Nothing is priced under 6.99. The dresses start at 9.99. Very few of them are actually this price. The 9.99 set are like missing zippers or sleeves. The majority of them are 14.99. The majority of these dresses are Targets brands from a couple years ago that wouldn’t even have cost you that then. As i start rifling through the rack, i find a couple worn and loved American Apparel items; a turtleneck dress and a leisure dress. Both items are priced at 19.99. I could purchase both these items brand new with my discount for less than this.
This isn’t about me and my financial standing. This is about the idea behind these places. You donate items, they resell the items and the money goes to their charities. But, the people buying these items are the people these charities are built for. It’s sort of like an opposite Robin hood. The “rich” presume they are giving their things to the poor. Than someone charges the poor 19.99 for their 2 year old American Apparel leisure dress.
I don’t know. It was depressing. There was a line of people 20 deep, with kids holding back to school clothes theirs moms had let them pick out. They could probably do better at one of the discount department stores up the street, with brand new stuff. That doesn’t seem right.
Jesus, what do you think?
and i thought the Goodwill here was high! Im always looking for the color of the week tags , so i can get the 4.99 dresses for 2.50! Im not cheap,,im BROKE! hahahaahh,,, but seriously, your GW is on some other shit. They got it for free .99. Just switch the tags next time with something cheap!
i hate how goodwill jacks the prices i shop thrift store on the reg due to the fact I’m broke. but salvation army is always a way better deal. i can seriously buy new shit at h & m cheaper then i can go shopping at goodwill which is sad… just plain sad.
“pricebending” is always fun no matter which store you shop at… i feel bad cheating charity but then again when a charity tries to rob you you might as well cheat back.. i mean they get their shit for free right?
The good ones are still in the Northwest. But even then, they’re having their last days. I can’t tell you how to accept it other than, KEEP LOOKING! In Seattle, one place, still doing it right is called Something Old Something New. Always something designer for like 3.99. And the Salvation Army there is still OK, last time I went which was in January, but it could be lost now too.
value village!!!
i miss seattle sometimes
Yeah there’s a Something Old Something New in Chicago that I always find good stuff at. Plus, they get all the American Apparel reject stuff and they have TONS
Everything is like 3.99. I refuse to pay over 5 dollars for anything that I find at a thrift store. Unless it’s really, really amazing.
beacons closet is the way to go at least when they buy my shit off of me and i use the store credit but other than that its kind of overpriced.
I always go to the salvation army on bedford and they never have anything i like but beacons has some nice stuff.
like i sold a whole bunch of stuff added 3 dollars and a pair of brand new levis capital e jean at becaon
i totally feel the same way!
i mean, i used to love shopping at these types of places, but i always felt they were really for “underpriveledged people”
like, homeless people can buy clothes for job interviews and stuff. now their prices are just outrageous!
nothing short of furniture in that place should cost more than 10 bucks dammit!
I’ve had pretty good luck at Goodwill. I didn’t know you still had a discount at American Apparel, Sarah. Can we go shopping some day this week?
I suppose this comment can’t be unbiased since I work at a goodwill…
but I love goodwill.
but prices at my store are definitely a lot cheaper. dresses at 5.99, shirts and pants and skirts for 4.99.
And besides, shopping at goodwill is helping to recycle, helps fight consumerism, and the evils of big corporations.
Also, we’re a lot better than salvation army because we don’t sell every single piece of shit that’s been donated. unlike salvation army, we don’t sell crap that’s stained or dirty or defiled in some other way.
my mother used to take me back to school shopping at value village and i would hide by the microwaves in case anyone i knew drove past until it was time to go.
i know vintage clothes are supposed to be cool and all but i still get a terrible pit-of-stomach feeling if they have big windows.