Big finds at the Thrift Store!

Go Dogs wrote:
They don't have cars in the Thrift Stores anymore. They will take vehicles for donations. I don't know how they sell them now. Many of the people that work there are doing a 'community service' requirement. I think that the Red Cross gives people vouchers to use at the Thrift Stores after an emergency. I really like the idea of having plants for people. When we travel, I LOVE going to the various Thrift Stores,(more so than the $$ retail shops).

Not only are there plants....our garden volunteers plant about an acre of vegetables at the store site and sell them at a great price in the store. Everything from garlic scapes and fiddle heads to the reg garden items, lettuce, carrots etc. to coloured potatoes and coloured tomatoes. People in the community donate extra perennials from their own gardens to plant in the stores garden.

Our thrift store is quite unique!

They don't have cars in the Thrift Stores anymore. They will take vehicles for donations. I don't know how they sell them now. Many of the people that work there are doing a 'community service' requirement. I think that the Red Cross gives people vouchers to use at the Thrift Stores after an emergency. I really like the idea of having plants for people. When we travel, I LOVE going to the various Thrift Stores,(more so than the $$ retail shops).

Go Dogs wrote:
We have 3 thrift, (Good Will) stores near us. Each one is different. The biggest one has been there for decades. About 25 years ago, I bought a car there for $800, that served me well for another 80,000 miles! I noticed that on Amazon, some thrift stores post their items, (books, etc.)as they got a gem donated and they want to get a good price for it.
BTW: My aebleskiver pan is well-seasoned, as is the Romertopf baker. I gave the aebleskiver another seasoning, (the oven was on 450, anyway) and I scrubbed the Romertopf with some coarse salt. Now, I'm anxious to go back and find my metal detector!

Now, I have never heard of a car at a thrift shop before.
The Good Will shops have closed here. No notice. Open one day closed the next. They were very large places.
If the shops up here have valuable items donated they put them into a silent auction. It works to get the best income for the article but it no longer allows the better items to be bought by those who are financially stressed and the shops were initially started to help those folk who needed help.

loulou57 wrote:

twins89 wrote:
Thrift stores are hit or miss

You are right. As much as I like them if I go in and it smells like dirty laundry or the place is unorganized I turn right around and leave.

Sometimes those are where I find the best finds.

If anyone is ever in the Chattanooga, TN area... The Goodwill store on Hixson Pike (near Northgate Mall) is a good one. Or at least was. Chester Frost County Park (campground) is right down the road from it. I was camping at Chester Frost (visiting friends who were there also) and during an unexpected cold snap, realized I needed more blankets (I had only one blanket and only "summer" clothes as it was "summer" and my "winter" stuff was in a storage unit... silly me... lesson learned it wasn't summer yet). Thrift store to the rescue. I got a few "winter" clothes", really nice blankets, long sleeved shirts and a nice warm men's London Fog jacket. I still carry the old jacket with me too. I have learned that it is better to buy the "higher end" clothes rather than the stuff from Wal-Mart. So now
I shop for the quality "labels". Is anyone else surprised at the amount of brand new clothes that still have the price tags on them? I just bought one like that but the sweater had dirt streaks on it, like it had gotten drug on the floor. Washed up nicely.

Last summer I found several Time-Life out of print cookbooks at a thrift shop in CT. Also bought our annual child's bike at a nearby consignment shop. We find it easier to buy a used one there rather than drag one from home or rent near the camp ground. Renting would cost about 50 bucks per week and we stay there for about 2 weeks. Buying one only costs 40-50 bucks and at the end of the trip we give it back to the consignment shop. Win-win situation for all.

Ahhh, so THATS an Aebleskiver pan (wikipedia)! Pardon my ignorance!

We have 3 thrift, (Good Will) stores near us. Each one is different. The biggest one has been there for decades. About 25 years ago, I bought a car there for $800, that served me well for another 80,000 miles! I noticed that on Amazon, some thrift stores post their items, (books, etc.)as they got a gem donated and they want to get a good price for it.
BTW: My aebleskiver pan is well-seasoned, as is the Romertopf baker. I gave the aebleskiver another seasoning, (the oven was on 450, anyway) and I scrubbed the Romertopf with some coarse salt. Now, I'm anxious to go back and find my metal detector!

There are certain restrictions on where you can "treasure hunt" with a detector especially in National Parks and such. I'm not all that up to date on the rules/regulations but I know that when in doubt, its always good to ask permission. I'm reminded of that couple who just found 1400 Gold Coin's while walking in their neighborhood/backyard...it was worth just a mere 10 million or there about.

twins89 wrote:
Thrift stores are hit or miss

You are right. As much as I like them if I go in and it smells like dirty laundry or the place is unorganized I turn right around and leave. The local thrift shop steam cleans all furniture and rugs. They have laundry to wash things and everything electrical comes with a guarantee. Anything that does not work is either fixed or stripped for copper and anything else to recycle. They even have a veggie garden and a plant sale every year. They grow and split perennials.

Can you tell I am bias to our local Thrift shop.

Thrift stores are hit or miss but if you go often you can outfit a college apartment or your RV with great quality used items versus the stuff sold today. I found a Wagnerware cast iron skillet for about 10 dollars and with some cleaning it is great.