Are they really "THRIFT" stores anymore?

After church and lunch this past Sunday I decided to make a visit to one of the local Goodwill Thrift stores and take a leisurely peek. Now I am using the word Thrift loosely here because I really don't consider Goodwill stores to be thrift stores anymore. I think that most shoppers who browse their local Goodwill will notice that they're not quite like they used to be. I know from experience that 4-5 years ago I could dig through one of their stores and usually find some nice pattern glass or some decent dishes. Perhaps I would find a Dansk teak tray or bowl amongst the rest of the wood items and it wasn't even uncommon to find sterling silver thrown in with the rest of the flatware.

So what happened? I'll tell you. Goodwill woke up and figured out that they were all too often the middleman between the donors and the antique dealers that cruised the aisles looking for inventory for their booths or items to sell on Ebay. Apparently someone at Goodwill management decided it was time to quit being the middleman and they started to screen the items that were donated to them. I don't know how many of you thrift addicts know but in the back of every Goodwill store there is a big printed list of premium manufacturers names up on the wall and when the sorters work on the donations and see those names on an item they put those items in a separate bin headed for the "boutique". If you want to see the list just ask to use the bathroom which in many of the older stores is in the back room and you'll see it.

In most larger cities Goodwill has a separate store they put in a more upscale part of town and you will then find the better items sold in these "boutiques" at prices pretty close to what you'll find in an antique booth or even higher. They even have an on-line auction site for items they feel will sell better that way. Goodwill Online Auctions if you want to take a look. So now you know why when you go into a Goodwill store for the most part you'll look at "Made in China" marked on the vast majority of items for sale. Do I think this disqualifies them from using the word thrift in their store name? Part of me does and the other part knows that they're running a business like anyone else and the goal is to maximize their sales and profits and I just live with it. I will admit that I will no loner make a special trip into town to go to Goodwill because the pickings are so thin for a reseller that it's usually not worth the cost of gas. I must also point out that Goodwill isn't the only one guilty here of cherry picking their donations. Most "thrift" stores now either have someone working for them that has a fairly good knowledge of what are the better selling items or hires a consultant that comes in a few times a week to look things over and advise them on pricing of better items. For the most part the good old thrift store is a thing of the past. In some rare cases you will find a church or local charity based thrift store where you have a better chance of finding stuff that hasn't been pre-sorted.

So what's the solution here or is there one? I feel the best way to gain the advantage back is to be more knowledgeable about what is a premium item then the seller. This applies to any place where you look for inventory to sell. You have to do your homework all the time and research hallmarks, especially of European manufacturers which most "thrift" stores don't know well because let's face it few dealers do off the top of their head unless they are full time dealers and are looking over dozens of new pieces on a weekly basis. You absolutely must assemble a decent library of reference books for collectibles and especially glassware and learn as much as you can about European manufacturers. Knowledge truly is money when it comes to finding bargains for resale. I will devote an entire post (probably several) in the months ahead on learning more about harder to identify manufacturers that will improve your chances of finding items that will sell well.

So how did I do at Goodwill this past Sunday? Well I guess I got lucky or was just a tad smarter. I found 2 Waterford Crystal knife rests, a Stelton Cylinda toast rack designed by Arne Jacobsen, a vintage cookie jar of a dog marked USA which I haven't identified the maker yet but I'd bet it's going to be from a Californian Pottery maker. I found an original Disneyland California tray. Also a hand-painted vanity dish signed by the artist and a few decent books that I can sell in my bookstore. I'm going to estimate I will sell these items on Ebay and in my antique booths for somewhere in the $150-$200 range. My cost was around $10.00. So I will continue to duck into those "thrift" stores and buy their mistakes and pocket the profits.