Salvation army sucks

[Terreldactyl]

So I went to the Salvation Army on Staten Island hoping to find some good deals maybe to resell and I'm pretty disappointed. I miss my goodwills in Virginia.

 

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[diggummup]

Psshh, the vast majority of my thrift store finds have been from a local Salvation Army. Goodwill sucks.

 

[vpnavy]

Seems like 97% of the stuff is clothes...

 

[Whatacoin]

Seems like 97% of the stuff is clothes...

Something I avoid like the plague.

 

[Bum Luck]

It's the recession.

 

[Terreldactyl]

Psshh, the vast majority of my thrift store finds have been from a local Salvation Army. Goodwill sucks.

There may be some good finds there sometimes but I saw very little jewelry. All the pieces I thought about buying were priced close to what I could have sold them at.

 

[mjlalt]

It really depends on the store and when you hit it. I find that if I hit a salvation army store at the right time and day I can do really good!

 

[clovis97]

Around here, the SA is not the place to pick. A total waste o' time.

I've only found one item at SA in all my years...a Johnny West figure...and that is not a valuable find. Johnny was hiding out in a SA in another state when I found him while traveling...back in 1993.

I've often wondered if the SA in our area has a team that researches every item before it hits the store shelves. I've met some of the SA upper management in our area, and those folks have their act together. All of them very sharp and very educated. I doubt that they are going to let much get by them.

 

[clovis97]

Correction:

I did stumble across a SA store grand opening last fall.

I bought long handled tools; shovels, sledge hammers, spades, hoes, etc., for $2 each. I bought 32 long handled tools total, and flipped them for $7 to $12 each. They sold fast at that price.

Sure, I know it is a 'bottom feeder' type score, but it was a nice score for the day.

 

[diggummup]

It's all about location and timing too. Actually, i've found stuff at all the thrift stores near me, that's 3 Goodwill's, 3 Salvation Army's and 2 local thrift's the size of a small Wal-mart in a less than 5 mile radius, but the better stuff came from one certain Salvation Army because I used to have the timing down when they got deliveries and when the bins came from the back of the store to the front of the store to be unloaded.

 

[Baltimore]

I'd have to agree with diggummup, I've had some major scores at salvation armys but never at goodwills. I once got several woolrich and johnson woolen mills hunting coats from the 60's as well as some 70's lee denim jackets at a salvation army for $3 each, resold for $50-100 comfortably.

 

[tonytwotimes]

The Salvation Army family stores here in Chicago are way overpriced,some stuff sits in their showcase for months but I am still able to find stuff to flip that they don't know about or overlook.

 

[Bum Luck]

Specialized knowledge is always good, and will get you bargains.

My SV store wants $4 for T shirts - I can get new ones on sale cheaper than that.

I did get an authenticated Clovis knife (!) at a store wide 40% off sale for a decent price. I think I got it for less than $100.

 

[diggummup]

Specialized knowledge is always good, and will get you bargains.

My SV store wants $4 for T shirts - I can get new ones on sale cheaper than that.

My SV store has men's clothing 50% off every day and men's jeans $3 all the time, bric-a-brac is 50% off on Wed.. Seems it depends on where you are at and who's running it.

 

[Terreldactyl]

It doesn't sound like there is any standard for pricing at the different stores.

 

[Terreldactyl]

The Salvation Army family stores here in Chicago are way overpriced,some stuff sits in their showcase for months but I am still able to find stuff to flip that they don't know about or overlook.

That sounds like here. I'm in nyc, I wonder if the larger cities charge more in general.

 

[diggummup]

That sounds like here. I'm in nyc, I wonder if the larger cities charge more in general.

I found the thrifts in smaller communities in other parts of my state are not much difference, pricewise. I'm living in S. Florida, there are more than 5 million people within a 40 mile radius of me, granted it's not NYC, but I'm not in the woods somewhere either, though I wish I was. Have you tried the thrifts in the not so good parts of town? Those are usually pretty good.

 

[tonytwotimes]

That sounds like here. I'm in nyc, I wonder if the larger cities charge more in general.

I guess it's because there are more people so someone will eventually buy it. For instance,last weekend they had a Smurf thermos for $25 that will sit but I find silver almost weekly for cents on the dollar. I'm not complaining. Also, I know the SA is for a good cause but I never understood why the stuff they get from Target is sometimes priced more than what Target is selling it for.

 

[Terreldactyl]

I found the thrifts in smaller communities in other parts of my state are not much difference, pricewise. I'm living in S. Florida, there are more than 5 million people within a 40 mile radius of me, granted it's not NYC, but I'm not in the woods somewhere either, though I wish I was. Have you tried the thrifts in the not so good parts of town? Those are usually pretty good.

Not many thrift stores on Staten Island. I'd have to go to Brooklyn or manhattan and it's just not worth the trip. On the other hand there are always 5-6 garage sales within a few miles every weekend.

 

[woodstock]

I've been doing the Salvation Army and the Goodwills since 1971 and seen many changes take place . When I started knowone went and there was tons of stuff but at the time I bought the things I needed . That changed in 1980 when we had our first recession (that I lived through) when Flea Marketer's started paying off the Salvation Army help to check donations BEFORE they hit the sales floor . I called them folks "scabies" because they consistently got all the nice stuff . Back then the real good stuff went from one store to another across the street . They were both Salvation Army's but one sold clothes and knick-knacks and other stuff and the one I liked was the one where the donations came in . Back then I could buy a Tiffany vase for $20 but back then I didn't know the values of these items .
Now there isn't any near me and I don't miss them . The last one I used to go to was in Wausau Wisconsin and the managers and their families got everything. The place was unclean and smelled like a dump and eventually they closed completely . And even today if I pass one on a road trip they have everything overpriced .
As for the Goodwills , they fluctuate and it's all just a matter of timing and who's working there . Today's Goodwills do have workers that sort things like Jewelry but still some goody's come through now and then . In the past year I have been lucky to find quite a few valuable items to resell and although pickin's have been slim I have got lucky . I figure the reason being that employees move quickly out of the Goodwills so those checkers don't find everything and are not trained enough to spot the good stuff . One of the better deals I got this year was a brand new PSP Go unopened in the box for 5 bucks and they sell for over $200 .
So think about it before you say any of these places suck because you haven't found anything resellable for this reason .
1. They were NEVER MET to provide you with valuable items BUT were met for the people who have very little to have more . It just that recently they've been hoarded by resellers other than you that got the stuff first . And even if policy's say they can't buy a item until it's been on the sale floor for 24 hours and it can't be sold to family members does not mean and does not include friends of those employees and today a simple cell phone call can have a item waiting for those people . This is a real fact and I known people who would actually hold the item until the buyer arrived to buy it or even before it hit the floor . So your post should really say " Life Sucks " because these things are a part of life so you better get used to lifes shuffle or get out of the way . The less you go , the more they get , time to get used to it . I' m not being rude ... I' m just stating the fact 's . IMHO , Woodstock