Does this make sense to anyone?

[YankeeMom]

Our Salvation Army recently moved to a new building, built from scratch ($$$) out of a building that is not that old. They didn't move far either. About 1/2 mile down the road.

Now that they moved, they no longer do 50% off Wednesdays. The way it was explained to me is, when they moved they shipped all their old inventory to a city 1 hour away from here and started at the new store from scratch so they don't have the "extra" inventory to get rid of. It was explained to me that the only reason they had 50% off Wednesdays was to get rid of inventory.

That just doesn't ring true to me. Why would they waste gas, time, energy, etc. to ship all their inventory to a city an hour away & start w/ new. They have had 50% off Wednesdays since I was little. They have special sales on all the days of the week. Like Tuesday is Senior Day, etc.

Anyway, I'm a little miffed and haven't been back

[Daisygirl]

I hate that! Sounds like they are trying to make a profit lately instead of helping people out.

I no longer go to the Salvation Army here for two reasons;

1.) The last time I went to make a donation, they made me stay while they went through all the bags, took what they wanted and gave the rest back to me. Some of it wasn't "nice" enough or was not something they were currently looking for. Since when is the Salvation Army a boutique? Further more, the "not nice enough" stuff was things my children had recently outgrown but had been wearing until they did. Hmmmm, what does taht say about our wardrobes?
2.) Recently the local Salvation Army shelter turned a homeless man away because he was known to be gay. Sorry, whatever your preferences, homeless is homeless, and I refuse to donate to a place that will only help out people with the same sexual preferences as they. That made me FURIOUS.

Thanks for this time to rant - hope I didn't hijack!

[latierra84]

Yankeemom: pm-ed you.

-- Daisygirl.. I have seen them turn people away because of sexual orientation and religion. It blows my mind and it really makes you question their "Christian"-ness.

[stinkbug]

I donated a ton of stuff to a local charity on Thursday, they always do pick ups about every 2 months and call if you have donated before. I had 13 boxes of stuff...and a nice large mirror (oak) from a dresser I no longer have. It's just oak framed...it could easily be hung on a wall by itself. They left a note saying it was not resellable???

[dolphin]

Our Salvation Army has changed also. I rarely go in there as they also think it is a boutique! Plus, I found out that most of the money they make in our town goes to help people in Las Vegas!

Actually, I think most of the charities are not helping as much as they used to and are just seeing how much they can profit.

[Jamauk]

sounds like maybe they are trying to pay for their new shiny building?

[inneedofhope]

Our local SA is not very well kept. I also think they want too much for what they have. Used clothing should not be more than a dollar, unless it is special, designer, or really great outerwear IMHO.
I also know that the staff skims off the donations to sell on ebay or hoard for themselves, which is just unethical.
I'd rather donate to places that give the things to needy families free. They are alot less picky about donations as well because they usually know just the family who could use the item.

[Holly]

I no longer give to the SA or any charities . I give money to my church
and other stuff I'll Freecycle or burn it.
I give to people in person that I know are in need.

[acidcookie]

2.) Recently the local Salvation Army shelter turned a homeless man away because he was known to be gay. Sorry, whatever your preferences, homeless is homeless, and I refuse to donate to a place that will only help out people with the same sexual preferences as they. That made me FURIOUS.

This is why I do not support the Salvation Army in general.

Does sound like they're just trying to pay for their new store. Ugh.

[Marie78]

I think the SA sells clothes for too much in my area. I can't see spending $8 or more for a used shirt or pair of pants when you can't even return them.

[mikandmari]

Wow. I'm glad you guys brought this to my attention. My 19 y/o son just started moving out, and has a mountain of clothes he no longer wants. I was deciding where to take them...

How about the Goodwill? Think they are more ethical? We also have Catholic Charities, although I've never been in their store.

[Daisygirl]

As far as donations go, I donate to my local women's shelter. As well, I let them know the sizes of clothing I have stored and then they can call me when they have someone to meet their criteria.

Yankeemom, are there any other good thrift stores where you live? When I lived in a town with only a SA I used to save up, make a big list adn drive half an hour to a bigger city for a day of trhift shopping. My favorite thrift stores are the St. Vincent de Paul stores. They often have bag sales, as well, if they feel someone needs more than they can afford they give them what they need.

Good luck, and I completely agree with your decision not to go back.

[zakity]

Our St Vincent De Paul's closed down. I was so disappointed. I loved that store.

Have you looked around to see if there is a 7-day Adventist store or a Deseret Industries? It seems like the church thrift stores are the only real "thrift" stores left.

[YankeeMom]

Well, we do have two other Thrift stores in town besides the Salvation Army. Unfortunately, the SA was the better deal because of the 50% off Wednesdays. That was the only day we ever went

Looks like I'm branching out to the others. One is run by Urban Mission and the other is called Thrifty Shopper and profits go to another charity, I can't remember the name...

[faw42077]

I don't shop at our local SA anymore either. Like the OP, ours moved to a new location a year ago and it's just not the same. The prices went up and the store is dirty.

I now shop at Goodwill & a thrift store for our local battered womens shelter.
I donate to Goodwill or my MIL's church