Have you found anything good in a Salvation Army/Goodwill shop LATELY?Greedwill seems to have moved to this model of renting expensive retail space and reselling cast offs from Target's markdown section at more than Target had them for in their markdown section. I don't know where their vintage is going. Salvation Army used to make deals with dealers to come in and look at their things before they went out on the floor. I recently went across country and stopped at Goodwills in many places and it was the same story. Not even a decent lamp. No sensibility to their pricing. Every bit of junk is 5.99 even if it didn't cost that much new. I don't believe they aren't getting any vintage donations. I think they're selling them out the door before any of us see them. A few smalls might slip through now and then, but their funiture is all garbage. At my local humane society resell shop, there is an employee selling all the mid century modern stuff on craigslist and making money off of it. I wanted to tell the manager, but you don't know who is in on it. So...there is nothing there either.Tell me honestly-have you found anything good at Greedwill or Salvation Army lately-like the last few years. I mean really good. Good enough to make it worth the while of treking there?Those places are not worth the gas. I think the game is rigged.
i can't speak to how widespread is this practice, but I know that one of the employees of a local Salvation Army used to pick through all the stereo gear, segregating anything of remote value in the back, presumably either for personal use or to sell. He had some fantastic gear as well.
I've never found much of value in trips to Goodwill, but I've lost any remaining fondness for the company recently after learning about how much some executives make and how little many of their disabled employees earn.
I found two Flos Tab Floor lamps at a Goddwill a couple of days ago for under $20.00. First time I've found anything at that particular shop in a long time. I stop there every almost every other day or so on my way home as its only a few blocks away from my apartment. 99% of the time I walk out empty handed.
In Chicago....It seems so much harder to find a good stuff now as opposed to 2-3 yrs ago. I do find stuff but not as often and I used to. I have lots of days when I walk out empty handed. Recently the one Slavation Army store I go to after work had a makeover and now it's all Target crap, like you mention.Have not found a Danish piece in forever. The really old stuff is not coming out anymore...The game HAS to be rigged!!!! I know everyone is a picker and a flipper these days, and I don't pretend to be the biggest or the best by far, but I have been doing it for the on one level or another for the past 18 yrs and it seems harder and harder....plus everyone is lowballing even if you have the lowest prices on the market...Let's stay positive!
I have seen a few amazing things in the donation pile that never made it to the floor. Goodwill ships stuff around like crazy so it might have shown up somewhere....
I used to find many more items, not so much now. I still find decent lamps (nobody ever looks at lamps. I love lamps) and some 1970's retro style items that most people still look at and go "yuck."
I have been looking at artwork more. Almost impossible to price and most of what I like and find interesting is unsettling to the average Goodwill client.
Craigslist has just gotten too frenzied, at least here. I find the browsing of charity shops far more soothing.
Goodwill items from 01-14 through 11-14. This is the "tip of the iceberg" and does not include too many to count Rosti Denmark bowls and utensils, Heller dinnerware, Heller glassware, Kartell waste baskets and the list goes on.
Perhaps you are going to the wrong Goodwill's.
1. Stoppino, Giotto Record Rack yellow for Heller
2.Bertoia, Harry Bertoia chrome side chair for Knoll Studio® (2)
3.Eames, Charles and Ray Eames® Hang-It-All for Herman Miller®
4. Stoppino, Giotto Record Rack red for Heller
5. Toikka, Oiva Flora bowl for Iittala
6. Trazzi, Luca X1 espresso machine for Francis Francis
7.Conran, Terence record rack for Habitat by Crayonne Ltd
8. Eames, Charles and Ray Eames® round table 36" (2) and 42" with universal base for Herman Miller
9. Porsche P2000 AM-FM-shortwave radio for Grundig
10. Schweizer Design West Germany record holder (2)
11. Tivoli Audio® Henry Kloss Model One®
12. McDougall, Angus Apple for Steuben
13. Quistgaard, Jens staved teak tray for Dansk Designs Denmark IHQ
14. von Bohr, Olaf Pattumier a pedale for Kartell
14. Jørgensen, Carsten Osiris hot water kettle for Bodum
15. van Eyben, Bruno Ninaber bonbonnière for Randstad Holland
16. Aalto, Alvar clear bowl for Iittala
17. Hein, Piet Roll-ette for Skjode Skjern Danmark
18. Nilsson, Anne Duo bowl for Kosta Boda
19. Quistgaard, Jens salt and pepper mill for Dansk Design (2)
20. Stumpf, Bill and Chadwick, Don Aeron chair for Herman Miller
21.Lonborg, Laurids Tulip candlestick for Lonborg Denmark
21.Sohn, Ernest Siamese teak cutting board for Etco Industries
22. van Eyben, Bruno Ninaber mortar and pestle for Randstad Holland
23. Graves, Michael pepper mill for Alessi 9098
24. Quistgaard, Jens candle holder for Dansk Designs Ltd IHQ
25. Quistgaard, Jens staved teak tray for Dansk International Designs Ltd IHQ
26. Tiffany & Company Sintra vase
27. Quistgaard, Jens Crown candle holder for Dansk Designs France IHQ
28. Wirkkala, Tapio Polygon vase for Rosenthal Studio-Line
29. Giacon, Massimo and CSA Mr. Cold liquid soap dispenser for Alessi AMGI01Y
Just looked up the pay disparity issue as I had not heard about it. Employees making 22 cents an hour while the CEO pulls down close to 3 million? He's probably hoarding all the good furniture for himself and reselling it on craigslist as a bonus to his 3 million dollar salary.And of course the corporation pays not taxes.Definitely putting on the do not bother list.
Goowill and I think other charity thrifts starting selling on Ebay quite awhile back but Goodwill has apparently stopped that and now sells on their own online auction site. They have stuff from all over the country. If anyone is still finding great stuff at a particular store, it is probably because that manager doesn't bother to monitor what's coming in, for whatever reasons.
I just looked through "today's listings" on the Goodwill site (which I guess are the things ending today?? i wasn't interested enough to get that far). There were a couple of paintings that looked interesting but the rest was mostly jewelry, clothing, and just...stuff. A lot of it I could just see employees checking the label and putting it into the auction bin. It's so easy now to research this stuff! Why wouldn't Goodwill take advantage of that, too?
Where I live it's really unworthy. Really low quality products. Any time I go to an auction I end up thinking - home come eBay turns to be much cheaper? However some days you might get lucky and find people who sell great furniture for cheap. The other day I bought a Queen Anne style wingback chair from my neighbour.
Need another reason to hate The United States of America? Some Americans are so rich and stupid that they have the audacity to complain if they can't always buy their overpriced "designer" garbage for pennies on the dollar at thrift stores. Isn't life hard? I'm not seeing how any frowny-faced antiques dealer is less of a bloodsucker than Goodwill, greed-wise. Unless something "truly" philanthropic is to be done with the purchases? Ha ha ha.
(find a penny pick it up)
Object Worship- You've missed the point to jump to your own prejudice. I wouldn't bemoan Goodwill for having a Danish piece priced right for the location and condition. Meaning this place isn't 1st Dibs. But you don't find anything there anymore. And that's because it is going out the back door with either employees or to dealers who have greased a managers palm. And their dollar store garbage priced at 5.99 is ridiculous. So it is probably frowny faced antique dealers who are getting it for pennies on the dollar versus a retail public who might be willing to pay more. And I guess since you aren't in the states, you don't see the ridiculous stores they are putting up and insane retail rents which I would guess is contrary to what donors would hope as well. Geez. Bitter much?
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