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I had this argument with a woman with whom I was sorting donating clothing for a local church charity (soup kitchen, food pantry, gives away clothing, etc.) There was this pair of yellow sweatpants with what looked like car-grease stains on them and a hole in the knee. I said, "Throw that out" to the woman who was folding it. She said, "If people REALLY need something to wear, they'll wear them." We had MOUNTAINS of clothing in good condition free to whomever could use them.
That woman was not very bright. Of course, its possible she's one of those who thinks poor people should be forced to wear rags.
Clothing like that could be cut up and used for other purposes, if one is so inclined, but nobody has to wear it. Some charities and churches will even give away free clothing in decent condition, so there's no need to wear things with holes in them. This isn't the nineteenth century we're living in.
I was using a store credit card to buy clothes because I would get points every time I used it, and once I reached so many points, I would get store credit... to buy more clothes. I finally realized that it was just too much, so I stopped. I definitely don't need that much clothing. Once the credit is sitting there, you feel like you "have" to spend it. It just started feeling too gluttonous.
"Does someone actually buy all those clothes we donate?"
well, i do.
the Goodwill is in the same center as our grocery store.
belts, suspenders, winter coats, etc. and as the above
posters have noticed, it is usually nice merchandise.
I've always wondered about this, because sometimes we donate to shelters for battered women and other charity organizations. I've always just wondered if they are perhaps more desperate for things and will take anything they can get because of the dire situation they might be in. Or do these organizations shop from thrift stores to provide victims, etc., with clothing? After reading this thread, though, I assume there is plenty of better-quality clothing to go around.
On a side note, for those of you who have worked in thrift stores, I've always wondered what their policies are on cleanliness. What if the clothes are clean but have been sitting in the closet for a while? Are we expected to "freshen" them up before we donate? And what about smoking homes? I don't smoke, but I have a relative who does. I presume smoky clothing would automatically get tossed, even if clean? I've just always been curious.
I can't speak for every thrift store, but we partner with other organizations to provide clothing and furnishings for shelters. Their clients are not charged anything. Our worn, but clean, linens are sent to the Humane Society.
If clothes come in with strong odors, whether it be smoke or even perfume, it's either tossed or recycled depending on what caused the odor. But clothing might naturally pick up a scent from the household it came from, so it isn't always unsaleable.
A lot of people will scour thrift stores for vintage stuff, though. I have a friend who'd pay top dollar for real 70s clothing in good condition.
I recently donated a jacket that was in good condition other than a button had fallen off. I never got around to reattaching the button, so I safety-pinned it to the placket and put the jacket in the donation bag. In a perfect world, someone could have seen the jacket and thought, "score! Some dummy was too lazy to sew a button on!" (guilty as charged,) but I fear the whole thing was probably put in the dumpster.
We don't reject clothing simply based on age, we know there's a market for quality vintage things.
I've read that the clothes put in those bins you see in parking lots by various organizations just get shredded and recycled and used for fill in other products.
I'd like to know where to donate trashed clothes to be shredded for use as home insulation.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mattie
Our store provides clothing to low income family and the homeless, free of charge. Underwear in good condition is always appreciated, by them, and us. Bras, especially, are snapped up quickly.
You don't "sell" to a thrift store, you donate. I think you're confusing us with a consignment shop.
Yes, we still benefit, but not really enough to offset the labor involved in sifting through hundreds of bags each week. And the recycler will refuse entire loads if mildew or urine odors are detected, so it all has to be checked out. When donations have to be trashed, we pay, to the tune of 20 dumpster loads a week. I know people get upset when we turn away their donations, it happens several times a week (but not with clothing). The fact is, it's a large hit on the budget of non-profits to have to get rid of donated trash.
What type of store do you work at? I'd love to donate bras and even good underwear if someone could use it.
Goodwill actually throws out tons of clothing in their dumpsters. Many used clothing winds up in landfills. Even third world countries can now be picky about what kind of clothing they will accept. There is too much clothing in the world and it's being mass produced far too rapidly. I'm trying to avoid buying new clothing altogether and just continuing to wear what I have as long as I can. I don't want to support the fashion industry, either.
Not quite. Just like the thrift store I manage (local not a national chain), every attempt is made to keep clothing out of the landfill. Because of the sheer volume of donations they receive it may appear Goodwill throws tons of it out, but it's a small percentage overall.
Not quite. Just like the thrift store I manage (local not a national chain), every attempt is made to keep clothing out of the landfill. Because of the sheer volume of donations they receive it may appear Goodwill throws tons of it out, but it's a small percentage overall.
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