June 7, 2011. Bill Szydlowski
credit: US Army AfricaThrift stores were started many years ago as a way to make money for charities. They would ask local, neighborhood people to send them any items that they don’t need anymore.
It could be furniture, lamps, sporting equipment as yes even newborn baby clothes for girls and boys. Even though when parents have a new baby they can buy new, cheap baby clothes for boys and girls many parents don’t even have the money to spend on that and love the idea that they can buy really inexpensive baby clothes and other baby items without breaking the bank.
There are times when you can the absolutely best bargains in thrift stores. If the thrift store is in a high class neighborhood then very often the items that come in are in great condition and you can get some really good buys. The benefit for the people that donate is that they get to do a good deed as the proceeds go to the charity and they also get a tax deduction.
There was a period of time that thrift stores did not sell baby clothes as they figured that new mothers would not want to buy second hand clothing for their new babies. What happened however, was that many of the rich people that were donating the clothing gave clothes in such pristine condition that it was like getting brand name clothing for dirt cheap. Very wealthy people also tend to buy an enormous amount of clothing so the babies don’t wear each outfit very often. Since babies grow so quickly by the time they are ready to wear a particular outfit they have outgrown it and it is time to donate it to the thrift store. Many people who would not ordinarily shop in thrift tores have discovered this and have started using thrift stores for their purchases.
Updated June 7, 2011. Published May 31, 2011. Bill Szydlowski
