|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Goodwill as Economic Barometer
|
0 comments
Added on 12/23/07 by Betsy
Goodwill is practically empty.
Gulp.
It is one thing to hear on NPR that spending is down this Christmas, that foreclosures are "on the rise", that people are buying fewer "durable goods" this year. That sounds like a dip on a bar graph, nothing to be concerned to deeply about.
However, for the first time in all the years I have been selling other people's junk on Ebay I am scrambling to make money.
Goodwill is just empty.
As a result, the mood is tense, even competitive.
In years past the regulars and an ever-changing cast of hopefuls engaged in good natured "I had my finger on it before you did" fun.
The weeks before Christmas are typically the time when the wealthy are purging the presents of the past to make way for this year's gluttony in the name of charity and tax exemptions. This year was the first time I saw parents fight over a toy.
They actually got in a pulling match over an air hockey table, complete with crying children looking on.
I emptied my cart back onto the shelf and went home and pulled up some toys my kids don't play with anymore.
While there are a lot of Ebayers and weird women who sleep on beds of old newspaper there are also families that depend on Goodwill for Santa toys.
I quit buying toys for resale a few weeks ago, there just isn't enough stock to go around.
(read post) |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
