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| Goodwill as Economic Barometer
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| Added on 12/23/07 by
Betsy
2 comments
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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.
Tags: Loving Family Dollhouse  , Fisher Price Loving Family , Build a Bear , How to Sell on Ebay |
2 Comments
| 1 |
Sorry to hear this. Up here in Ontario it is a banner year. Apparently each Canadian family is spending approximately $900 (averaged) this Christmas, data courtesy Visa. I can personally attest that Value Village is full of stuff. Just not 6-12 months sized baby boy shirts with snaps. I hate a shirt that rides up!
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Posted by: mamaloo
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9:04pm 12/23/2007 |
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This post really affected me and I keep coming back to reread it. Even though you are so frequently irreverent (where it's deserved), you have an underlying respect for others. I took my old old high chair to Goodwill last weekend and before I did, I gave it a super thorough cleaning-- I mean toothbrush in the grooves and everything. I didn't have to of course but I had the time, and I sort of got to thinking it was important. And as I was Magic Erasering the crud off, I was thinking about the future baby that was going to be sitting there. And I also thought about the Resale Queen. You are one cool chick Betsy!
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Posted by: Tina
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12:04am 03/23/2008 |
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