Rude thrift woman, nice finds, and weird 2600 label...

[ClubNinja]

I rarely hit the thrifts out this way because, well, they all suck. I haven't had a thrift find in nearly three years. But today, I was downtown with a friend, and we decided to pop into the Salvation Army. We began wandering around, picking at the crap, and finding nothing of worth. I did turn up a complete WWF vhs boardgame that I almost bought, but decided not to bother. We decided to leave, but some weird egg beater thing made me stop for an extra moment to crack a dirty joke.

Just after making my comment, two people enter the store carrying boxes, and say "where do you want this stuff?" The toothless lady behind the counter tells them to put the boxes off to the side, near the clothing. They do so, then go outside to get more boxes. Instinct sends me right over to the new boxes. Underneath various useless things, I turn up some 2600 joysticks... then some carts... then some SMS games... then random other stuff. Thrilling! So, I grab the things I want from this pile of new stuff, then wander to the back of the store. After a few moments I approach the counter, and say I'd like to buy this unmarked stuff, hehe : )

The toothless lady looks over my loot, and says that the stuff looks like it just got there (probably because it wasn't coated with dust like everything else.) She can't sell me this stuff until it's looked over by some SA "official." So, I ask her why they don't have a standard pricing for it that she can go by on the fly, and she says that they sell most of their video games and other "collectibles" through "other avenues", so they wouldn't normally sell this stuff there anyway. That sure explains why I hadn't turned up a game there in three years.

Anyway, I kindly tell her that I'd really like to buy the stuff, and since my payment's going to charity, she shouldn't stop me from helping out needy folks with my money. She agrees, grouchily. So, I end up with the following few items for my troubles today:

SMS - Phantasy Star and Zillion (Zillion I still needed, PS for wheelin' and dealin'.)
2600 - Sky Diver (with a label I've never seen for it...)
NES - 2 boxed Camerica Supersonic joysticks, one with the receiver
Dreamcast - Sega 4X memory unit (sweeeeet)

So, as the ad in the For Sale forum states, one joystick and PS are for trade or sale (with the PS, I could really use a good trade, otherwise the cash... I need cash too, heh.)

Now, regarding the Sky Diver label. It reminds me of a Star Ship (I believe) that I saw once. Basically, it's the picture label Sky Diver, but with the title in large white letters, instead of smaller blue print. The copywrite on the front is 1986, and the end label text is also white instead of blue. Is this a later re-release as I figure it is? And is it any more desirable than a standard Sky Diver?

[Bratwurst]

ClubNinja is smooth with the ladies I see.

I bet the 'other avenues' is ebay- which kinda sucks, and probably also accounts for the thrift stores in my area being bone dry too.

[ClubNinja]

ClubNinja *is* in fact smooth with the ladies ; )

And yeah, I had heard a while back that the thrifts were turning to ePay... now I've got "proof." Total suck.

[klimatron8]

Good finds man!
Scott -If that's the SalvA on Main street, I'd figured that "Quarter-Man"(ha) next door had worked a deal. He had waaay to much stuff in there.

[Captain Wrong]

This was at Sally Annie's, right (that's Salvation Army, for you who don't know.)

Around the top of the year, I had a manager explain some stuff to me about their whole "collectable" policy. I was on a record hunt and was about to make a major score (I had a stack of about 30 jazz/big band albums, mostly promos including some Sinatra and Duke Ellington.) I've learned to always check the signs they have posted because a lot of places are raising their record prices; the sign here still said 99 cents, or whatever.

Anyway, when I get to cash out, I notice she's ringing up some of the stuff for more than 99 cents. Nothing more than $2, but I notice she's pausing between records and it seems like if she recognizes the artist, it's being rung up for more. So, I stop her and ask her what's going on considering the sign said one thing and she's ringing up another.

This was what she told me: apparently the people who run SA decided around the first of the year to change their policy on stuff that they deemed "collectable" and they were going to start charging more for it. I didn't think to ask about games b/c I haven't seen a game at a SA in these parts for years, but I know that's how they're doing records now. She didn't mention anything about eBay, but she said they were going to start pricing things individually.

I was kind of miffed, but I think I only ended up paying a couple of dollars more for what I had, and I still wanted it. As I said, I don't know how this is applying to games, but that's what I know at least on the record side of things.

I've got kind of mixed feelings about it. I mean, on one hand why shouldn't they get closer to what something is worth if they can? And the money is supposed to be going to a good cause, so I can't argue with that. On the other hand, I see it as part of a growing trend, at least among the big thrifts, where they are losing everything that made them thrift stores and becoming more like dollar stores. And of course there's the selfish arguement that I can't get cheap stuff anymore.

So, that's what I know. Sounds kind of consistent with what that lady told you, and maybe could shed some light on a lot of people wondering what happened to SA.

[maxlords]

I've noticed that at the Value Villages here. It seems that they get game stuff, but if they recognize it, it gets marked up to $10+ per item. And the Value Village here has this case up front, and they have stuff in it like old trashed Elvis records at $50 and some weird looking antique creamer pot for like $350. Now, if this were a normal store, I wouldn't have a problem with it. But it's not. It's a "VALUE Village". The whole point of going there is to buy the shit that people donate to them FREE for a cheap price. Same with the Goodwill and the Salvation Army. They get that shit free, and then they want to go around and sell it for full market value?? That's pretty messed up.

Honestly, it's been making me go to those stores less often than I used to, and I've noticed that I find less stuff almost every time. They have stuff like Genesis 2 decks with no hookups for $9.99 and then they're selling the hookups for $2 per cable..comes out to around $20 w/tax for a untested Genesis 2. I also saw some TRASHED Swamp Thing comics...nice Steve Bisette/Moore ones...but in horrid condition...nickel bin stuff, and they wanted $9.99 for the three comics! Those comics were worth a quarter each in that shape! I mean, if these people want to subsist on charity, and help the needy, I'm all for it. But when they start selling stuff at the same prices as the antique shop down the street, they can fuck off in my book.

I also know for a fact that the employees at many of those stores go through and cherry pick all the stuff that gets donated. They stick it aside in the back, price it at what they want to pay, and then buy it before it sees the shelves. Basically, they're the ones getting the stuff that's a deal for the prices that we used to pay, and we get squat. This never really was a problem until a couple of years ago when eBay and online selling hit big and suddenly EVERYTHING was "collectible." But now, it's gotten to the point where it's hard to find anything and eventually, I'd bet that people slow their donating to those places because of it. I mean..do you REALLY want to give away stuff to a store like that if you know that it'll just get resold by someone from the backroom and it won't help the people it's supposed to? I don't.

[Raedon]

wow.. I ended up with a boxed Supersonic stick this week too.. Froma salvation army no less..


this is why I still love flee markets and pawn shops in my area.

[YoshiM]

I know the Goodwill Store in town has a chick that tries to buy up all the computer and video game stuff she can when she works. Proved this when I snagged some Odyssey 2 carts. She walked off the floor then came back out without her smock on. She then began rifling through the audio and video tapes. I had a gut reaction to head back and show my O2 carts in my basket as I looked through the video tapes to see if she reacted. The gut feeling came from the fact that I usually found something good at Goodwill and then it was NOTHING. Zip. Zilch. In a snap of a finger. Sure enough, she saw my basket and said "Oh YOU grabbed those games" and then decided to ask me what they were. After I explained, she said she usually buys game and computer stuff. She said they got in an Atari 5200, a Colecovision, a Commodore 128 (complete with drives and such), and an Atari computer. She bought them all. Now if she SELLS them online herself, I don't know, but it's just proof positive that there are volunteers/employees that snag the collectable stuff up.

Like the good Captain I also have mixed feelings, but more the negative toward SA or Goodwill when it comes to "collectable" prices. The idea behind SA is to take donations and sell them at affordable prices to those who don't have a lot of money. The money that does go in pays bills and goes to various help programs. With that in mind, why jack up the price of an item (like a record or a video game) because its "collectable"? The clientelle you are aimed at probably will not spend the money on this item. The common shopper probably doesn't go to SA that often (just observation mind you) for the item to move. True collectors might not buy the item as the item gets shuffled about and handled (sometimes roughly, being shoved into tight storage areas and whatnot) and may not be in collectable condition. The SAs around by me aren't necessarily collector friendly when it comes to taking care of items.

I can understand Goodwill doing this price hike a bit more-while they do provide jobs and training for the less fortunate, they ARE geared to be more of a "discount retailer". They get closeouts on house hold products, coloring books, shoes, etc. from time to time. They even have TV commercials.

[Griking]

After I explained, she said she usually buys game and computer stuff. She said they got in an Atari 5200, a Colecovision, a Commodore 128 (complete with drives and such), and an Atari computer. She bought them all. Now if she SELLS them online herself, I don't know, but it's just proof positive that there are volunteers/employees that snag the collectable stuff up.

Contact the regional headquarters of your Salvation Army and ask them if they approve of this kind of action by their employees. I know that the Goodwills near me have a policy that employees aren't allowed to purchase anything unless it's been on the floor for a certain period of time. I'm sure that this plicy is ignored in most cases but there IS a policy on employee purchasing.

[Grandma]

Don't you go disrespectin' your elders now, sonny! Why, when I was your age, they didn't tolerate none of this fancy-schmancy backspeak. You listened hard, said "Yes, ma'am", and that was the end of that! Kids these days..

[thekeepr]

Shut your pipehole granny...or we'll stick you in a "home" and tell them to only change your Attend's once a week!!!!! The Keeper

[Bratwurst]

I echo thekeepr's sentiment.