Thrift Store Insanity

[Griking]

So I was in a Salvation Army today while on a lunch break for work and stumbled across a lot of 11 Colecovision games in a case. They were all loose and $3 but there wasn't anything special in the lot and I already owned them all so I didn't bother picking them up.

So as I'm walking around I notice a kid who appeared to be about 17 who saw them. He snatched them up and started yelling "Mom, Mom". He ran to his mom and asked her to hold the games while he ran out to his car to get his cell phone. When he got back I was kinda curious and eavesdropped on his call (technically I suppose it wasn't eavesdropping since he was yelling loud enough for the entire store to hear his conversation). So I guess he called his brother who knew something about games. He described his "huge find" and how Donkey Kong alone is worth $20 alone. Mind you, he's in the front of the store by the register speaking loud enough for everyone including the manager to hear him.

Eventually his brother must have talked him out of buying them as he put them back but I couldn't help but think the entire time that this is exactly the kind of person who's responsible for dirt common games being priced for $10 each at thrift stores. He knew absolutely nothing about what he found and had no plans on buying the games to play them but insisted on announcing to the store that they had to be worth at least $20 each online.

I ended up talking to the kid for a little while since he knew enough to be dangerous and wondered if he was a collector (he wasn't). I also tried to explain that the games were common but that it wouldn't hurt to be a little more discrete next time he thinks he make a find so that the thrift store associates wouldn't all think that they under-priced them and cause them to over-price all games in the future. I don't know if it sunk in or not.

the whole experience was funny yet very sad at the same time.

[DarthKur]

That is disheartening to hear. It really is numbskulls like that, that ruin things for us gamers/collectors. I'd be willing to bet that the manager in that shop will start to look up such items online from now on. Then either the price will be drastically raised or you'll never even get a chance to see them in the first place since they'll be put on Ebay immediately.

[DaBargainHunta]

C'mon, guys... Do you REALLY think any self-respecting manager worth his salt is going to be dumb enough to listen to the loud, immature cell phone rantings of a 17-year-old KID who shouts "MOM! MOM!" in the middle of a packed store?

[bangtango]

I'm being perfectly serious:

Sooner or later some gaming site will announce a "historic" moment in retro game collecting when two people get into a verbal or physical fight over a "rare" item at a flea market or in a thrift store.

You just know that there will come a day when a couple of morons get into a fight someplace over a Super NES rpg or some sought after Sega CD/Saturn game. The police report will probably be listed online somewhere and "news" of this type of behavior will sweep internet message boards. Maybe if we are lucky, a couple of people will happen to record it for YouTube.

[xtremegamer]

Just recently while in a pawn shop, I walked in at the same time as this older gentleman, we both went strait for the video games. I seen a bunch of new N64 titles and I started to panic. Since I held the door for him, he got to the games first. Sure enough I weasle my way in front of him and pick up Super Smash Bros., Zelda MM (Gold), and Mario Party for $5 each. Nothing too rare, but they have pretty good resale value. As Im taking them up to the register he kind of gives me a smug look, I return with "Hey, I opened the door for you". That could of got real ugly.

Don't get in my way while shopping for games in the same place, I'll take you down. . Just joking, but I usually will try to weasle games out of peoples hands that I may want at places like pawn shops, flea markets, ect. As soon as they set it down, it's open game.

[bangtango]

Just recently while in a pawn shop, I walked in at the same time as this older gentleman, we both went strait for the video games. I seen a bunch of new N64 titles and I started to panic. Since I held the door for him, he got to the games first. Sure enough I weasle my way in front of him and pick up Super Smash Bros., Zelda MM (Gold), and Mario Party for $5 each. Nothing too rare, but they have pretty good resale value. As Im taking them up to the register he kind of gives me a smug look, I return with "Hey, I opened the door for you". That could of got real ugly.

Don't get in my way while shopping for games in the same place, I'll take you down. . Just joking, but I usually will try to weasle games out of peoples hands that I may want at places like pawn shops, flea markets, ect. As soon as they set it down, it's open game.

You'll have to clarify. If you physically pull it out of someone's hands, you could be asking for trouble from the other person or a store manager. They saw it, or had it, first. It is one thing if you rush to get there before someone or squeeze in next to them. It becomes a whole different story if you tug at something a person actually has in their hand.

With that said, I find that I have to grab every single item I may be interested in when I am at a thrift store and carry it around the entire time I am shopping. So I walk around with a armful of stuff, most of which I am only remotely interested in. I don't put something down (or back) until I am absolutely certain I do not want it or can't afford it. Considering there is a game shop owner who regularly hits these places for "cheap" stock to resell, not to mention all of the Ebay sellers in the area, it is the only sure way to ensure I actually get my share of the good stuff.

Of course, this probably gives me away just as quickly as some dude who calls home on his cellphone to check prices, brags to the store clerks about how much the stuff is "really" worth or is carrying around a Digital Press guide in the store and checking prices. Let's just say that when the exact same 20-something year old girl has rung up 4-5 Playstation systems, 3-4 Sega Genesis systems, 2-3 Nintendo 64 systems and a couple of NES consoles for me in the past several months, I'm sure she knows something is up with me and has mentioned me in passing to other employees.

[MarioMania]

When I go in to a thirft store or goodwill, When I buy something I like I keep it

[RickHarrisMaine]

I just get more annoyed at the looky-loos at the Goodwills and other thrift stores who get a cart and use it to barricade themselves against a section of the store at a time. Like they will line the cart against the whole section of CD's while they are browsing, ensuring that no one else will be able to browse...I give them a "Hey jerk, I know what the hell you're doing" kind of look, or just stare at them intently, and they usually move. You just want to say, "the whole store is full of crap, you don't own all of it!"

[theshizzle3000]

I just get more annoyed at the looky-loos at the Goodwills and other thrift stores who get a cart and use it to barricade themselves against a section of the store at a time. Like they will line the cart against the whole section of CD's while they are browsing, ensuring that no one else will be able to browse...I give them a "Hey jerk, I know what the hell you're doing" kind of look, or just stare at them intently, and they usually move. You just want to say, "the whole store is full of crap, you don't own all of it!"

Yeah I have it happen all the time I actually just move their cart out the way and then I get the "hey jerk" look and I just say sorry and go back to looking as though it didn't phase me.

[Cambot]

What I hate are the thrift stores where the line of people buying clothes stretches around the entire store, and all I want is some $2.98 copy of Donkey Kong Country or something and I'm rushing to get to work. This is the only time I'm tempted to steal. Not because I'm greedy or dishonest, just impatient.

[Captain Wrong]

Man, I have a million stories...

I can relate to the OP in full. Thrifts are the place you want to use your poker face. Let them think they're giving away gems, and watch your finds dry up at that store.

I have kind of a similar story, at least to the cell phone part. Not too long ago, a thrift in my area had a bunch of CEDs (aka RCA Videodiscs.) At the time I was just considering starting a CED collection, so this was pretty cool. But, here was this woman (an eBay professional, I found out. Nice, but still makes me roll my eyes.) on the phone flipping through the discs. She was having someone on the other end look up EVERY title on eBay to see what it was going for.

The irony here is, if you know anything about CED, you know the movies are for the most part worthless. A working player can bring some coin but the actual discs, even the rare ones, really don't go for much money. When I though about all the time she was wasting on the phone (and wasting her partner in crime's time too) and considered how many other times she may have made calls like that versus any return, I realized the futility of trying to be an eBay professional.

Also, I have no problem sharing the racks but I will get agressive on a rack hog. I've been thrifting way to long to be intimitadated by anyone.

[mailman187666]

Both my brother and I collect games so when we go out on the hunt together, we like to mess with each other. If him and I are looking through the same pile of games, I'll go to act like I'm gonna grab something real quick and try and make him freak out. Or I'll go "Oh my god!!!" and pick out a copy of some barbie or sesemea street game to make him roll his eyes at me. One time him and I were looking through these atari 2600 games and he passed right by a Swordquest: Waterworld and I picked it out seconds after he had already looked, he was pissed that he didn't notice it....I think its cuz he was rushing to other sections before i could look through them. We'll even try to walk faster than one another into the store and try to beat each other to the section just to fuck with each other. We dorks about it but thats what makes it fun. Him and I help each other collect but we also compete to....it makes it fun, especially when it comes time to find Waterworld and a Chase the Chuck Wagon for next to nothing.

[Pantechnicon]

What I hate are the thrift stores where the line of people buying clothes stretches around the entire store, and all I want is some $2.98 copy of Donkey Kong Country or something and I'm rushing to get to work. This is the only time I'm tempted to steal. Not because I'm greedy or dishonest, just impatient.

My local Savers is the absolute WORST for this. Invariably I get stuck behind one or two bluehaired old crones with a basket full of clothes when all I've got at most is some greasy old Genny cart or a stuffed animal for my kids. To make it worse, these old bats will always double-check the price of every item as it's scanned and will quibble over the slightest anomaly: "You rang that at $1.49 but the sign said those were $1.25!"

I believe that it is simply a question of good manners in a store queue to allow someone with only one or two items ahead of you, no matter how much of a hurry you might be in. I practice what I preach here, too, and my kids have seen me allow for this lots of times. So this one time I was in Savers with my daughter and naught but a stuffed Pikachu in our hands. As we approach the checkout, sure enough, this granny with a scale model of Mount Laundry in her cart maneuvers ahead of us, cutting us off from the register. I look her in the eye with a "You know that's not right" look, and she looks back at me like I'm from another planet. So my daughter says "Daddy, that old lady got ahead of us."

"I know dear."

"But she's got a full cart."

Raising my voice enough to be picked up on the Beltone: "Yes dear, she has a full cart."

"But you said that's not good manners."

"No, it's not good manners. But I guess when you get to be as old as she is, every second remaining in what's left of your life becomes too important to consider such things."

The old gal turned bright red and went back to fretting over pennies and rags.

[RockNRollJerk]

I just get more annoyed at the looky-loos at the Goodwills and other thrift stores who get a cart and use it to barricade themselves against a section of the store at a time. Like they will line the cart against the whole section of CD's while they are browsing, ensuring that no one else will be able to browse...I give them a "Hey jerk, I know what the hell you're doing" kind of look, or just stare at them intently, and they usually move. You just want to say, "the whole store is full of crap, you don't own all of it!"

I've never used this cart barricading idea, but I think it's very disrespectful when you don't allow someone space to browse something they're obviously interested in. I'm a record collector, and often a goodwill or a thrift store will have maybe 2-3 hundred records at a time, certainly not enough for more than one person to be looking through at once. I don't appreciate anybody who gets right up next to me to look at the same thing I'm looking at. I think it's very rude. I was here first, be polite and wait your turn.

[Technosis]

I've never used this cart barricading idea, but I think it's very disrespectful when you don't allow someone space to browse something they're obviously interested in. I'm a record collector, and often a goodwill or a thrift store will have maybe 2-3 hundred records at a time, certainly not enough for more than one person to be looking through at once. I don't appreciate anybody who gets right up next to me to look at the same thing I'm looking at. I think it's very rude. I was here first, be polite and wait your turn.

You wouldn't like the garage sales in my area. It turns into a big grab fest, especially where the antique/flea mkt/ebay dealers are involved. I've seen the "cart barricade" used in thrifts many times, including the "cart battering ram " used to force people out of isle ways. Sadly thrifts and junk sales are places where poor manners often gain people an advantage....

[xtremegamer]

You'll have to clarify. If you physically pull it out of someone's hands, you could be asking for trouble from the other person or a store manager. They saw it, or had it, first. It is one thing if you rush to get there before someone or squeeze in next to them. It becomes a whole different story if you tug at something a person actually has in their hand.

With that said, I find that I have to grab every single item I may be interested in when I am at a thrift store and carry it around the entire time I am shopping. So I walk around with a armful of stuff, most of which I am only remotely interested in. I don't put something down (or back) until I am absolutely certain I do not want it or can't afford it. Considering there is a game shop owner who regularly hits these places for "cheap" stock to resell, not to mention all of the Ebay sellers in the area, it is the only sure way to ensure I actually get my share of the good stuff.

Of course, this probably gives me away just as quickly as some dude who calls home on his cellphone to check prices, brags to the store clerks about how much the stuff is "really" worth or is carrying around a Digital Press guide in the store and checking prices. Let's just say that when the exact same 20-something year old girl has rung up 4-5 Playstation systems, 3-4 Sega Genesis systems, 2-3 Nintendo 64 systems and a couple of NES consoles for me in the past several months, I'm sure she knows something is up with me and has mentioned me in passing to other employees.

I would never take something out of someones hands. Now them setting it down, as long as they don't have it right in front of them, I will go for the item. I may be an A** when buying video games, but not a total D*ck. Never snatch things out of peoples hand. Of course if it was something like a rare proto, or a NWC cart, of course I would go to war for something like that. .

[boatofcar]

Griking, I think it's pretty cool that you took the time to talk to the kid afterwards. I hope what you told him stuck with him.

[heybtbm]

I'm still wondering what kind of 17 yr. old still goes to stores with his mom?

[theshizzle3000]

You wouldn't like the garage sales in my area. It turns into a big grab fest, especially where the antique/flea mkt/ebay dealers are involved. I've seen the "cart barricade" used in thrifts many times, including the "cart battering ram " used to force people out of isle ways. Sadly thrifts and junk sales are places where poor manners often gain people an advantage....

It's only a matter of time till thrift stores have a weekly "black friday"

[XxHennersXx]

One time I was at a Goodwill and i was placing N64 titles into my cart and when i turned around. THEY WERE GONE. And I saw someone who was 30 maybe 40 walking away with them!