Lessons from the Thrift Store

Several months ago I began volunteering at a local non-profit thrift store named Tried and True.  

My primary "job" there is to price and display the housewares.  I absolutely love it.  I've always had a bit of a soft spot for retail and I love old and unusual items; so this really was a good fit in so many ways.  I've sort of expanded this activity by attending a local auction and buying the boxes that go for one or two dollars for the store.  So, all of this has taught me many lessons - some purely retail related and some with a bit of life application:

• Just about anything will sell for 50 cents.
• People are attracted to color.  The prettiest dish or bowl or cup in white will sit on the shelf while the hot pink one will sell in a flash.
• People buy the sizzle not the steak....the way you display something matters a whole lot in how well it sells.  If it doesn't sell in one place, move it to another location in the store.
• You may not like something, but someone will.
• People like to collect cats and cardinals and bears and ducks and geese and roosters.....and tons of other categories.
• Many things can be repurposed successfully with a bit of imagination.
• Donations and auction boxes give you a peek into the person.  It can tell you what they found important, how they cared for their items and where they spent their money.
• Bidding at an auction is better when you're not emotionally invested in obtaining the box or item.
• Never bid against the guy with the clipboard.  He's serious and will get what he's after.....unless of course you just want to bid him up so that he spends more :-)
• Condition always matters.

I don't come home with a lot of extra stuff.  In fact, being around it and seeing others  find things they like seems to fill that spot in me that wanted to bring everything home!  Sometimes I feel like I'm a rescuer...saving treasures from the landfill.

I'm having great fun with this new activity.  And that, my friends, is the beauty of retirement.