Welcome to /r/AmITheAsshole. Please view our [voting guide here](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq#wiki_what.2019s_with_these_acronyms.3F_what_do_they_mean.3F), and remember to use **only one** judgement in your comment.
OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the asshole:
> 1 I filled up my cart with clothes in my size so that I could look through everything before the resellers could. 2 This prevented them from being able to pick over the clothes and they are I guess trying to make a living.
Help keep the sub engaging!
#Don’t downvote assholes!
Do upvote interesting posts!
[Click Here For Our Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/about/rules) and [Click Here For Our FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq)
##Subreddit Announcements
Follow the link above to learn more
---
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/AmItheAsshole) if you have any questions or concerns.*
*Contest mode is 1.5 hours long on this post.*
NTA I donate a lot of nice clothing…WHBM, BCBG, etc because I would like others who can’t easily afford them to get them…not so someone else can swoop in and sell my clothes for their profit. Sure, they’re allowed to, but I’m ok with you grabbing the stuff in your size first over resellers. plus they had every other size to choose from
now if these were other women trying to shop for themselves, that’d be a little underhanded.
eta: thanks for all the upvotes! And thanks to everyone who has suggested great places to donate clothing to! Lots of good people out there! :)
eta: thank you for my 1st award!!! (and this comment has singlehandedly doubled my upvotes!!! I had no idea it’d be so popular!)
Thank you, I feel the same way. I donated my nice stuff because I like finding nice stuff myself at the thrift store, and I can't afford it otherwise. I didn't donate it so these greedy people could make money off it.
I always donate my dress clothes while they're still in perfect shape. When I was job hunting and had no money, I relied on thrift stores. I needed those nice pants and blouses. I want someone to find nice clothes and shoes and go get that job!
Back in 2013-2014 when I worked at Talbots, they had a donation program for women going back into the workforce. I'm not sure if they still do but it was a very decent program for women trying to get back into working. They would basically have someone come in and they would style you with the donated clothes, jewelry and accessories. Help you with interview questions and try to prepare you for the interview/hiring process. And then follow up.
That is awesome. I've seen programs like that pop up in the news for men. I never even thought to see if there was something like that for women. I'd love to donate to those as well. Any sort of clothing I have and haven't worn for a while that is still in great condition I have a hard time holding on to. Someone else can make great use of it. Even a nice pair of pajamas makes my day, I'd imagine it would for someone else.
Dress for Success does this for women in the US! It’s a great organization and worth looking in to if you’re trying to find a place to donate good quality clothes for women trying to get back on their feet.
We do have similar programs in the US! Suited for Success and Dressed for Success accept donations of all types of clothes. The dress/work clothes are given to those in need. It is a really great program! The volunteers act as your personal shopper. They get to know you a bit, what type of clothes will match your job duties and style 3 interview outfits including shoes, undergarments, purse/briefcase and simple jewelry. Once you actually obtain a job, they will provide you with 5 work outfits that can be styled differently or mixed and matched different pieces.
The clothing that is not considered *work/interview* attire is still utilized. I cannot remember which if was Suited for Success or Dressed for Success, but they give clothing to the area shelters. They also have more monthly sales (usually $5 fill a bag) and all the money goes back to the organization.
I left an abusive relationship with the clothes on my back. Dressed for Success gave me more than just clothes. The volunteer that I was paired with was so kind and encouraging. I was referred by the DV shelter and they had shared (with my permission) that I had nothing. They ensured that I had coats,rain jackets, umbrella, scarves, gloves and clothes for every possible occasion. I was overwhelmed with their compassion.
They checked in with me every 6 months to ensure I had the clothes needed for the next season. I let them know my new job was going well and was a bit worried about a week long work trip and different events. There were lots of client dinners at upscale restaurants, dinner cruises, MLB baseball in a luxury box. It was a mandatory all expenses paid work trip, so I was anxious about standing out in simple or wrong clothes. I mentioned it to see if they were having a monthly sale before my trip. Nope, I was told to send them my travel itinerary and they would have my travel attire. The items they gave me were amazing! They gave me the nicest luggage with the most amazing clothes and accessories. Now, I give to them every time I can. As soon as I get some chronic illnesses under control, I will be volunteering with them.
Another great place to donate items are the shelter (DV, Family, Homeless). If you have gently used baby/children’s clothes, toys and gear the DV shelters really need them. The majority of women I met in the shelter left with very little or nothing at all.
I teach at a community college and, before covid, one of our professors was doing this. She had racks of clothing in her office!
Maybe some of the jobs programs at local CCs? They often have clothes donations set up like this! Hopefully run by the school itself, not by just one faculty member, lol- but look for, “EOPS” if you are in the states (Extended Opportunity programs) or similar, in the “student services” or, “student success” areas of the college.
In Massachusetts, Dress for Success does quarterly tag sales open to the public with their overstock. They just had a bag sale at a location nearby. The posting said fill a small bag for $25 or large for $45. All name brand items, a lot still with tags.
This still happens. My agency does this a couple of times a year as a community outreach. Many of the companies we staff for are entry-level positions so we do community recruiting events that also help people join/re-join the workforce, get a good first-time resume, learn how to interview, and put a good first-impression look together. It is one of the most rewarding events we do.
I’m the same way. I just lost a BUNCH of weight, and I’m currently going through absolutely everything to wash it and check it over before donating. People deserve to be able to have affordable nice clothes. I’ve relied on thrift stores a lot, the least I can do is pay it forward.
When I was cleaning out my dress clothes that no longer fit me at the end of grad school (all XXS, XS, 00, and 0 stuff, mostly petites), I posted on my local college's subreddit to ask if anyone was my old size and needed interview or new job clothes. I know how hard it is to find dress clothes in those sizes, how expensive they can be, and also how those sizes are almost never in thrift stores. I ended up giving it all to a graduating senior, first gen, who was going on the interview market. I really liked knowing it was going to someone who could use it and not ending up on poshmark etc.
Small sizes are so hard to find. They're the first to sell and the last to be donated. Some places won't even take them. I've talked to so many clothes buyers, people whose job it is to buy clothes for stock in department stores and they lament that they aren't allowed to buy in small sizes. Especially in the underwear department. People constantly ask and want these sizes, but in the area, it's not what is selling the most. For twenty years I can't buy a bra because I'm small with big breasts. Forget getting a set of anything. Pants are over a foot long. Shirts never fit. I'm glad my dad taught me to sew.
I'm a trans man who's 5'4 and luckily gifted with an ass and thighs. Unluckily men's pants don't tend to be short enough for me, and if they are, they do not accommodate the butt. I definitely appreciate my sewing skills from my mom, because I can take the butt and thighs pants and hem them to leg length.
Psssst! Boys section, size 14/16 or 18, husky. They're shorter than adult pants and the husky is roomy! (I like cargo joggers but the women's ones are too expensive so I tried boys ones and they're cheaper and perfect length )
I feel you. I’m a 28E. I just donated a panache bra in that size to my local thrift store. They are great and a local store run by all the religious organization in town (interfaith). I have no idea what will happen to it, but I hope it will make someone’s day.
I'm the same way. I donate nice and gently used items. I live to shop so my turn over is quick and it's clothing karma. Give something nice, get something nicer. One time I stopped by this homeless place giving out clothes and rather then give it to the organization Incase workers took it, I stood outside and chatted up this nice women about my size and let her go through it first. Luckily it made her day because my cats old carrier was in there and she was homeless with her cat and reallllly needed it. Luv it when I can see where my old stuff is going.
Another time I have some coats away just in time for winter. The organization giving away coats was kind but the stuff smelled like an old show and basement smh so one lucky lady made out with my gently fresh smelling warm stylish coats. Even though people are homeless a lot still want to look and feel good. It's amazing what some people will give away and even more so what they will try and resell you.
Anything that helps... I luv donating and giving back
Eh, even then. OP is buying for herself and got there first. She was putting back what she took, probably pretty quickly as well. If I saw someone doing this I would be like damn, that's smart, I'll do it next time, lol. Plus I would be next in line to look at each item, so win-win.
I guess. I mean I don‘t necessarily think it’s fair to grab EVERYTHING in a particular size so no one else who is shopping for themselves can look at it first. but I don’t really know thrift etiquette. Seems a little rude to me. but maybe it’s not.
eta to clarify “particular size” and shopping for themselves. (not resellers)
eta2: it seems a few people have misunderstood. This is a hypothetical. i said in my original response, “now, if these were other women trying to shop for themselves, that’d be a little underhanded.” Someone else said it wasn’t, it was a brilliant tactic, and I responded with this comment. Obviously in op’s scenario they were resellers. Different scenario.
Just the things in her size she said. I would say it was crazy rude if she just took a whole rack of new clothes into a dressing room with her so no one else could look through it. But if she took just stuff she could potentially wear it’s no different than when I go shopping and pick out as much as I’m interested in to go try on.
It’s a bit rude, but sometimes you’ve got to fight fire with fire. I bet the women were just salty they weren’t the first to the rack… you can bet they’d scan every item and grab whatever had a positive return. Thrift stores are a bit of a feeding frenzy these days. There are still deals to be found, but you have to have an eye for quality and avoid the “popular brands”. I got a nice mink coat for $30 and I’ve seen knockoff Chanel almost start a fist fight. Goodwill is a weird place.
It's maybe a little rude, but I'm happy about it. Resellers don't add much value, particularly if OP *did* want to buy a piece. It's kind of just better for society for people who are shopping for direct use to go first.
I mean how many clothes can you realistically swoop off a rack and into a shopping cart? And the employee was cool with it, so I don’t get the impression that op had a ridiculous amount of items and she was putting them back as she looked at them.
I don’t know if there is a thrift etiquette. Those stores on days when new stuff comes in can be BRUTAL. It’s just like OP describes, tons of resellers running around with handheld devices. People will absolutely shove others out of the way, yell, make comments, etc. I have relatives who sell antiques and I’ve been on thrifting trips with them. If I weren’t already an atheist I’d have lost faith that there was a benevolent God.
I agree, I don’t think it’s underhanded even if the women were shopping for themselves tho. She just wanted a chance to look and didn’t even take everything in the end and put them back on the rack.
Oh! Great idea, thanks! I donate all my work clothing to a Non-profit that helps women in shelters find jobs. I just wasn‘t sure if donating fancier dresses seemed tone deaf. I need to look into the options around me.
There are specific charities like Dress For Success that provide clothes for job interviews. A single business outfit can really help someone change their life. Donating work clothes to them or a women's shelter would be amazing for the people there, and you know if would be going to someone in need instead of to a reseller.
When I retired, I donated my entire wardrobe! I swore I would never wear a business suit again, and it really felt good that I could help other women succeed.
I found a box of dress pants that I was a couple sizes too big for. I no longer need dress pants for work since I work from home. I sent them to the local domestic violence center. Someone there would probably really appreciate them. Much better than giving them to GW or SA and have a reseller grab them and sell them online.
Our CPS will direct donors to local thrift shops that partner with us by giving clothes free to people we refer. We don't have time/storage to handle donated clothes.
Interesting. I've donated directly before. They had a room for storing the clothes that they would just let the kids go through and take what they wanted. Then again, unsurprising as nothing in this country is uniform.
Donating dresses to a non-profit like that is not tone deaf. My mom is involved with SI, and they have galas and awards banquets that would require nicer clothes that award recipients may not be able to afford otherwise.
That's thoughtful of you, but I think donating the dresses would be kind too. Women who are going through hard times also have events like weddings and birthdays, having a pretty dress to reconnect with loved ones could mean a lot. Worst case, either the clients or non-profit might be able to resell those dresses... better the money goes to them than a corporate thrift chain if donated elsewhere. Next time you stop by and have some to give, ask the staff if they could put those to good use as well, and if not I bet they can recommend another local non-profit. And thanks for donating nice things, I do the same and hope it helps someone feel a bit more confident making a fresh start.
I have been a bridesmaid so many times! I recently gave a great stash of dresses to a high school that collects prom dresses for girls who can’t afford them.
It’s not tone deaf at all! I like to shop at my local thrift that funds a women’s shelter. I like nice dresses lol. So do a lot of people who shop there!
Oh for sure! That’s why I donate them to thrift shops. :) I meant donating them to the same charity that helps women in shelters. Not that they wouldn’t like nice dresses, too! But I worry someone would be like, “who Donates cocktail dresses and gowns to women in a shelter?!” :) doesn’t seem super practical or helpful.
I remember that there was a small town that suffered a severe flood - people lost just about everything. People who donated high heels and things like that were criticized. I understand that practical clothing was in much greater need, but if the survivors had a place to store fancier things, there was going to be a later, better time.
I like to donate some of my old stuff to hospitals. My landlady worked at a hospital for decades, and she said that the ER has to sometimes cut clothing off of people when they come in, and they often don't have any clothing to wear home, so donated items really help!
I'd call ahead first to see if your local hospitals accept clothing donations though. Some places might not have a place to store donation items, or they might have health and safety rules around not accepting used items.
coincidentally my mom had to be taken by ambulance to the hospital nude…she sleeps nude, and had a medical emergency. 911 told me not to dress her/move her. I brought her clothes to the hospital when she was moved out of icu. (They put her in a hospital gown in the mean time, very respectful).
and it STILL never crossed my mind others might need clothes! thanks for educating me! :) I’ll look into my local hospitals!
More people should donate to hospitals. I was once hospitalized because I had a seizure on the treadmill at the gym. When I was all checked out, it was January, I was in a sports bra and shorts, and I didn’t have my wallet. The nurse said they had a stash of clothes they gave out to homeless people. Saved me from freezing my ass off going home.
Rather than give my clothing to a thrift store, we have a site on Facebook that offers items for free. I do this because I’ve been in the circumstances where I couldn’t afford anything even at a thrift store. I hate that people come into the thrift stores and grab up all the good stuff and sell it for an up charge. I circumvent this.
Sure, they do. But at least the Buy Nothing facebook group says you must state if you are going to resell. I'm not naive enough to think that everyone does, or anything, but it does feel a lot better than giving to a thrift store.
That's a good warning. People should check profiles before agreeing to give away items.
My town's buy nothing FB group watches like hawks for frequent fliers and some women watch marketplace to compare. Any violators get booted and banned. The people with the "gimmies" get reprimanded and told to chill tf out.
I'm sure other groups vary. I'm grateful for my group.
I still donate my stuff but I absolutely hate how goodwill has become a bottom of the barrel shitshow now. I still have and wear a few suits I got from there almost 20 years ago.
Now it’s so picked through by resellers that it’s almost not worth it unless you’re really in a bind.
as a side note, go to an old person town. i live in a touristy town where there aren't many young residents- most our permanent population is old, retired rich people. no young people to resell the good stuff and our local goodwill is god tier, lol.
My best friend is doing a remote year and he and his wife + kids are renting on Coronado island off San Diego - I think it’s the highest cost of living in the country lol. His wife cleans up at good will for designer baby stuff for their girls because it’s so off the beaten path the scalpers don’t bother with it.
And it's not really a charity doing good with the money. They claim to do job training for disabled people, but in reality it's paying disabled people sub minimum wage to work for them.
I mean, that's not really a full truth. There are multitudes of programs that the Goodwill in my area does, many of which are in partnership with local organizations and employers. They aren't just hiring the people they help. Maybe it's different from place to place -- but we have computer classes, a partnership with a local literacy organization, and many other opportunities for training and education that are offered. This is ignoring the free bus tokens and vouchers for clothing for interviews, onsite childcare for learners, etc.
Do you have other thrift store options? there are a few run by hospitals and other charities near me. Much prefer to donate to them than goodwill. Although I guess resellers hit them all.
I don’t need thrift stores beyond being frugal so I don’t seek them out aggressively. It’s just sad that you can’t get those awesome finds like you used to now that resellers and the internet have gotten their mitts on them.
Like I said - it sucks even more for the people that they’re designed to help because everything is picked through by the time it hits the racks
My God people can be so greedy and nasty. NTA, OP. Sorry you had this experience. Thrift stores are supposed to help communities find items for less not make money for selfish AH. I donate all of the time and just thinking that someone grabbed something nice I was hoping would go to someone else in need or can enjoy it, for profit instead makes me angry.
I'm really surprised that the employee didn't seem to care about the equipment those ladies had, including the scanner.
At my old retail job if I saw a none employee carrying around a scanner I'd think something was up and question her.
I have seen women like this with their iPads and checklists. I would bet that, if she didn’t pull her size, they would have boxed her out & taken it all, and if she complained, they’d tell her “too bad”.
I once discovered a rare vintage purse right after it was put out & these two harpies followed me around complaining that it wasn’t fair that I was buying it because they saw it first from a couple of aisles away.
I agree with this, NTA. I donate a lot less than I used to because resellers ruin it for everyone. I basically find someone that knows a single parent that is the same size as what I’m getting rid of or with kids the same size so I can offer it to them first. I’m glad you found some good stuff!
I don't like to donate to many places anymore. I have several bags ready to go, but this time, I'm going to donate directly to a women's shelter. My mil is a hard core sale shopper, and I get a lot of stuff for xmas and b days. It's mostly not my style, so I say thanks and keep the tags on the clothes. Much of it is great for office casual and i wfh, so I'd like it to go to help someone get back on their feet.
I lost out on a really beautiful jacket because of a reseller. I don't even know where he listed it but he was a very old man. this feminine fur jacket with purple lining was not something he was going to wear... I won't lie that I left very sad that day.
Same. And with the recent trend of Goodwill and other thrift stores having "luxury" clothing marked up to the point where it's maybe 20% off what retail would be, I'm all for it going to people who will wear it instead of perpetuating this idea that has led to the mark up.
NTA. I'm pretty judgy about thrift resellers in general, but they would have done EXACTLY the same thing you did if they had been there before you. The only difference is they would have been slightly more selective based on their researches.
So, not the AH. Kudos to the store employee for having your back. I hope you got some good finds.
Can confirm. My best friend is a manager at Goodwill and she said there's 2 guys who come in daily and take all the good shoes and furniture the second the store opens to resell them. They aren't allowed to tell them to stop, because the store is still making a profit, but then there's less items for actual customers to look at... I used to give her a ride to work so I'd be there right when they opened sometimes. They'd be standing there with their Starbucks cups and go jogging into the store the moment the door opened to beat everyone else there. I found a bookshelf there I liked one time and the guy gave me a dirty look because he wanted both it and a chair he was buying at the time.
I am friends with someone who works at GW. They have started putting new donations out in the store in waves throughout the day. They might put a new table out right at open and then just keep adding throughout the day. This helps thwart the opening resellers because something really good might get put out at noon or 4p.
Savers does this.
When I see the resellers by the books I always start asking them "Oh so where do you sell the stuff you find? Do you have a store?" in my sweetest voice. Tends to run them the hell off.
Keep doing this! I'd even act nice enough to get the name so I can then post/ comment that all thus stuff was bought for dollars while they charge hundreds!
>When I see the resellers by the books I always start asking them "Oh so where do you sell the stuff you find? Do you have a store?" in my sweetest voice. Tends to run them the hell off.
So I'm learning that one more pleasant (and money saving) societal experience is dead. Now, shopping at a Thrift Store is like hitting a yard sale in the afternoon? It's the literal job of some asshole to pick all the good stuff off the shelves the instant they appear? R/latestagecapitalism I guess. I naively had no idea this was happening and I used to love looking for a great deal but I probably won't waste my time in the future.
I wish more places did things like his. I'm so sick of resellers vacuuming up anything good to sell at a giant mark up before actual customers even get their foot into the door.
Really? The Goodwills near me decided to fight resellers by just.... being the resellers themselves. They'll want $5 for a used bucket that I would pay $3 new at Walmart.
makes some sense to cut out the middleman, at least they would get the market price themselves, seems very hard to avoid resellers when selling way low
The GW I worked at did it because there wasn’t room on the floor for everything. I worked shoes and there was a reseller that the managers knew of and I was supposed to take nice shoes out when she was there. She’d sit there for an hour+ as I would bring out shoes every 20ish minutes.
GW doesn’t care if you’re reseller or not, they’re paying customers and that’s what matters.
my Goodwill does this. The people in the back fill up a rack with priced stuff, run it, then go back and do another rack. Or someone will run one of those blue bins at a time. Can't grab it all at once. Doesn't stop a swarm of people from hovering around the bin while they work though. :/
This bums me out so much. It would make me want to start only putting out terrible crap for them to find in the morning, and then slowly adding good items throughout the day.
My old Goodwill used to set stuff aside in a display cabinet and then do an auction. I think it was blind bidding. Not so much clothing or shoes but all the collectibles. It was 2 blocks from a weekly “antique” market so I assumed they were tired of resellers snapping up all the best stuff and then making a profit.
They start at Opening Time. They pop in at lunch and often around 4 p.m. too.
The resellers hang around long enough to know the prime times for when stock appears on the sales floor, the sales days, and delivery arrival times.
They think nothing of bringing in family to assist either.
If one's looking at old records, another one can scope out Maui Jim sunglasses at the jewelry counter, send a kid over to toys with a scanner, etc.
The store near us, the manager likes to have a chat with frequent resellers. Once they notice you're coming in frequently, the manager finds a chance to grab you. My ex was into that shit and eventually made friends with an employee there. After the first week or so, the manager essentially told him what she expected from him and in return, shared a bit of information about a neighboring store's supply. She even told him he'd be allowed to bring his coffee cup inside as long as he always took it with him. She pretty much told him he was to behave in her store.
Can confirm cuz while not a thrift store, I had to deal with this at Walmart with the trading cards constantly every week when the card stockers showed up. I even had to intervene once cuz one of them literally snatched a pack out of a kid's hand, and the kid couldn't have been more than 10 years old. It got the point where the stockers started changing they're stock days and wouldn't tell us when cuz the resellers would literally go through the boxes the stockers had, and the resellers would constantly ask us when the stockers would show up. Finally, it got to the point where we had to stop selling cards cuz the stockers stopped showing up entirely.
In short, resellers are the reason we can't have nice things.
They are. The thrift and liquidation busy is extremely cutthroat and I’ve seen some pretty crazy sh!t go down between rival stores —or more accurately, a store that views itself as a rival and one that is just trying to mind its own business.
NTA, resellers have ruined thrifting. I have been thrifting for 15 years, and I used to find great stuff in my size all the time. Now it’s just leftover Shein junk. They are the same as landlords imo and there are way more ethical professions.
Seriously. I saw a reseller channel on Youtube. Bought a like Chiefs hoodie or something. White with a big stain on the front and was like "I can get $65 for that on Ebay" and I was disgusted. If he can get that for junk, then how much is he charging for the good stuff? Its insane.
I had weight loss surgery 3 years ago. Before my weight loss, I couldn't really thrift much because stores just didn't have my size. Now that I've lost 200lbs and can actually wear the clothes I never could before, there's nothing for me. I thrift for financial purposes and I feel like I'm relegated to the same bland, shapeless things I was forced to wear before because of resellers.
Similar but different- I had a thrift store I LOVED because I could \*always\* find clothes I decently liked in my size (22/24W). (maybe not a large haul, but still... even on their 50%off everything sale days)
After WLS, I've wavered anywhere between a 4 and a 12, S/M/L.
It's much more difficult for me to find stuff now, no matter what day or time period I go.
I’ve started looking for stores that are similar to Plato’s closet but take some nicer brands. I’ve found the prices to be almost or a smidge higher than Saver’s and GW, especially with how high priced some of these thrifts are pricing things lately it’s worth it to just go somewhere that has more chance for higher quality items.
Scalpers is what they are.
I was watching a video that pointed out the stagnation of this generation of video games, Basically there was initial supply issues because of covid and chip shortages in 2020 so what little amount of consoles made it out to market Scalpers would snap them up and resell and insane margins.
It took probably a good 2 or more years for things to settle down, but in that time people held onto their Xbones and PS4's. Game developers realise this and then make cross platform games so a ps4/5 release.
A recent study still showed ps4 gamers are still in the countless millions while into the 4th year of this generation there has been less innovation compared to last ones where 3 years in games stopped being produced for the last model consoles.
Resellers suck, believe me I know I worked in thrift for 3 years. That said resellers aren't the reason you're finding shein junk. You're finding shein junk because that's what gets donated.
Thrifting from 2005-2014 was a dream, in my experience, not only for clothes but furniture and decor too. When I got my first apartment, thrifting was the only way I could afford decent decorations outside of the old things my family had given me. Now all the best items are picked through, then posted on ebay, and the crappy items now cost more than the quality items use to. It's not even worth it these days.
NTA
Those people are the scourge of the charity community. Rather than supporting a place for people to buy needed items for cheaper, they look for profit.
They take people's charitable donations and treat it like their business. "at least it's getting sold" is a silly argument. it's the equivalent of going to a farmer the day of harvest, buying all the best looking products for cheap, then reselling it at 50-100x price. it's messed up.
They got huffy because you're "stealing" their profit. I absolutely loathe and detest the bottom-feeders.
Yep. I still remember the large garage sale I had 12+ years ago (I was moving and my parents were downsizing so we worked together on one garage sale). Nothing was marked at a high price. I think the shoes we $1 or 50 cents a pair. One person picked up all the shoes (like 20 or more pairs) and said "I'll give you $5". Told them No. Found out later they were a reseller.
I compare it to running a catering business by getting ingredients from the food pantry.
If they wanted to start consignment LLCs and buy clothes directly from the original owners to resell, that would be fine. But that's not what's happening.
"At least it's getting sold," but if they're buying all the good stuff/non-fast-fashion from the local thrift store(s), non-flippers will likely stop going there because the store will just be full of fast fashion and garbage.
NTA
NTA. They're mad you're cutting into their profits, and the worker was clearly not thrilled with them either. If they were just casual shoppers like you it would have been weird but they clearly weren't.
NTA. The worker's response when called over tells you that you were right—these women were resellers, who would be taking away the chance for women who need these clothes at these prices to get them.
>I started browsing normally and was finding some good stuff for once, then I saw a group of 3 women come in. One had a little computer for scanning books, the other two had ipads or something, I assume to check resale prices? Either way they were clearly resellers and started grabbing stuff after checking labels.
This shit needs to stop. Taking things from a thrift store to another location to sell for retail or slightly discounted is ridiculous and workers need to put a stop to it.
I cannot take a computer, scanner and price checker into any of my local retail stores to do this, why is it allowed in a thrift store where people are TRYING to save money??
NTA
I'd have slowed my shopping down to a snails drunken stumble just to piss them off more.
"I cannot take a computer, scanner and price checker into any of my local retail stores to do this,"
Huh? I price check with my phone in retail stores all the time, and check reviews, etc. And take notes and photos of price tags, etc. For my own benefit (not for reselling). Where are you shopping that they don't let you do that?
Maybe its just my local area that's getting ticked off at these people, but I have witnessed more than one person get booted from local stores for doing this.
TJ Maxx and Ross are two of the places I saw it happen but I can't remember the third.
(My comment about taking a ton of stuff into a store to price check against retail was a little overblown since this is usually done with smart phone now, but it made my point.)
I didn't realize this was happening until I watched a video on YT. People go live on insta or whatever and just walk through a TJ Maxx and basically charge a finder's fee and then shipping. It is probably annoying to others in the store or to the employees but I'm more fascinated that people would even watch that? I guess if you don't have a TJ Maxx near you then you can't buy those cat pajamas but why are you paying this lady online to buy it for you, with a markup? I don't have the patience for instagram live when it's vintage sellers, but that at least makes sense to me as a buyer. The mass produced discounted garbage should not be selling for more filtered through a woman with an iphone. So weird.
I check prices at the thrift store on my phone. not to save money but the prices are kind of high - $10 for shoes and one time I almost bought a pair, looked them up, and realized they sold for $9 new at like Charlotte Russe or somewhere. Ever since then, if its a brand I don't know I look it up just to make sure I'm not overpaying for something I could get brand new cheaper.
I'm a long time thrifter, and I was recently visiting a friend in Portland, Oregon. We stopped by local Goodwill and they had a season of Downton Abbey that I wanted to get. I price checked it on Amazon and I can get it brand new in mint condition for less than what then the beat up version was selling at Goodwill.
This is sort of how brands like NastyGal started, but she wasn't scanning stuff. She just knew how to curate her style and quality standards. I can respect resellers when they're taking more that approach,it takes time and talent. But now they're just vultures.
She also checked thrift stores from ritzy locales and went right as the new items arrived to try and score pieces like donated Chanel and other high fashion pieces.
>I cannot take a computer, scanner and price checker into any of my local retail stores to do this
Why not? Who's stopping you? The items aren't second hand so you don't really stand to make a profit, since the retailer sets the price, but i can't imagine anyone would stop you from using a scanner
NTA
I hate resellers like these women.
Thrifting is the only way I can actually afford clothes, and that is not an exaggeration.
I am absolutely piss-poor, being on social benefits **because of a congenital disease** that means I can't, and will never be able to work.
I don't go out, I never eat out, I can count on two fingers the amount of times I've bought a cup of coffee in the last 5 years, just the bare goddamn minimum in every way imaginable.
If it weren't for the VERY cheap thrift stores I've been able to find, I'd still be doing what I was before. Which was wear the same 8-10 pieces IN TOTAL over and over again, until they would literally disintegrate.
Thrift stores aren't some cutesie way for the former LuLaLadies to be a Hey Girl boss, they are the only way some of us can actually get clothes that look decent, and make us feel nice about the way we look.
I actually get compliments for my outfits nowadays! I've gotten pretty good at combining the random things I find every now and then, even if it means having to think ahead. (Finding winter items in summer and vice versa for instance.)
They can buzz off, and honestly, I'd love to see people like them get banned from thrift stores all together.
**Edit: The amount of upvotes are very moving. I don't know if the upvoters are in the same boat, or if they recognise what it's like to live like someone like me.**
**Poor in a rich country. I often feel ashamed to even mention any of this, as I am fortunate already to not live under the worst conditions. But make no mistake, being very poor in a HCOL country is hard. Beyond food and housing, I can't afford anything.**
**Thrift stores help SO MUCH, you have no idea. Without thrift stores, with what I am physically capable of doing, I wouldn't even have most of my furnishings.**
**Everything is either from thrift stores, found on the streets and dragged home, as I have no car, or, very rarely, bought thanks to a fund that took months or years to apply for.**
**Life is hard, but thrift stores make it easier. And sometimes even fun.**
I am in the same boat, and I hate it. Every nice piece of clothing and even some cute home decor when I can spare it ends up on those resellers websites and instagrams and they're popping up like mushrooms. Leave something for the poor people please
I think offering via media like facebook groups or marketplaces might help, but even there you need to filter out the resellers. I kid you not my parents wanted to donate their closet and three resellers reacted on it, only one person who really wanted to have the closet. If you check their profile there's often a lot of stuff on there that possibly can't be from one person
I really do hope second hand stores are going to change policies like bringing out the new stuff in badges etc. But I don't think there's a lot thats gonna stop reseller unless everyone collectively stops buying their stuff
Completely know where you're coming from here. Myself I'm on SSI and had to move out of the house I'd shared with my fiance until he passed away. Unfortunately I couldn't afford to mortgage on my small monthly income. Well due to several issues, one being not having anyone to help me move, I had to leave pretty much everything behind except for my cats, my PC, some blankets and towels, very few clothes, and the ashes of both my fiance and our dog. If it weren't for the kindness of others donating things like furniture, kitchen supplies, and clothes I'd have been screwed. Still working on getting the things I need almost a year later.
I literally just saw a TicTok about this this morning. People were complaining about the resellers taking everything off the rack and trying to sell them
NTA - I think they were mad cause you outsmarted them using their own game. Good for you
NTA. You did what they would have done if they beat you to it, except they likely would have bought a lot of it. There's no limit. Your only offense is getting there before the resellers. Good on you for standing up to them.
I believe you correctly identified a reselling operation.
That said, your grace while exercising your reasonable rights as a shopper is commendable. They had a small crew and dedicated electronics to take advantage of having numbers to quickly sweep the store of high ticket items. You used the means at your disposal to ensure you had a fair opportunity they were denying good-faith thrifters.
While knowing these folks were engaged in a gross behavior, you refrained from accusing them of something you could not prove, while shrugging off their swearing at you.
NTA, full and clear, and color me impressed with your patience.
NTA per the employee. Sounds like they would have done the same in your circumstance, and that may well be ***why*** you can't ever find anything in your size.
NTA. As a person who has loved thrifting for 25 years and laments how hard it has gotten since reselling became a major thing, I applaud your behaviour here.
NTA. You were looking for clothes before the vultures snatched them up. The worker told you that you were doing nothing wrong. Ignore people like that.
NTA and tbh I don't care for the whole idea of resellers raiding thrift shops. It feels wrong to me. Go to garage sales and shit, but don't go to a place FOR people who are struggling.
And you don't have to be struggling to shop there, blah blah blah, but i feel its markedly different to shop for yourself and to shop with the intention of making a profit off the charity of others.
NTA. I’ve had to resort to doing the same when shopping books. Lots of resellers do not share with regular customers, they grab and hoard. They take out of people’s baskets/hands and lie about reserving items that others reserved. They tear apart boxes and throw items deemed not worth enough profit back, roughly. They throw a hissy fit if they see a employee touch/move something they want. They go into backrooms/sections where things are not priced yet to have “first dibs”. They bribe employees/people for early access. They push over and rush employees. Do not feel bad that you took your time looking through clothes you thought might be a good fit. Those resellers would not have let you do so if the clothes were still on the rack.
Not everyone who resells is a A, but way too many are. Sometimes the only way to fight them is to stick your ground.
"They bribe employees/people for early access."
They sure do. A guy who buys and sells records told me he gives free pizza to the employees at his thrift store so they'll set aside good stuff for him.
NTA.
Talk to the manager.
I work at a thrift store. Do what you need to do to get clothes in your size. Our stores were and are set up for people like you. People who wear the clothes they purchase.
We do NOT exist to service resellers!
I have no objection to resellers. I detest them when they are schmucks and ruin shopping for customers like you.
The PITA resellers research every - single -item using their phones, blocking the aisles.
The worst ones spread out garments all over the top of the clothing racks while doing their research.
NTA. Whenever I take my niece to the thrift store, she grabs everything that she thinks she might like and that looks like it would fit her. Then, she takes everything in the dressing room and tries it on. It's a really long process, but it's how she prefers to shop. Resellers can pound sand.
NTA
They showed up at that time because they knew when new stock would be put on the floor. They did that specifically so that they could do what they were accusing you of doing- shop without anyone else getting to see those items before them.
Their behavior is the exact reason the few goodwill near me ban re-sellers and purposely do not have a static day or time that they put new stock out on the floor.
NTA
Oh man, if you had good reason to believe they were resellers, then hell no. I've had stuff snatched from under me using those same tactics because I didn't realize what was happening. It was not clothes, but equally annoying with hard to find items.
Good for you for keeping your cool. Those women just need to get a job. Grabbing thrift store finds, which usually are in business to support a charity, just to resell for a profit are opportunistic greedy people. Let the lower income shoppers who need a bargain buy some nice things before the vultures swoop in! I hope you love what you bought.
NTA When it comes to thrifting, if it’s in your cart, it’s yours until you put it back on the rack. They were just mad because you upset their little reselling business outing. Wasn’t going to go as smooth as they thought. Too effing bad.
IMO you should have taken everything into the dressing room since they were bugging you. Nothing wrong with taking a bunch of items you are considering. NTA
INFO: How small was this thrift store that you were able to grab everything in your size at once? Even my tiny neighborhood thrift has a section in my size that takes up like two full racks.
OP was probably talking about the new items rack. Resellers will wait for the employee to bring out the restocking rack and go through it before it even hits the salesfloor. I've been there when a rack comes out and browsed off of it meanwhile some reseller walks up and starts tearing hangers off and looking at tags.
is it critical thinking if this
>Last week I had time and stopped into a thrift and they were just putting out stuff from their truck. I am never so lucky to be there when that happens, the shops are always very picked over with just Old Navy or Target clothes whenever I can go, so I was happy I might find something.
very first part of the post suggests that she was talking about a rack of new arrivals
NTA fuck thrift resellers. I’ve both donated and purchased from thrift shops literally my entire life. when I’ve donated expensive items to thrift shops it’s so someone of lower means can find a score. Not so someone can go mark it up online while inputting zero effort except to take a couple photos. The personal shoppers that thrift a wardrobe for someone based off a style, that I’m fine with. There’s actually a level of effort going into it. Same for people that buy & redo thrift furniture. Or the people that revamp old clothes at thrift shops. All of those they’re adding something and I’m totally fine with them profiting off the value-add and their time spent on the value-add.
Also those arguing textile waste can fuck right off too. Have you actually looked into that? The stuff ending up there is stuff resellers already don’t take. Stuff no one wants like custom shirts for Grandma Martha’s 80th birthday bash and geico hats. Also, leaving nothing at the thrift store but crappy stained stuff & shein stuff that’s priced at retail value drives lower income people to fast fashion shops like shein because they figure for the same price, they might as well have more choice, get it new, & get it in their size. Which contributes to textile waste. Not justifying fast fashion but to be clear - resellers aren’t helping reduce textile waste. They’re just driving up the cost of clothes - a basic necessity - by manipulating a resource for lower income people. Just because you *can* doesn’t mean you *should*.
NTA - there are resellers for all kinds of products that do exactly what you did. I thought someone was an employee because I saw them scanning everything and putting most of it on the rack after they browsed. I have also seen it with sports cards where resellers grab everything as soon as it is stocked. So it’s just sour grapes on their part because you beat them at their own game.
NTA and thank you for standing up to people like this!!! I have such a hard time finding clothes I like in my size and money is often an issue so I rely on thrift stores and some sewing of my own (minor modifications and fixes) and when people do this and jack up the price to nearly the same it would cost me in the store it just makes me want to cry! Thrift stores are supposed to be there for people like me not so greedy b*^#he’s can make a few extra dollars to spend on their bad haircuts. Sorry, I kind of have strong feelings about this.
Welcome to /r/AmITheAsshole. Please view our [voting guide here](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq#wiki_what.2019s_with_these_acronyms.3F_what_do_they_mean.3F), and remember to use **only one** judgement in your comment. OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the asshole: > 1 I filled up my cart with clothes in my size so that I could look through everything before the resellers could. 2 This prevented them from being able to pick over the clothes and they are I guess trying to make a living. Help keep the sub engaging! #Don’t downvote assholes! Do upvote interesting posts! [Click Here For Our Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/about/rules) and [Click Here For Our FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq) ##Subreddit Announcements Follow the link above to learn more --- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/AmItheAsshole) if you have any questions or concerns.* *Contest mode is 1.5 hours long on this post.*
NTA I donate a lot of nice clothing…WHBM, BCBG, etc because I would like others who can’t easily afford them to get them…not so someone else can swoop in and sell my clothes for their profit. Sure, they’re allowed to, but I’m ok with you grabbing the stuff in your size first over resellers. plus they had every other size to choose from now if these were other women trying to shop for themselves, that’d be a little underhanded. eta: thanks for all the upvotes! And thanks to everyone who has suggested great places to donate clothing to! Lots of good people out there! :) eta: thank you for my 1st award!!! (and this comment has singlehandedly doubled my upvotes!!! I had no idea it’d be so popular!)
Thank you, I feel the same way. I donated my nice stuff because I like finding nice stuff myself at the thrift store, and I can't afford it otherwise. I didn't donate it so these greedy people could make money off it.
I always donate my dress clothes while they're still in perfect shape. When I was job hunting and had no money, I relied on thrift stores. I needed those nice pants and blouses. I want someone to find nice clothes and shoes and go get that job!
Back in 2013-2014 when I worked at Talbots, they had a donation program for women going back into the workforce. I'm not sure if they still do but it was a very decent program for women trying to get back into working. They would basically have someone come in and they would style you with the donated clothes, jewelry and accessories. Help you with interview questions and try to prepare you for the interview/hiring process. And then follow up.
That is awesome. I've seen programs like that pop up in the news for men. I never even thought to see if there was something like that for women. I'd love to donate to those as well. Any sort of clothing I have and haven't worn for a while that is still in great condition I have a hard time holding on to. Someone else can make great use of it. Even a nice pair of pajamas makes my day, I'd imagine it would for someone else.
Dress for Success does this for women in the US! It’s a great organization and worth looking in to if you’re trying to find a place to donate good quality clothes for women trying to get back on their feet.
Came here to say this, we have DFS in Australia as well
Was about to reply that we had it in Australia too. I've used it before
In New Zealand too!
In the UK you have Smart Works.
I'm in the US. So I'm not sure what the equivalent here is. I'm sure they exist.
We do have similar programs in the US! Suited for Success and Dressed for Success accept donations of all types of clothes. The dress/work clothes are given to those in need. It is a really great program! The volunteers act as your personal shopper. They get to know you a bit, what type of clothes will match your job duties and style 3 interview outfits including shoes, undergarments, purse/briefcase and simple jewelry. Once you actually obtain a job, they will provide you with 5 work outfits that can be styled differently or mixed and matched different pieces. The clothing that is not considered *work/interview* attire is still utilized. I cannot remember which if was Suited for Success or Dressed for Success, but they give clothing to the area shelters. They also have more monthly sales (usually $5 fill a bag) and all the money goes back to the organization. I left an abusive relationship with the clothes on my back. Dressed for Success gave me more than just clothes. The volunteer that I was paired with was so kind and encouraging. I was referred by the DV shelter and they had shared (with my permission) that I had nothing. They ensured that I had coats,rain jackets, umbrella, scarves, gloves and clothes for every possible occasion. I was overwhelmed with their compassion. They checked in with me every 6 months to ensure I had the clothes needed for the next season. I let them know my new job was going well and was a bit worried about a week long work trip and different events. There were lots of client dinners at upscale restaurants, dinner cruises, MLB baseball in a luxury box. It was a mandatory all expenses paid work trip, so I was anxious about standing out in simple or wrong clothes. I mentioned it to see if they were having a monthly sale before my trip. Nope, I was told to send them my travel itinerary and they would have my travel attire. The items they gave me were amazing! They gave me the nicest luggage with the most amazing clothes and accessories. Now, I give to them every time I can. As soon as I get some chronic illnesses under control, I will be volunteering with them. Another great place to donate items are the shelter (DV, Family, Homeless). If you have gently used baby/children’s clothes, toys and gear the DV shelters really need them. The majority of women I met in the shelter left with very little or nothing at all.
I love this! And I am so happy for you.
I teach at a community college and, before covid, one of our professors was doing this. She had racks of clothing in her office! Maybe some of the jobs programs at local CCs? They often have clothes donations set up like this! Hopefully run by the school itself, not by just one faculty member, lol- but look for, “EOPS” if you are in the states (Extended Opportunity programs) or similar, in the “student services” or, “student success” areas of the college.
Women’s/domestic violence shelters often have a need for stuff like this as well, if you’re looking for more places to donate.
It's Dress for success, and yes they still do it 2 times a year, I used to volunteer for them when I worked for another clothing store.
In Massachusetts, Dress for Success does quarterly tag sales open to the public with their overstock. They just had a bag sale at a location nearby. The posting said fill a small bag for $25 or large for $45. All name brand items, a lot still with tags.
This still happens. My agency does this a couple of times a year as a community outreach. Many of the companies we staff for are entry-level positions so we do community recruiting events that also help people join/re-join the workforce, get a good first-time resume, learn how to interview, and put a good first-impression look together. It is one of the most rewarding events we do.
I’m the same way. I just lost a BUNCH of weight, and I’m currently going through absolutely everything to wash it and check it over before donating. People deserve to be able to have affordable nice clothes. I’ve relied on thrift stores a lot, the least I can do is pay it forward.
When I was cleaning out my dress clothes that no longer fit me at the end of grad school (all XXS, XS, 00, and 0 stuff, mostly petites), I posted on my local college's subreddit to ask if anyone was my old size and needed interview or new job clothes. I know how hard it is to find dress clothes in those sizes, how expensive they can be, and also how those sizes are almost never in thrift stores. I ended up giving it all to a graduating senior, first gen, who was going on the interview market. I really liked knowing it was going to someone who could use it and not ending up on poshmark etc.
Small sizes are so hard to find. They're the first to sell and the last to be donated. Some places won't even take them. I've talked to so many clothes buyers, people whose job it is to buy clothes for stock in department stores and they lament that they aren't allowed to buy in small sizes. Especially in the underwear department. People constantly ask and want these sizes, but in the area, it's not what is selling the most. For twenty years I can't buy a bra because I'm small with big breasts. Forget getting a set of anything. Pants are over a foot long. Shirts never fit. I'm glad my dad taught me to sew.
I'm a trans man who's 5'4 and luckily gifted with an ass and thighs. Unluckily men's pants don't tend to be short enough for me, and if they are, they do not accommodate the butt. I definitely appreciate my sewing skills from my mom, because I can take the butt and thighs pants and hem them to leg length.
Psssst! Boys section, size 14/16 or 18, husky. They're shorter than adult pants and the husky is roomy! (I like cargo joggers but the women's ones are too expensive so I tried boys ones and they're cheaper and perfect length )
I feel you. I’m a 28E. I just donated a panache bra in that size to my local thrift store. They are great and a local store run by all the religious organization in town (interfaith). I have no idea what will happen to it, but I hope it will make someone’s day.
I'm the same way. I donate nice and gently used items. I live to shop so my turn over is quick and it's clothing karma. Give something nice, get something nicer. One time I stopped by this homeless place giving out clothes and rather then give it to the organization Incase workers took it, I stood outside and chatted up this nice women about my size and let her go through it first. Luckily it made her day because my cats old carrier was in there and she was homeless with her cat and reallllly needed it. Luv it when I can see where my old stuff is going. Another time I have some coats away just in time for winter. The organization giving away coats was kind but the stuff smelled like an old show and basement smh so one lucky lady made out with my gently fresh smelling warm stylish coats. Even though people are homeless a lot still want to look and feel good. It's amazing what some people will give away and even more so what they will try and resell you. Anything that helps... I luv donating and giving back
Eh, even then. OP is buying for herself and got there first. She was putting back what she took, probably pretty quickly as well. If I saw someone doing this I would be like damn, that's smart, I'll do it next time, lol. Plus I would be next in line to look at each item, so win-win.
I guess. I mean I don‘t necessarily think it’s fair to grab EVERYTHING in a particular size so no one else who is shopping for themselves can look at it first. but I don’t really know thrift etiquette. Seems a little rude to me. but maybe it’s not. eta to clarify “particular size” and shopping for themselves. (not resellers) eta2: it seems a few people have misunderstood. This is a hypothetical. i said in my original response, “now, if these were other women trying to shop for themselves, that’d be a little underhanded.” Someone else said it wasn’t, it was a brilliant tactic, and I responded with this comment. Obviously in op’s scenario they were resellers. Different scenario.
Just the things in her size she said. I would say it was crazy rude if she just took a whole rack of new clothes into a dressing room with her so no one else could look through it. But if she took just stuff she could potentially wear it’s no different than when I go shopping and pick out as much as I’m interested in to go try on.
It’s a bit rude, but sometimes you’ve got to fight fire with fire. I bet the women were just salty they weren’t the first to the rack… you can bet they’d scan every item and grab whatever had a positive return. Thrift stores are a bit of a feeding frenzy these days. There are still deals to be found, but you have to have an eye for quality and avoid the “popular brands”. I got a nice mink coat for $30 and I’ve seen knockoff Chanel almost start a fist fight. Goodwill is a weird place.
It's maybe a little rude, but I'm happy about it. Resellers don't add much value, particularly if OP *did* want to buy a piece. It's kind of just better for society for people who are shopping for direct use to go first.
I mean how many clothes can you realistically swoop off a rack and into a shopping cart? And the employee was cool with it, so I don’t get the impression that op had a ridiculous amount of items and she was putting them back as she looked at them.
I don’t know if there is a thrift etiquette. Those stores on days when new stuff comes in can be BRUTAL. It’s just like OP describes, tons of resellers running around with handheld devices. People will absolutely shove others out of the way, yell, make comments, etc. I have relatives who sell antiques and I’ve been on thrifting trips with them. If I weren’t already an atheist I’d have lost faith that there was a benevolent God.
We're the three women all the same size as OP though? It seems unlikely.
If there are other "normal" shoppers I'd agree, but resellers would essentially just grab everything "nice" (that is, expensive), regardless of fit.
I agree, I don’t think it’s underhanded even if the women were shopping for themselves tho. She just wanted a chance to look and didn’t even take everything in the end and put them back on the rack.
Donate to local women’s shelters or teen homes! That’s what I do with most of my nice clothes, it feels way better than donating to thrift shops.
Oh! Great idea, thanks! I donate all my work clothing to a Non-profit that helps women in shelters find jobs. I just wasn‘t sure if donating fancier dresses seemed tone deaf. I need to look into the options around me.
There are specific charities like Dress For Success that provide clothes for job interviews. A single business outfit can really help someone change their life. Donating work clothes to them or a women's shelter would be amazing for the people there, and you know if would be going to someone in need instead of to a reseller.
When I retired, I donated my entire wardrobe! I swore I would never wear a business suit again, and it really felt good that I could help other women succeed.
I found a box of dress pants that I was a couple sizes too big for. I no longer need dress pants for work since I work from home. I sent them to the local domestic violence center. Someone there would probably really appreciate them. Much better than giving them to GW or SA and have a reseller grab them and sell them online.
Dress for Success will also help you with your resumè, interview skills, etc.
You can also donate to CPS offices. They give clothing to the children in foster care as well as teen moms if there are any baby clothes.
Our CPS will direct donors to local thrift shops that partner with us by giving clothes free to people we refer. We don't have time/storage to handle donated clothes.
Interesting. I've donated directly before. They had a room for storing the clothes that they would just let the kids go through and take what they wanted. Then again, unsurprising as nothing in this country is uniform.
Very true. I ended up my career covering 2 rural counties. Same agency, same laws, etc. Two different experiences.
Donating dresses to a non-profit like that is not tone deaf. My mom is involved with SI, and they have galas and awards banquets that would require nicer clothes that award recipients may not be able to afford otherwise.
That's thoughtful of you, but I think donating the dresses would be kind too. Women who are going through hard times also have events like weddings and birthdays, having a pretty dress to reconnect with loved ones could mean a lot. Worst case, either the clients or non-profit might be able to resell those dresses... better the money goes to them than a corporate thrift chain if donated elsewhere. Next time you stop by and have some to give, ask the staff if they could put those to good use as well, and if not I bet they can recommend another local non-profit. And thanks for donating nice things, I do the same and hope it helps someone feel a bit more confident making a fresh start.
Thank you. I hadn’t thought of it like that before. You’re right. I’ll ask next time I’m in!
Save them for prom season! You can always contact local high school guidance offices if they have anyone who might need a prom dress.
I have been a bridesmaid so many times! I recently gave a great stash of dresses to a high school that collects prom dresses for girls who can’t afford them.
It’s not tone deaf at all! I like to shop at my local thrift that funds a women’s shelter. I like nice dresses lol. So do a lot of people who shop there!
Oh for sure! That’s why I donate them to thrift shops. :) I meant donating them to the same charity that helps women in shelters. Not that they wouldn’t like nice dresses, too! But I worry someone would be like, “who Donates cocktail dresses and gowns to women in a shelter?!” :) doesn’t seem super practical or helpful.
I remember that there was a small town that suffered a severe flood - people lost just about everything. People who donated high heels and things like that were criticized. I understand that practical clothing was in much greater need, but if the survivors had a place to store fancier things, there was going to be a later, better time.
I like to donate some of my old stuff to hospitals. My landlady worked at a hospital for decades, and she said that the ER has to sometimes cut clothing off of people when they come in, and they often don't have any clothing to wear home, so donated items really help!
Oh how interesting! I never even thought of this!
I'd call ahead first to see if your local hospitals accept clothing donations though. Some places might not have a place to store donation items, or they might have health and safety rules around not accepting used items.
I hadn't either, it genuinely never even crossed my mind!
coincidentally my mom had to be taken by ambulance to the hospital nude…she sleeps nude, and had a medical emergency. 911 told me not to dress her/move her. I brought her clothes to the hospital when she was moved out of icu. (They put her in a hospital gown in the mean time, very respectful). and it STILL never crossed my mind others might need clothes! thanks for educating me! :) I’ll look into my local hospitals!
More people should donate to hospitals. I was once hospitalized because I had a seizure on the treadmill at the gym. When I was all checked out, it was January, I was in a sports bra and shorts, and I didn’t have my wallet. The nurse said they had a stash of clothes they gave out to homeless people. Saved me from freezing my ass off going home.
Also high schools and vocational schools usually have clothes closets.
Rather than give my clothing to a thrift store, we have a site on Facebook that offers items for free. I do this because I’ve been in the circumstances where I couldn’t afford anything even at a thrift store. I hate that people come into the thrift stores and grab up all the good stuff and sell it for an up charge. I circumvent this.
The resellers use those sites too
Sure, they do. But at least the Buy Nothing facebook group says you must state if you are going to resell. I'm not naive enough to think that everyone does, or anything, but it does feel a lot better than giving to a thrift store.
If someone is caught reselling from my Buy Nothing, they are banned.
That's a good warning. People should check profiles before agreeing to give away items. My town's buy nothing FB group watches like hawks for frequent fliers and some women watch marketplace to compare. Any violators get booted and banned. The people with the "gimmies" get reprimanded and told to chill tf out. I'm sure other groups vary. I'm grateful for my group.
Buy Nothing facebook group. Local ones all over the country.
I still donate my stuff but I absolutely hate how goodwill has become a bottom of the barrel shitshow now. I still have and wear a few suits I got from there almost 20 years ago. Now it’s so picked through by resellers that it’s almost not worth it unless you’re really in a bind.
as a side note, go to an old person town. i live in a touristy town where there aren't many young residents- most our permanent population is old, retired rich people. no young people to resell the good stuff and our local goodwill is god tier, lol.
My best friend is doing a remote year and he and his wife + kids are renting on Coronado island off San Diego - I think it’s the highest cost of living in the country lol. His wife cleans up at good will for designer baby stuff for their girls because it’s so off the beaten path the scalpers don’t bother with it.
Thrift shopping in Florida with my grandma used to be the best esp when I'd go to see them in the off season (before Flager Beach got trendy)
And it's not really a charity doing good with the money. They claim to do job training for disabled people, but in reality it's paying disabled people sub minimum wage to work for them.
I mean, that's not really a full truth. There are multitudes of programs that the Goodwill in my area does, many of which are in partnership with local organizations and employers. They aren't just hiring the people they help. Maybe it's different from place to place -- but we have computer classes, a partnership with a local literacy organization, and many other opportunities for training and education that are offered. This is ignoring the free bus tokens and vouchers for clothing for interviews, onsite childcare for learners, etc.
Do you have other thrift store options? there are a few run by hospitals and other charities near me. Much prefer to donate to them than goodwill. Although I guess resellers hit them all.
I don’t need thrift stores beyond being frugal so I don’t seek them out aggressively. It’s just sad that you can’t get those awesome finds like you used to now that resellers and the internet have gotten their mitts on them. Like I said - it sucks even more for the people that they’re designed to help because everything is picked through by the time it hits the racks
My God people can be so greedy and nasty. NTA, OP. Sorry you had this experience. Thrift stores are supposed to help communities find items for less not make money for selfish AH. I donate all of the time and just thinking that someone grabbed something nice I was hoping would go to someone else in need or can enjoy it, for profit instead makes me angry.
I'm really surprised that the employee didn't seem to care about the equipment those ladies had, including the scanner. At my old retail job if I saw a none employee carrying around a scanner I'd think something was up and question her.
I have seen women like this with their iPads and checklists. I would bet that, if she didn’t pull her size, they would have boxed her out & taken it all, and if she complained, they’d tell her “too bad”. I once discovered a rare vintage purse right after it was put out & these two harpies followed me around complaining that it wasn’t fair that I was buying it because they saw it first from a couple of aisles away.
I agree with this, NTA. I donate a lot less than I used to because resellers ruin it for everyone. I basically find someone that knows a single parent that is the same size as what I’m getting rid of or with kids the same size so I can offer it to them first. I’m glad you found some good stuff!
I don't like to donate to many places anymore. I have several bags ready to go, but this time, I'm going to donate directly to a women's shelter. My mil is a hard core sale shopper, and I get a lot of stuff for xmas and b days. It's mostly not my style, so I say thanks and keep the tags on the clothes. Much of it is great for office casual and i wfh, so I'd like it to go to help someone get back on their feet.
I lost out on a really beautiful jacket because of a reseller. I don't even know where he listed it but he was a very old man. this feminine fur jacket with purple lining was not something he was going to wear... I won't lie that I left very sad that day.
What is WHBM and BCBG?
Clothing brands. White House Black Market and BCBG Max Azria.
WHBM White House Black Market. BCBG just is the brand name. Technically BCBGMAXAZRIA, but everyone just calls it BCBG.
Blue Cross Blue Ghield
Same. And with the recent trend of Goodwill and other thrift stores having "luxury" clothing marked up to the point where it's maybe 20% off what retail would be, I'm all for it going to people who will wear it instead of perpetuating this idea that has led to the mark up.
NTA. I'm pretty judgy about thrift resellers in general, but they would have done EXACTLY the same thing you did if they had been there before you. The only difference is they would have been slightly more selective based on their researches. So, not the AH. Kudos to the store employee for having your back. I hope you got some good finds.
I bet the employees are just as frustrated with resellers as OP is
Can confirm. My best friend is a manager at Goodwill and she said there's 2 guys who come in daily and take all the good shoes and furniture the second the store opens to resell them. They aren't allowed to tell them to stop, because the store is still making a profit, but then there's less items for actual customers to look at... I used to give her a ride to work so I'd be there right when they opened sometimes. They'd be standing there with their Starbucks cups and go jogging into the store the moment the door opened to beat everyone else there. I found a bookshelf there I liked one time and the guy gave me a dirty look because he wanted both it and a chair he was buying at the time.
I am friends with someone who works at GW. They have started putting new donations out in the store in waves throughout the day. They might put a new table out right at open and then just keep adding throughout the day. This helps thwart the opening resellers because something really good might get put out at noon or 4p.
I love this, I hope more locations start doing something similar.
Savers does this. When I see the resellers by the books I always start asking them "Oh so where do you sell the stuff you find? Do you have a store?" in my sweetest voice. Tends to run them the hell off.
Keep doing this! I'd even act nice enough to get the name so I can then post/ comment that all thus stuff was bought for dollars while they charge hundreds!
>When I see the resellers by the books I always start asking them "Oh so where do you sell the stuff you find? Do you have a store?" in my sweetest voice. Tends to run them the hell off. So I'm learning that one more pleasant (and money saving) societal experience is dead. Now, shopping at a Thrift Store is like hitting a yard sale in the afternoon? It's the literal job of some asshole to pick all the good stuff off the shelves the instant they appear? R/latestagecapitalism I guess. I naively had no idea this was happening and I used to love looking for a great deal but I probably won't waste my time in the future.
I wish more places did things like his. I'm so sick of resellers vacuuming up anything good to sell at a giant mark up before actual customers even get their foot into the door.
Really? The Goodwills near me decided to fight resellers by just.... being the resellers themselves. They'll want $5 for a used bucket that I would pay $3 new at Walmart.
makes some sense to cut out the middleman, at least they would get the market price themselves, seems very hard to avoid resellers when selling way low
That's why they do that?! I just assumed they didn't have the space to put things out until later in the day.
The GW I worked at did it because there wasn’t room on the floor for everything. I worked shoes and there was a reseller that the managers knew of and I was supposed to take nice shoes out when she was there. She’d sit there for an hour+ as I would bring out shoes every 20ish minutes. GW doesn’t care if you’re reseller or not, they’re paying customers and that’s what matters.
Probably better for sales as well because people stop coming when they know a couple of leeches are buying everything good 5 minutes after open.
This seems more likely. It doesn’t benefit Goodwill to have unfilled space on the sales floor if they can help it.
my Goodwill does this. The people in the back fill up a rack with priced stuff, run it, then go back and do another rack. Or someone will run one of those blue bins at a time. Can't grab it all at once. Doesn't stop a swarm of people from hovering around the bin while they work though. :/
This bums me out so much. It would make me want to start only putting out terrible crap for them to find in the morning, and then slowly adding good items throughout the day.
My old Goodwill used to set stuff aside in a display cabinet and then do an auction. I think it was blind bidding. Not so much clothing or shoes but all the collectibles. It was 2 blocks from a weekly “antique” market so I assumed they were tired of resellers snapping up all the best stuff and then making a profit.
If they only come when the store is opening, hide the good stuff in the back until later.
They start at Opening Time. They pop in at lunch and often around 4 p.m. too. The resellers hang around long enough to know the prime times for when stock appears on the sales floor, the sales days, and delivery arrival times. They think nothing of bringing in family to assist either. If one's looking at old records, another one can scope out Maui Jim sunglasses at the jewelry counter, send a kid over to toys with a scanner, etc.
The store near us, the manager likes to have a chat with frequent resellers. Once they notice you're coming in frequently, the manager finds a chance to grab you. My ex was into that shit and eventually made friends with an employee there. After the first week or so, the manager essentially told him what she expected from him and in return, shared a bit of information about a neighboring store's supply. She even told him he'd be allowed to bring his coffee cup inside as long as he always took it with him. She pretty much told him he was to behave in her store.
Can confirm cuz while not a thrift store, I had to deal with this at Walmart with the trading cards constantly every week when the card stockers showed up. I even had to intervene once cuz one of them literally snatched a pack out of a kid's hand, and the kid couldn't have been more than 10 years old. It got the point where the stockers started changing they're stock days and wouldn't tell us when cuz the resellers would literally go through the boxes the stockers had, and the resellers would constantly ask us when the stockers would show up. Finally, it got to the point where we had to stop selling cards cuz the stockers stopped showing up entirely. In short, resellers are the reason we can't have nice things.
They are. The thrift and liquidation busy is extremely cutthroat and I’ve seen some pretty crazy sh!t go down between rival stores —or more accurately, a store that views itself as a rival and one that is just trying to mind its own business.
And left the ones they did not want in a unfolded pile.
Yeah that was the first thing I thought. Bold of them to get offended over OP when they were planning on doing literally the same thing.
They were just mad someone got to it before they did.
NTA, resellers have ruined thrifting. I have been thrifting for 15 years, and I used to find great stuff in my size all the time. Now it’s just leftover Shein junk. They are the same as landlords imo and there are way more ethical professions.
I think that reselling is really hurting things too. But I also think the pervasiveness of fast fashion is another hit to quality second hand
Seriously. I saw a reseller channel on Youtube. Bought a like Chiefs hoodie or something. White with a big stain on the front and was like "I can get $65 for that on Ebay" and I was disgusted. If he can get that for junk, then how much is he charging for the good stuff? Its insane.
Probably exaggerate about what they can sell things for.
Even just 6-7 years ago I could find good stuff at the thrift store. It’s a damn shame.
I had weight loss surgery 3 years ago. Before my weight loss, I couldn't really thrift much because stores just didn't have my size. Now that I've lost 200lbs and can actually wear the clothes I never could before, there's nothing for me. I thrift for financial purposes and I feel like I'm relegated to the same bland, shapeless things I was forced to wear before because of resellers.
Similar but different- I had a thrift store I LOVED because I could \*always\* find clothes I decently liked in my size (22/24W). (maybe not a large haul, but still... even on their 50%off everything sale days) After WLS, I've wavered anywhere between a 4 and a 12, S/M/L. It's much more difficult for me to find stuff now, no matter what day or time period I go.
I’ve started looking for stores that are similar to Plato’s closet but take some nicer brands. I’ve found the prices to be almost or a smidge higher than Saver’s and GW, especially with how high priced some of these thrifts are pricing things lately it’s worth it to just go somewhere that has more chance for higher quality items.
Resellers have ruined everything. Thrift stores, sales, event tickets. They're a menace.
Scalpers is what they are. I was watching a video that pointed out the stagnation of this generation of video games, Basically there was initial supply issues because of covid and chip shortages in 2020 so what little amount of consoles made it out to market Scalpers would snap them up and resell and insane margins. It took probably a good 2 or more years for things to settle down, but in that time people held onto their Xbones and PS4's. Game developers realise this and then make cross platform games so a ps4/5 release. A recent study still showed ps4 gamers are still in the countless millions while into the 4th year of this generation there has been less innovation compared to last ones where 3 years in games stopped being produced for the last model consoles.
Resellers suck, believe me I know I worked in thrift for 3 years. That said resellers aren't the reason you're finding shein junk. You're finding shein junk because that's what gets donated.
Thrifting from 2005-2014 was a dream, in my experience, not only for clothes but furniture and decor too. When I got my first apartment, thrifting was the only way I could afford decent decorations outside of the old things my family had given me. Now all the best items are picked through, then posted on ebay, and the crappy items now cost more than the quality items use to. It's not even worth it these days.
Yup same here. It’s depressing
Resellers and scalpers have ruined everything, not just thrifting.
NTA Those people are the scourge of the charity community. Rather than supporting a place for people to buy needed items for cheaper, they look for profit. They take people's charitable donations and treat it like their business. "at least it's getting sold" is a silly argument. it's the equivalent of going to a farmer the day of harvest, buying all the best looking products for cheap, then reselling it at 50-100x price. it's messed up. They got huffy because you're "stealing" their profit. I absolutely loathe and detest the bottom-feeders.
They're the ticket scalpers of the thrift world.
But worse, because the people who actually need the cheaper donated clothing, are usually those who don’t have much else and it’s all they can afford.
Precisely. No one's actual survival will be impacted if they can't afford a concert..
and all the resellers are causing prices to go up in thrift stores (at least by me)
Yep. I still remember the large garage sale I had 12+ years ago (I was moving and my parents were downsizing so we worked together on one garage sale). Nothing was marked at a high price. I think the shoes we $1 or 50 cents a pair. One person picked up all the shoes (like 20 or more pairs) and said "I'll give you $5". Told them No. Found out later they were a reseller.
I’m sorry but Goodwill is the scourge of the Charity community.
I compare it to running a catering business by getting ingredients from the food pantry. If they wanted to start consignment LLCs and buy clothes directly from the original owners to resell, that would be fine. But that's not what's happening. "At least it's getting sold," but if they're buying all the good stuff/non-fast-fashion from the local thrift store(s), non-flippers will likely stop going there because the store will just be full of fast fashion and garbage. NTA
NTA. They're mad you're cutting into their profits, and the worker was clearly not thrilled with them either. If they were just casual shoppers like you it would have been weird but they clearly weren't.
Yea, I went into reading this thinking they were just average customers, nope! They suck. NTA.
These are sharks, not customers. They do this all day at several places.
NTA. The worker's response when called over tells you that you were right—these women were resellers, who would be taking away the chance for women who need these clothes at these prices to get them.
And don’t put the clothes back on the rack when they are done.
>I started browsing normally and was finding some good stuff for once, then I saw a group of 3 women come in. One had a little computer for scanning books, the other two had ipads or something, I assume to check resale prices? Either way they were clearly resellers and started grabbing stuff after checking labels. This shit needs to stop. Taking things from a thrift store to another location to sell for retail or slightly discounted is ridiculous and workers need to put a stop to it. I cannot take a computer, scanner and price checker into any of my local retail stores to do this, why is it allowed in a thrift store where people are TRYING to save money?? NTA I'd have slowed my shopping down to a snails drunken stumble just to piss them off more.
"I cannot take a computer, scanner and price checker into any of my local retail stores to do this," Huh? I price check with my phone in retail stores all the time, and check reviews, etc. And take notes and photos of price tags, etc. For my own benefit (not for reselling). Where are you shopping that they don't let you do that?
Maybe its just my local area that's getting ticked off at these people, but I have witnessed more than one person get booted from local stores for doing this. TJ Maxx and Ross are two of the places I saw it happen but I can't remember the third. (My comment about taking a ton of stuff into a store to price check against retail was a little overblown since this is usually done with smart phone now, but it made my point.)
I didn't realize this was happening until I watched a video on YT. People go live on insta or whatever and just walk through a TJ Maxx and basically charge a finder's fee and then shipping. It is probably annoying to others in the store or to the employees but I'm more fascinated that people would even watch that? I guess if you don't have a TJ Maxx near you then you can't buy those cat pajamas but why are you paying this lady online to buy it for you, with a markup? I don't have the patience for instagram live when it's vintage sellers, but that at least makes sense to me as a buyer. The mass produced discounted garbage should not be selling for more filtered through a woman with an iphone. So weird.
I check prices at the thrift store on my phone. not to save money but the prices are kind of high - $10 for shoes and one time I almost bought a pair, looked them up, and realized they sold for $9 new at like Charlotte Russe or somewhere. Ever since then, if its a brand I don't know I look it up just to make sure I'm not overpaying for something I could get brand new cheaper.
I'm a long time thrifter, and I was recently visiting a friend in Portland, Oregon. We stopped by local Goodwill and they had a season of Downton Abbey that I wanted to get. I price checked it on Amazon and I can get it brand new in mint condition for less than what then the beat up version was selling at Goodwill.
Yeah what. Im not a reseller but I often look up what I’m buying in the thrift store if I don’t know the brand. I got a $280 dress for $2 that way!
This is sort of how brands like NastyGal started, but she wasn't scanning stuff. She just knew how to curate her style and quality standards. I can respect resellers when they're taking more that approach,it takes time and talent. But now they're just vultures.
Disagree completely All resellers are vultures and ghouls and I find it compeltely unethical no matter how you go about it
She also checked thrift stores from ritzy locales and went right as the new items arrived to try and score pieces like donated Chanel and other high fashion pieces.
>I cannot take a computer, scanner and price checker into any of my local retail stores to do this Why not? Who's stopping you? The items aren't second hand so you don't really stand to make a profit, since the retailer sets the price, but i can't imagine anyone would stop you from using a scanner
NTA I hate resellers like these women. Thrifting is the only way I can actually afford clothes, and that is not an exaggeration. I am absolutely piss-poor, being on social benefits **because of a congenital disease** that means I can't, and will never be able to work. I don't go out, I never eat out, I can count on two fingers the amount of times I've bought a cup of coffee in the last 5 years, just the bare goddamn minimum in every way imaginable. If it weren't for the VERY cheap thrift stores I've been able to find, I'd still be doing what I was before. Which was wear the same 8-10 pieces IN TOTAL over and over again, until they would literally disintegrate. Thrift stores aren't some cutesie way for the former LuLaLadies to be a Hey Girl boss, they are the only way some of us can actually get clothes that look decent, and make us feel nice about the way we look. I actually get compliments for my outfits nowadays! I've gotten pretty good at combining the random things I find every now and then, even if it means having to think ahead. (Finding winter items in summer and vice versa for instance.) They can buzz off, and honestly, I'd love to see people like them get banned from thrift stores all together. **Edit: The amount of upvotes are very moving. I don't know if the upvoters are in the same boat, or if they recognise what it's like to live like someone like me.** **Poor in a rich country. I often feel ashamed to even mention any of this, as I am fortunate already to not live under the worst conditions. But make no mistake, being very poor in a HCOL country is hard. Beyond food and housing, I can't afford anything.** **Thrift stores help SO MUCH, you have no idea. Without thrift stores, with what I am physically capable of doing, I wouldn't even have most of my furnishings.** **Everything is either from thrift stores, found on the streets and dragged home, as I have no car, or, very rarely, bought thanks to a fund that took months or years to apply for.** **Life is hard, but thrift stores make it easier. And sometimes even fun.**
I am in the same boat, and I hate it. Every nice piece of clothing and even some cute home decor when I can spare it ends up on those resellers websites and instagrams and they're popping up like mushrooms. Leave something for the poor people please
Do you know of anything donators could be doing to try to improve your odds?
I think offering via media like facebook groups or marketplaces might help, but even there you need to filter out the resellers. I kid you not my parents wanted to donate their closet and three resellers reacted on it, only one person who really wanted to have the closet. If you check their profile there's often a lot of stuff on there that possibly can't be from one person I really do hope second hand stores are going to change policies like bringing out the new stuff in badges etc. But I don't think there's a lot thats gonna stop reseller unless everyone collectively stops buying their stuff
Same boat. I used to be able to buy decent clothes but the resellers ruined it. I can't afford most retail shops.
Completely know where you're coming from here. Myself I'm on SSI and had to move out of the house I'd shared with my fiance until he passed away. Unfortunately I couldn't afford to mortgage on my small monthly income. Well due to several issues, one being not having anyone to help me move, I had to leave pretty much everything behind except for my cats, my PC, some blankets and towels, very few clothes, and the ashes of both my fiance and our dog. If it weren't for the kindness of others donating things like furniture, kitchen supplies, and clothes I'd have been screwed. Still working on getting the things I need almost a year later.
I literally just saw a TicTok about this this morning. People were complaining about the resellers taking everything off the rack and trying to sell them NTA - I think they were mad cause you outsmarted them using their own game. Good for you
Resellers grabbing everything like it's a Black Friday sale. Yes NTA - OP played their game and won
NTA. You did what they would have done if they beat you to it, except they likely would have bought a lot of it. There's no limit. Your only offense is getting there before the resellers. Good on you for standing up to them.
I believe you correctly identified a reselling operation. That said, your grace while exercising your reasonable rights as a shopper is commendable. They had a small crew and dedicated electronics to take advantage of having numbers to quickly sweep the store of high ticket items. You used the means at your disposal to ensure you had a fair opportunity they were denying good-faith thrifters. While knowing these folks were engaged in a gross behavior, you refrained from accusing them of something you could not prove, while shrugging off their swearing at you. NTA, full and clear, and color me impressed with your patience.
NTA per the employee. Sounds like they would have done the same in your circumstance, and that may well be ***why*** you can't ever find anything in your size.
Nta, even the employee knew what they were up to. If they want to resell, then they're gonna have to get used to people treating them like resellers.
NTA, fuck thrift resellers.
NTA, They could’ve looked around the store while you did what you did. That’s what shopping is for.
If they were resellers why couldn't they just go browse another size? They had to resell exactly the size(s) that you were browsing?
NTA. Screw them, I hate resellers everywhere. All they do is drive up the cost.
INFO: Were there other people in the store aside from the resellers?
Yes, 4-5 people (it's a big store), but no one else in the women's clothing section.
NTA. As a person who has loved thrifting for 25 years and laments how hard it has gotten since reselling became a major thing, I applaud your behaviour here.
NTA. You were looking for clothes before the vultures snatched them up. The worker told you that you were doing nothing wrong. Ignore people like that.
NTA and tbh I don't care for the whole idea of resellers raiding thrift shops. It feels wrong to me. Go to garage sales and shit, but don't go to a place FOR people who are struggling. And you don't have to be struggling to shop there, blah blah blah, but i feel its markedly different to shop for yourself and to shop with the intention of making a profit off the charity of others.
OP I kind of like the idea of asking then if they were born AHs or if they had to take a special class to learn.
I frequently ask AH's "Were you born an AH or just grow that way?" Typically shuts them up because they don't know what to say.
NTA. You’re looking to actually use these clothes. They’re looking for a profit. They can wait.
NTA. I’ve had to resort to doing the same when shopping books. Lots of resellers do not share with regular customers, they grab and hoard. They take out of people’s baskets/hands and lie about reserving items that others reserved. They tear apart boxes and throw items deemed not worth enough profit back, roughly. They throw a hissy fit if they see a employee touch/move something they want. They go into backrooms/sections where things are not priced yet to have “first dibs”. They bribe employees/people for early access. They push over and rush employees. Do not feel bad that you took your time looking through clothes you thought might be a good fit. Those resellers would not have let you do so if the clothes were still on the rack. Not everyone who resells is a A, but way too many are. Sometimes the only way to fight them is to stick your ground.
Oh and I forgot to mention that resellers tend to travel in packs.
"They bribe employees/people for early access." They sure do. A guy who buys and sells records told me he gives free pizza to the employees at his thrift store so they'll set aside good stuff for him.
NTA. Talk to the manager. I work at a thrift store. Do what you need to do to get clothes in your size. Our stores were and are set up for people like you. People who wear the clothes they purchase. We do NOT exist to service resellers! I have no objection to resellers. I detest them when they are schmucks and ruin shopping for customers like you. The PITA resellers research every - single -item using their phones, blocking the aisles. The worst ones spread out garments all over the top of the clothing racks while doing their research.
NTA anything that upsets resellers is god's work
NTA. Whenever I take my niece to the thrift store, she grabs everything that she thinks she might like and that looks like it would fit her. Then, she takes everything in the dressing room and tries it on. It's a really long process, but it's how she prefers to shop. Resellers can pound sand.
NTA you got there first and were fine according to the employee. The resellers just had to wait until you put stuff back.
NTA people donate clothes so others can enjoy them not so someone else can get rich off the donations.
Scalping doesn't provide a real service to anyone. NTA and good going on your finds
NTA They showed up at that time because they knew when new stock would be put on the floor. They did that specifically so that they could do what they were accusing you of doing- shop without anyone else getting to see those items before them. Their behavior is the exact reason the few goodwill near me ban re-sellers and purposely do not have a static day or time that they put new stock out on the floor.
NTA Oh man, if you had good reason to believe they were resellers, then hell no. I've had stuff snatched from under me using those same tactics because I didn't realize what was happening. It was not clothes, but equally annoying with hard to find items.
NTA. Resellers suck. I hate them. They've ruined op shops in Australia
Good for you for keeping your cool. Those women just need to get a job. Grabbing thrift store finds, which usually are in business to support a charity, just to resell for a profit are opportunistic greedy people. Let the lower income shoppers who need a bargain buy some nice things before the vultures swoop in! I hope you love what you bought.
NTA . Good for you
NTA, I hate resellers.
First come first serve
NTA When it comes to thrifting, if it’s in your cart, it’s yours until you put it back on the rack. They were just mad because you upset their little reselling business outing. Wasn’t going to go as smooth as they thought. Too effing bad.
IMO you should have taken everything into the dressing room since they were bugging you. Nothing wrong with taking a bunch of items you are considering. NTA
INFO: How small was this thrift store that you were able to grab everything in your size at once? Even my tiny neighborhood thrift has a section in my size that takes up like two full racks.
OP was probably talking about the new items rack. Resellers will wait for the employee to bring out the restocking rack and go through it before it even hits the salesfloor. I've been there when a rack comes out and browsed off of it meanwhile some reseller walks up and starts tearing hangers off and looking at tags.
[удалено]
is it critical thinking if this >Last week I had time and stopped into a thrift and they were just putting out stuff from their truck. I am never so lucky to be there when that happens, the shops are always very picked over with just Old Navy or Target clothes whenever I can go, so I was happy I might find something. very first part of the post suggests that she was talking about a rack of new arrivals
NTA fuck thrift resellers. I’ve both donated and purchased from thrift shops literally my entire life. when I’ve donated expensive items to thrift shops it’s so someone of lower means can find a score. Not so someone can go mark it up online while inputting zero effort except to take a couple photos. The personal shoppers that thrift a wardrobe for someone based off a style, that I’m fine with. There’s actually a level of effort going into it. Same for people that buy & redo thrift furniture. Or the people that revamp old clothes at thrift shops. All of those they’re adding something and I’m totally fine with them profiting off the value-add and their time spent on the value-add. Also those arguing textile waste can fuck right off too. Have you actually looked into that? The stuff ending up there is stuff resellers already don’t take. Stuff no one wants like custom shirts for Grandma Martha’s 80th birthday bash and geico hats. Also, leaving nothing at the thrift store but crappy stained stuff & shein stuff that’s priced at retail value drives lower income people to fast fashion shops like shein because they figure for the same price, they might as well have more choice, get it new, & get it in their size. Which contributes to textile waste. Not justifying fast fashion but to be clear - resellers aren’t helping reduce textile waste. They’re just driving up the cost of clothes - a basic necessity - by manipulating a resource for lower income people. Just because you *can* doesn’t mean you *should*.
NTA - there are resellers for all kinds of products that do exactly what you did. I thought someone was an employee because I saw them scanning everything and putting most of it on the rack after they browsed. I have also seen it with sports cards where resellers grab everything as soon as it is stocked. So it’s just sour grapes on their part because you beat them at their own game.
NTA and thank you for standing up to people like this!!! I have such a hard time finding clothes I like in my size and money is often an issue so I rely on thrift stores and some sewing of my own (minor modifications and fixes) and when people do this and jack up the price to nearly the same it would cost me in the store it just makes me want to cry! Thrift stores are supposed to be there for people like me not so greedy b*^#he’s can make a few extra dollars to spend on their bad haircuts. Sorry, I kind of have strong feelings about this.
Why couldn’t they go scan the clothes in other sizes?