Fun at Goodwill

Wow!  I really hit a nerve with yesterday’s post!  Let me just say, though, that I still love to look at the magazines and get ideas.  And really, if they were full of houses that looked like mine, or let’s just say the average American’s, I don’t think I’d be nearly as impressed.

They deliver what we expect:  beautiful, staged homes.  It’s like a builder’s display homes, the best of the best.  Everybody knows you don’t really live that way.  Just spare me the outrageously pretentious homeowner quotes!

Now, on with today’s post.  Yesterday I went to Goodwill and took my camera so we could have a little fun.  It wasn’t a great day at GW, but I found a few laughable items.

This interesting item was approximately 12” long.  It’s missing a band around the middle.  It says “made in the USSR” so for all I know that may have made it worth something.  GW wants $20 for it.  I’ll pass (I would have passed at $1!).

This is just your average cheese dome.  I often get them for a buck or maybe two at other thrift stores.  GW usually has them priced at $3-4.  This one is priced at $6.  Don’t ever pay $6 for a cheese dome.  There’s at least one in every thrift store you go to, and in my opinion, $2 is the most you should pay.

This particular GW seems to have the biggest reality problem with “art”.  It’s so way overpriced.

This little piece (about 8” square) really wasn’t terrible, but the price, $12, was way out of line.

They had $20 on this 8x10 foil number!

This mauve and country blue 3-D “art” piece was $50!  Wow.  Now the little paint-by-number below it was only $3, and I know people collect those.  It’s kinda kitchy-cool.

This was my segue to reminding everyone that tomorrow is Thrift Store Thursday.  Link up with your second-hand finds and join the party!  You know, you could even link up with a post like this, ridiculously overpriced thrift store items!  I’ll try to have the post up by late this evening.

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“Goodwill” May Be a Misnomer

For a while now I have been meaning to take my camera to Goodwill to document some of the madness. Today I finally remembered, so of course there wasn’t a whole lot worth showing. There were a couple of doozies, though, and maybe I’ll make this a semi-regular feature when I see something worthy of ridicule.

This set of dishes has been at my GW for months. Months, I tell you! Why? Because each dinner plate is $9, each salad plate, saucer, and cup is $6 each.

To be fair, it is Limoges china (pattern China Poppy), and perhaps the prices are not out of line if you were to buy it from an antique store. But this is a thrift store, and even retail stores lower the prices on items that haven’t sold in a reasonable amount of time.

This next one will really get your goat.

This pair of prints looks like it came out of a dentist office that was remodeling and updating. They are a good size, probably at least 3 ft tall. The one on the right has cracked glass. How much, you ask? Wait for it……

Yup, that’s $150. Each! There are no words.

The next item is a good one (no, really). This dresser--or is it a buffet?--came from a high-end furniture store that went out of business a couple of years ago after 150 years in this city. It is solid wood.

The price on it was $60, but today all furniture was 50% off. If I had a place for it, and was industrious, I would seriously consider it. If you can’t see the potential, check out the mad skillz of Holly at Life in the Fun Lane. Be sure to look around; she redoes a lot of furniture pieces to sell, and has an adorable daughter named Wren.