Thrift Stores

Thrift stores never cease to amaze me. I was in several today trying to find a couple of junky shirts that my husband could take to Brazil with him for his mission trip. He needs a few shirts so that way he can wear it and then throw it away (because it will doubtless be filthy and stinky). Anyways, as I walked through them I realized that American people donate some very mysterious and strange things to thrift stores in the name of "charity." While in my favorite thrift store (the proceeds they make go to a crisis pregnancy center where they council women who are in trouble) today I found some things that just made me laugh out loud. In the clothing department they had a "lovely" aqua/green prom dress complete with sequined puffed sleeves and a v-neck top. It looked as though the dress had been custom made for the Little Mermaid with an Anne Shirley puffed sleeve complex. Hey, if any brides-to-be come across this blog and are looking for a dress that a deranged Barbie from the 1980s designed, I have the perfect gown for you. Get in touch with me. Next I made my way over to the "housewares" department where I encountered every kind of coffee mug known to man with all kinds of catchy little phrases and annoying pictures of butterflies or frogs on them. After that I moved into "sporting goods" where I found some paintballs (only 1/3 of them had been used already), a golf ball organizer (perfect gift for any OCD golfer on your Christmas list), and other sundries. In the computer/technology section I discovered where Bill Gates donated his first computer. His first computer printer was also there as well...a two-for-one special. It was hard to pass up, let me tell you. Next, I moved my way into board games where I encountered such fabulous games as "How to Kill a Husband" (not joking here folks), puzzles of every kind, and a bins full of grubby stuffed animals. Finally, the thing I think disturbed me the most was the portable adult toilet complete with complimentary stains in all the wrong places.

On the flip side that is one of the things that makes us distinctly American. Every time I go to those stores, there is new junk to be found and it always draws me in. I am not the only one either. When I went in today to make a donation of stuff to my favorite thrift store, the other patrons were already oohhhing and aahhhing over the items and they were not yet on the shelf. I may have looked at most of those items with a smile, smirk, or sometimes a grimace, but others found those items to be a real bargain. It really makes the old saying true, "One man's trash is another man's treasure."