I have a confession to make and it’s hard for me to admit. I now understand why some people bring unclean items to my store. I’m not saying that I agree with them or even that I want to sell the items, but I do truly understand this in a way that I hadn’t previously. As I have said, my Mom recently moved into assisted living. Her home sold quickly and the anticipated closing was moved up considerably. This sent my family scrambling to find homes for all the things we couldn’t use personally. Luckily, I own a home consignment store. Bruce, two of my brothers and their spouses and I worked like dogs to get her unneeded items here to the store. However, a lot of it, in the rush, came in, let’s just say, less than clean. So now I understand how this can happen, when things are rushed. What I don’t get is how it happens for pre-planned appointments or donations. There are so many reasons to bring only clean items to thrift and consignment. Just consider these few…
Bring Only Clean Items to Thrift or Consignment Because They Sell Better
All the less-clean items from Mom’s house were not put on the sales floor at Consignments Ltd. until they were cleaned, by Bruce, myself or the staff. And it’s not just because I own the store. It’s because clean items sell better. Period. People naturally associate clean with quality. They associate clean with good working order. Clean is what they want to buy. Dirty, not-so-much.
Bring Only Clean Items to Thrift or Consignment Because It’s Kind To The Staff
I had to buy a pair of gardening gloves for the store, and not because we have window boxes. I break out the gloves when consignors do not do their due diligence in the cleaning department. If COVID taught us anything positive it’s that clean is healthier. And as a Type 1 diabetic I choose clean to stay healthier myself. And I choose clean for my staff for the same reason. I don’t want the lovely people I work with exposed to dirty things. EVER. So please consider the staff of your consignment shop, when bringing in your items.
Bring Only Clean Items to Thrift or Consignment Because It Costs The Shop Money
I think for most people it makes sense that if they are consigning, the items should be clean. And shops have policies, like we do, that require un-sellable items to be picked up or they incur disposal charges. But what about donated items? I think it’s doubly true for them. Most times the staff of these shops are volunteers. They signed up to help a charity, not breathe in dirt. And with thrift, if items are too dirty, they can’t just return them to the donor, like we can at Consignments Ltd. And they often don’t even have a way to clean them. They have to pay to get rid of them. So if you bring dirty items to donate to thrift, you are actually costing the charity you are trying to help. Good to know, right?
And Now For A Little Music Before We Go…
For more clean topics, check out my previous blogs like: Four Tips For Cleaner Floors and Short List of The Best Cleaning Products
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