Another New Sport
I can't remember if I mentioned this before or not. I was honestly horrified the first time I did it.
My old roomie Elaine got me into going to Goodwills and AmVets when we were in our early 20's and I bought a lot of cool stuff in those places. You can't get the vintage stuff anymore you used to, but there's still good bargains available now and again. Unfortunately, Goodwill figured out people were getting great stuff and they raised their prices, but...
However, I pass this "Goodwill Outlet Store" almost every night on my way home. It's in an industrial park and I always wondered what it was like. One day I stopped in and I was kind of shocked by it.
You go into this building with two-storey ceilings and there are these giant rollerbins. They're almost like "miniature" coal cars from a railroad train, but they're plastic and about 1/2 to 1/4 the size of an actual train car. But HUGE. They're set all over the building with whatever did not sell in OTHER Goodwill stores.
Every so often, a monster overhead door rises and they trundle in ANOTHER huge rollerbin. EVERYONE in the store rushes it in a strange, jerky manner that reminded me entirely of a zombie movie. Or maybe "Ghosts of Mars" but a little slower. These people MOBBED the huge rollerbin and people are struggling to grab and snatch whatever they can, as fast as they can. I walked around the now-deserted "other bins" and picked up a handpainted box with drawers that would have been perfect for someone's BPAL imp collection, but decided I didn't need it and as I was putting it down, someone else decided if I didn't want it, THEY MUST HAVE IT NOW!!!! *SNATCH!!! GRAB!!!* I backed up and walked out. I was kind of scared.
I didn't even realise the big grey bumpy metal humps in the front of the store were SCALES.
I finally went back on a weeknight in the middle of the week when there weren't a lot of cars in the parking lot and walked in. Within five minutes I found a crystal ice bucket, a crockery Scottish Santa (seriously), a cute fox print in a battered frame (needs reframing), a full-sized Swedish flag (which I'd wanted for YEARS), and several other things. I had NO IDEA what they wanted for these, but figured I should put them on the countertop scale. FIFTY-FIVE CENTS A PIECE. I missed out on the book about Frank Lloyd Wright that some woman who looked like a baglady was sitting on...
They literally weigh the shopping carts if you buy clothing and you pay by the pound.
I went back in last night and found a Russian gilt/red painted lacquerware 'plectrum-shaped' thingy with a long pointy-tipped arrow bit that was either a toilet roll holder or a wall hook for a coat, but I don't think the thing was meant to be hung on a wall. I almost bought it to call it the Sit On It And Spin Thingy, but I decided that was silly, even for so cheap and even if it was flawless. I mean, WHAT WAS IT?!?!?!
I also saw a Krusty the Klown dolly that was about two feet tall WITH TEETH that was easily the scariest toy ever designed for children. I passed. There were these cute little 50's-like dishettes meant for olive oil dipping (the infamous Popular New Food Fad of the late Nineties) that had never been used, but if you knew how many Cute Little Dishettes I own (for inks, paints, spices, eating from...), you'd have told me I already had enough as I told myself. I passed.
So now I will occasionally wander in there and do my "ragpicking" alongside the zombie mob waiting for the next rollerbin to come in so they can attack it. As far as I could tell, I was one of the few English speakers in the building.
If you are my friend and you come over, you may WELL find yourself dragged over there to see it. There's something very disconcerting and bizarre about it, plus you come home with strange stuff. What's not to love?
Nechtan :)
My old roomie Elaine got me into going to Goodwills and AmVets when we were in our early 20's and I bought a lot of cool stuff in those places. You can't get the vintage stuff anymore you used to, but there's still good bargains available now and again. Unfortunately, Goodwill figured out people were getting great stuff and they raised their prices, but...
However, I pass this "Goodwill Outlet Store" almost every night on my way home. It's in an industrial park and I always wondered what it was like. One day I stopped in and I was kind of shocked by it.
You go into this building with two-storey ceilings and there are these giant rollerbins. They're almost like "miniature" coal cars from a railroad train, but they're plastic and about 1/2 to 1/4 the size of an actual train car. But HUGE. They're set all over the building with whatever did not sell in OTHER Goodwill stores.
Every so often, a monster overhead door rises and they trundle in ANOTHER huge rollerbin. EVERYONE in the store rushes it in a strange, jerky manner that reminded me entirely of a zombie movie. Or maybe "Ghosts of Mars" but a little slower. These people MOBBED the huge rollerbin and people are struggling to grab and snatch whatever they can, as fast as they can. I walked around the now-deserted "other bins" and picked up a handpainted box with drawers that would have been perfect for someone's BPAL imp collection, but decided I didn't need it and as I was putting it down, someone else decided if I didn't want it, THEY MUST HAVE IT NOW!!!! *SNATCH!!! GRAB!!!* I backed up and walked out. I was kind of scared.
I didn't even realise the big grey bumpy metal humps in the front of the store were SCALES.
I finally went back on a weeknight in the middle of the week when there weren't a lot of cars in the parking lot and walked in. Within five minutes I found a crystal ice bucket, a crockery Scottish Santa (seriously), a cute fox print in a battered frame (needs reframing), a full-sized Swedish flag (which I'd wanted for YEARS), and several other things. I had NO IDEA what they wanted for these, but figured I should put them on the countertop scale. FIFTY-FIVE CENTS A PIECE. I missed out on the book about Frank Lloyd Wright that some woman who looked like a baglady was sitting on...
They literally weigh the shopping carts if you buy clothing and you pay by the pound.
I went back in last night and found a Russian gilt/red painted lacquerware 'plectrum-shaped' thingy with a long pointy-tipped arrow bit that was either a toilet roll holder or a wall hook for a coat, but I don't think the thing was meant to be hung on a wall. I almost bought it to call it the Sit On It And Spin Thingy, but I decided that was silly, even for so cheap and even if it was flawless. I mean, WHAT WAS IT?!?!?!
I also saw a Krusty the Klown dolly that was about two feet tall WITH TEETH that was easily the scariest toy ever designed for children. I passed. There were these cute little 50's-like dishettes meant for olive oil dipping (the infamous Popular New Food Fad of the late Nineties) that had never been used, but if you knew how many Cute Little Dishettes I own (for inks, paints, spices, eating from...), you'd have told me I already had enough as I told myself. I passed.
So now I will occasionally wander in there and do my "ragpicking" alongside the zombie mob waiting for the next rollerbin to come in so they can attack it. As far as I could tell, I was one of the few English speakers in the building.
If you are my friend and you come over, you may WELL find yourself dragged over there to see it. There's something very disconcerting and bizarre about it, plus you come home with strange stuff. What's not to love?
Nechtan :)