Free thrift incident

[Thrift Shop Romantic]

I'd been meaning to post this on the weekend but hadn't gotten around to it.

On Saturday, I went to the St. Vincent de Paul, and while there were some sort of interesting things there, the only thing I knew for sure I would use was this cool vintage English candy tin. They're decorative, I like to put small gifts in these, and this one, with it's metallic emerald green sheen, was a beauty!

It was $0.99. So I went up to the register and the cashier asked, "Do you have a coupon?"

"Er, well, yeah, but the coupon's for $1.00, and this is only $0.99." Even a former English major like me, who took "Stats For Poets" in college could pretty much figure out that I would be paying NOTHING.

But the cashier just nodded. "I'll trade you."

So she took my coupon, and gave me a bag and handed it to me... and that was it. I admit, I actually asked her whether I didn't need to give her some money or something.

It was a very strange, but delightful, experience.

[ChrisMiss]

You didn't ask for your penny???  That would have been fun.

But, seriously that's great when you find something that you really like and then find out it's free.  Great find too.  Those tins are hard to stumble across.

[Sprocket]

That's very cool.  One of the private thrift stores I visit has a "Free Bin" and I've often noticed that people seldom plunge through it like I do.  It's like they have a natural reservation about taking something for free.

-Sprocket

[Thrift Shop Romantic]

I think it may be the concept of getting something for FREE at a thrift, when the prices are already often so very low, just seems... uncomfortable, somehow. And that may be the issue with the free box, too.

I know there have been a lot of times I'll head up to the register with something-- a nice hardback book I'd been wanting to read-- and the cashier will tell me, apologetically, "You know, that's not half price."

Um,  no... it's just a book I'm alreday happy to have so cheap.

But I guess there's still probably people who would freak out on the poor casher because it's not half-price when it's only $0.50 to begin with.

[barbie]

one of my fave places is the "free dept." at my local thrift store...and i'm not talking about in the store.......my secret hideout is behind the store in their trash dumpster....i've been thinking i am the only soul to dig in their trash but the more i visited...the more times someone would already be there...in my treasure trove!!!! i have found large wood letters (joy-w/chr.lites), chairs, makeup case, shelves, etc...everything needing some tlc....but what fun!!!

[Jay2TheRescue]

one of my fave places is the "free dept." at my local thrift store...and i'm not talking about in the store.......my secret hideout is behind the store in their trash dumpster....i've been thinking i am the only soul to dig in their trash but the more i visited...the more times someone would already be there...in my treasure trove!!!! i have found large wood letters (joy-w/chr.lites), chairs, makeup case, shelves, etc...everything needing some tlc....but what fun!!!

My sister once called me to tell me that there were 3 Kirby vacuum handles sticking out of the dumpster at her local thrift.  I quickly drove over there to find 3 machines.  A 500 series from the 50's, a Sanitronic from the 60's and a Legend II from 1990.  The Legend II is a somewhat hard to find machine because it was made for such a short time.  It was also in near mint condition.  All 3 machines worked perfectly, and the Legend II is one of my favorites.  Its a shame the thrift just threw them away.

-Jay

[nicejewishgirl]

Stats for poets?  I took Math for Artists and found it appropriately challenging.

[Thrift Shop Romantic]

Ha, yes, my Statistics class in college was predominantly all of us in the creative and professional writing majors. And our teacher was well aware of this, a smart fellow and a good guy. So he would do clever things like give us a math related literary quote each session to try to get us interested in the class. And he referred to the class as "Stats for Poets."

I imagine "Math for Artists" is not much different in spirit. :-)

[Sibella]

Those college classes sound like the "Physics of Music" class I took, where we learned how to set up our stereos and the professor played the sitar for us.

But I digress. (And often.)

I haven't had a lot of luck with the "Free" bins, but I got some nice gift bags at one in West Virginia over the summer. Since some of the items I'd bought were gifts, I was happy to have containers to put them in. I often buy baskets, tins, etc., for gifts at thrift stores.

Barbie, I regret that I haven't yet had the nerve to hit the bins behind the stores. It's not necessarily a matter of pride with me, though. Where I grew up, it was considered perfectly acceptable to go through people's curbside stuff on the night before "Big Trash Day." So I come from a proud tradition of personal recyclers.

[Thrift Shop Romantic]

On my way to work a few moments ago, I found curbside a 70s PlaySkool Little People Schoolhouse, with a little ringing bell and stuff rattling around in it. I need to check out the stuff, but I'm all dressed up for a meeting and want to wait, just in case there are some unpleasant surprises in there.

Still, I was pretty excited-- I remember these from when I was a kid. I'd had a Little People house with a tiny ringing doorbell. I'd loved it.

Just figured you folks would totally appreciate the find.

[moonie]

I totally appreciate you bringing up the house.  I had the little people Sesame Street building.  I absolutely loved it.  Oscar was in his can and there were little twin beds for Bert and Ernie.  I have looked at this set on Ebay, but man, I can't pay that much.  I would love to find it thrifting. 

I understand your curb shopping.

-Angie

[Vintage Soul]

Moonie, I had that set too. Loved it.

Great free thrift find TSR.

[Thrift Shop Romantic]

Moonie-- I think you've explained the mysterious Ernie (or half an Ernie, rather) I found inside the school yesterday when I opened  it up! I had no Little People, but some chalk and this strange wheeled animal-shaped thing which opened up and had half a plastic Ernie in it. I'm wondering if he wasn't a part of the Sesame Street thing you're describing.

This School is really cute though, and the stickers are still nice on it.

I'm a big kid. I still find certain things from my childhood delightful. Can't help it!

Thanks for sharing in the fun of it all, Moonie and Angie!

[pop_ pirate]

free bin...aahh that brings back memories of my hippiegrrl days, walking to the co-op with my small cardboard box to carry groceries in (no sacks for me!!) and treasure hunting in the "free box" outside the small, groovy store (now i'm not old enough to remember the 60s but i grew up in ashland oregon--a lot like boulder colorado)...the free box always had some great clothes, sometimes even a fab hippie gewgaw to take home...

dumpster diving...aahh that brings back memories of my hippiegrrl days in boulder dumpster diving at nite with friends behind the fraternities/sororities...those rich kids threw away perfectly good stuff...i'm talking stereos, skis, gobs of clothes...i would take everything and that which i didn't want would go straight to goodwill...

aahh, memories...all alone in the moonlight...ican smile at the old days...(name that toon)  pop pirate whistling

[moonie]

Meeeeemoryyyyyy!

I have to go get my leotard.

-moonie