Goodwill has taken toys off of the shelves.

[daswitzer]

 >:(I am a huge toy collector.  Went to Goodwill today and guess what??  NO TOYS!  The bill that passed on lead content has trickled down to my hometown Goodwill.  They also told me that none of the Goodwills in the Wabash Valley area will be selling toys any longer.  I am blue in the face over this!  Goodwill is obviously trying to cover their butts so that no one will try to sue them someday like the lady who sued McDonalds several years ago. 
My next question would be, What are they going to do with all of the toy donations that they continue to get?  Landfills?  When I think of all of the toys that will no doubt be destroyed I am heartsick!!  We, who are avid Thrift Shop  Forum readers and contributors have read the bill, and why Goodwill has gone to this extreme is beyond me!
There is a Goodwill 1-800 to call if anyone wants the number.  It is the complaint department. 

I called the complaint number and the lady says that this is going to affect the GW employees livelihood too.
She said that it will greatly decrease their sales.

[valleythriftshopper]

That is too bad, so far we still have toys around here, but there are no Goodwills in this area.  Just think, yard sale season is around the corner, hopefully you can still find good toys there.  If Goodwill has decided at the top level to stop selling toys, there's probably not a lot you can do, but I'm glad you took the initiative to call.

[daswitzer]

Thanks for the encouraging words.  I am soooo very much looking forward to rummage sales.  The weather today is bitterly cold in Illinois and that makes me yearn for sales even more.  My friend in Pittsburgh says that not only did they take toys off of her GW shelves, but puzzles too.  Where will it end?  This is not good for the economy or the landfills.

[SplashsMom]

The Goodwill near me never had much for toys but I  noticed last week the bins of stuffed animals were all gone.
I'll have to check Sal Army if I get into town next week or two.

[superiorgirl]

The one about an hour from me did the same. They never had a very good toy section, but it's gone. It makes me wonder if we should be hitting all the other ts's and buying up toys, putting them in storage. In the future they'll be collectible since so many of them are being destroyed now.

[Jay2TheRescue]

Its like when I was a kid, there were some McDonald's cups out there that were decorated with lead paint.  They're valuable now.  Most people threw them out.  Dad saved them and had them in the garage full of screws.

-Jay

[mccoysnina]

I'm starting to think this stupid law may do more damamge than the lead paint.  NOw anyone who handcrafts childrens clothes and toys may have to prove their wares are safe.  And in this morning's paper was a story that the new law applies to, are you ready for this?  library books.  Apparently we now have to protect our kids from the dangers of library books.  Libraries are not exempt from enforcement.  If they have books for children under 12, each and every book will have to be tested at a cost of $300-500 a book, with the book destroyed in the process.  Either that or ban all children under 12 from public libraries.  All the local politicians are saying they did not know that was in the bill they voted for.  Did they read it?  Geez.
Jeannie

[daswitzer]

Our local paper is carrying an ad for a "children's librarian" at our local city library.  I asked the head librarian about this and she said that the children's librarian is quitting.  I now think I know why.  She has worked there for over 35 years.

[harbourlights]

Hi,
I just looked up on goodwill's web site and they have toys on there.
They have in their announcements link that all steps have been taken to make  sure everything is safe. It makes me wonder if all the toys will be put on the auction site now. I don't know what has become of this country.

[Mattie]

Waitaminnit...I thought thrift stores were exempt from this idiotic law? 

[Mattie]

I went to Thrift-Mart this morning and the toy department was overflowing.  No fear of lead here, folks. 

[daswitzer]

Talked to our head librarian and she said that they have one year to get every kid's book off of the shelf that was published before 1985.  She said that this will be a lot for them.  This is a national law folks and the libraries in all of the schools will have to go by it too.  I'm not sure about used book stores.  I have a passion for books and I find this news very sad.  Will they have huge book burnings?  How many kids have been eating books with lead?

[valleythriftshopper]

That's weird, that is the first I have heard about kids books.  The libraries don't even get any federal money, I think they should get help replacing those books if this law is to be imposed on them, since they serve the public.  I never heard of a child coming into contact with lead from a book, wonder how common this is?

[daswitzer]

I am wondering the same thing.  I will make sure and ask the librarian about this the next time that I am in there. 

[Mattie]

Here's something from a member of the yahoo thrift list:

"Etsy has one of the best info threads on this & links to other info. It's in the Etsy forums titled CPSIA. Right now thrift shops have been given a year's exemption from having to test items. They can be fined for selling items containing lead. I'm all for safety, but this law was poorly written/researched. The case that started it all was a child who died after swallowing a Reeboks charm. The thing is, the charm was on a bracelet targeted for adults & worn by his mother. The law targets things made for children, & has started unwarranted hysteria in many cases. This law should never have been passed in it's present form."