I was Evil yesterday...

[Jay2TheRescue]

Well, I went thrifting, which I haven't done in quite some time.  I found an incomplete set of vintage modern china.  Knowing I'd be unable to do anything with the odd number of cups, saucers, 2 cake plates, and only 1 dinner plate, I took advantage of how Goodwill priced it.  They had priced each piece individually.  I took the creamer and sugar bowl for $1.98/ea, walked up to the register, and never looked back.  Part of me feels guilty for breaking up a "set", but then again with so many missing pieces, was it really a "set" anymore?

[Big Daddy Audio]

Missing pieces? NOT a set - open stock - have at it.

Cheers.

[mccoysnina]

What BDA said.
If there were that many pieces missing, it wasn't a set anyway. 
And I do that all the time.  I find pieces of a set and some pieces are chipped or cracked, and thrift shop prices or not I don't want to pay for something broken just to keep a "set" together.  So some pieces some home with me and others stay in the store.  And I don't feel bad at all.
Jeannie

[Good Buddy]

Missing pieces? NOT a set - open stock - have at it.

Cheers.

Agreed.
If the set is already split up, it's fair game.

[Skip]

I am impressed that your honesty makes you feel a little guilty about that. Many, wouldn't think twice about it.  Not sure why is ate you uo though - if The GW priced them individually isn't that a sign that that is how they are willing to sell them?

[Jay2TheRescue]

I guess its just that it often peeves me when they price sets by the piece, as it usually forces the breakup of a set because if you add up the price of the pieces individually, it will far exceed the value of the total set.  Who knows, maybe it was an entire set when it was put out, and I was lucky enough to find the cream & sugar.  Usually of sets like that the creamer & sugar bowl are the two most valuable pieces, as they can be used without the rest of the set.

[valleythriftshopper]

The foodbank thrift shop here will sell sets as sets only with one price, but the Salvation Army almost always prices everything individually, which is good because generally there are a few chipped pieces.  One Salvation Army here really goes overboard and prices 2 piece dishes (with lids) individually.  I have bought lids from Pyrex dishes and left the bottom half if they are worn, etc, which is a little evil ,I guess.  They even price salt & pepper shakers individually which makes no sense to me.

[Jay2TheRescue]

When they price salt & pepper shakers priced individually I argue it.  There is NO reason to sell these individually.  I tell them I thought it was the price for the set, and the cashier almost always rings it up at that price for the set.

-Jay

[valleythriftshopper]

The Sal Army that does that here will price the S&P shakers at 49 cents each, instead of 99 cents for the set, so the price isn't a big deal, but it would be a shame to break up some of the sets like this Holt Howard squeaker set I got back in the fall.  They were priced at 49 cents each, glad I was able to buy the set.

[mccoysnina]

I thught about this thread the other day in a thrift shop.  There were some really pretty pieces of china, Noritake I think was, in a floral pattern with gold trim.  About six plates, cups, bowls, and a creamer, all in apprently good condition and all priced by the piece.  There were also some small desert plates as well.  I was tempted but really have no place to put them.  So I left them.  I also saw some other pieces, not the same pattern but similar in color and they also had a small floral pattern and gold trim.  A teapot,  a serving plate, and a salt/pepper set.  I passed them all by.  A while later I went to the check out counter to pay for my stuff and a woman had snapped up  all the pieces, save for the desert plates.  I told her I had thought about buying the set and we got to talking.  I told her that there were some matching desert plates still there thinking perhaps she hadn't seen them, since all the pieces were scattered everywhere.  She replied she had seen them but simply didn't want them. 
She said she was passing them on to her daughter and didn't think the other plates were necessary.  Her right of course but if I were the daughter I would have wanted as complete asset as possible.  But even the small plates were gone by today so they found a home too.  Still seems silly not to have keot the set together under those circumstances.  Especially since nothign seems to have been broken.
Jeannie