Secondhand Becomes First Choice

(North Augusta, SC) - Jennifer Martin and her children get great bargains at Goodwill and it’s a real treat for the kids. 
“They love it. It’s like a treasure hunt.”
Jennifer is a stay at home mom who looks for ways to save money to stretch her husband’s income.
“I home-school my children and to be able to do that we have to cut corners and its getting tough even now for us to do that.  That’s why she shops at Goodwill, the Salvation Army and consignment shops.
“You can’t go when you’re a single income family; you can’t go to the mall and shop for school clothes and stuff. You just can’t afford it, so every time we can cut corners and find stuff at the Goodwill or at Salvation Army or thrift stores or whatever, we’re there anytime.

Thrift shopping is attracting a whole new breed of customer during this troubled economy.  More people are turning to second-hand retail bargains to stretch their already thin dollar.
The Salvation Army and Goodwill industries report sales are up. They are the two largest charitable resale organizations in the U.S.  Both report sales increases of six to 15 per cent.

Wayne Thornley, VP of Marketing and Communication for Goodwill:  We have an increase in the folks coming through the door in our retail stores.  We’ve also seen an increase over the last year of people coming in for job placement services for assistance in training and education.”

Your purchases at Goodwill don’t stop at the register.  84 cents of every dollar goes to help people find jobs or get training to get one and beneath that some good deals for someone else.

Jennifer Martin “...brand new stuff, Halloween costumes. We’re doing a southern belle for Halloween, buy a used prom dress and turn it into a costume that you would pay $40 for; something that zips up the back, at the stores.