I've been keeping track of some of the odd/interesting things that get donated to the thrift store.
We take it all. In with the literal garbage there is (sometimes) treasure.
1. Below: "SARA wants this book"
...but not that much?
It's not uncommon that an item will come in with a tag noting that the item was supposed to go to someone––presumably on the death of the owner.
Who knows what the story behind each one is, but these notes make me a little sad.
2. Below: Like the donut frosting, this was another (I hope) accidental food donation:
a used, blue paper plate & plastic spoon with cake crumbs, in with a box of quality woodworking magazines:
3. No accident here! Nicely noted, "IT WORKS FINE".
(If it doesn't catch on fire...)
4. Notes in books are not always this great.
Stay high, Bean!
5. What to do with old-timey racist/culturally imperialist stuff (e.g. Mammy salt & pepper shakers)?*
I don't usually put out for sale stuff like this comic book about an English cricketer who became a missionary, but it feels too culturally significant to just throw out...
* UPDATE: The Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia at Ferris University, Michigan accepts donations of racist objects.
www.ferris.edu/HTMLS/news/jimcrow/donate.htm
6. Some icky donations are obviously accidents---like the bakery bag that held only the frosting of a donut --I imagine someone cleaning up after a garage sale or move, and their bag accidentally getting in with the donations.
7. Other things are intentional--this headless sacred heart of Mary was mailed to the store. We have a religious articles ministry that accepts such objects, and we even say we'll repair them.
But that means gluing heads on---but not manifesting the missing parts themselves.
8. And these boxes of instant pudding that expired three years ago, in 2015? They came in a carefully packed box of nice kitchenware, so they didn't seem to be accidental.
Who knows?
9. It is very sweet when people write little notes---here the person even sketched the outline of the missing puzzle piece!
But the store gets waaay more than enough puzzles, and this one was nothing special, so into the trash it went.
10. It's common that people don't clean their shoes before donating them. Luckily the material in the treads of these hiking boots was just grass and mud.
11. This memorable entry from February 5, 1964, is the last entry in this donated daily journal.
After this, the journal is blank.
12. A shoe box of John D. MacDonald paperback thrillers from the 1970s was another donation that came with handwritten notes. In this case, the notes seem to be reminders to the owner him/herself, not to the future buyer. But who knows for sure?
These old pulp paperbacks were well worn and the high-acid paper yellowed. I saved a few with the best covers and put the rest on the 33¢ shelf.
13. This is the creepiest donation I've yet seen––
some kind of dead worm, a true computer bug, stuck under the screen of an MP3 player:
We take it all. In with the literal garbage there is (sometimes) treasure.
1. Below: "SARA wants this book"
...but not that much?
It's not uncommon that an item will come in with a tag noting that the item was supposed to go to someone––presumably on the death of the owner.
Who knows what the story behind each one is, but these notes make me a little sad.
2. Below: Like the donut frosting, this was another (I hope) accidental food donation:
a used, blue paper plate & plastic spoon with cake crumbs, in with a box of quality woodworking magazines:
3. No accident here! Nicely noted, "IT WORKS FINE".
(If it doesn't catch on fire...)
4. Notes in books are not always this great.
Stay high, Bean!
5. What to do with old-timey racist/culturally imperialist stuff (e.g. Mammy salt & pepper shakers)?*
I don't usually put out for sale stuff like this comic book about an English cricketer who became a missionary, but it feels too culturally significant to just throw out...
* UPDATE: The Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia at Ferris University, Michigan accepts donations of racist objects.
www.ferris.edu/HTMLS/news/jimcrow/donate.htm
6. Some icky donations are obviously accidents---like the bakery bag that held only the frosting of a donut --I imagine someone cleaning up after a garage sale or move, and their bag accidentally getting in with the donations.
7. Other things are intentional--this headless sacred heart of Mary was mailed to the store. We have a religious articles ministry that accepts such objects, and we even say we'll repair them.
But that means gluing heads on---but not manifesting the missing parts themselves.
8. And these boxes of instant pudding that expired three years ago, in 2015? They came in a carefully packed box of nice kitchenware, so they didn't seem to be accidental.
Who knows?
9. It is very sweet when people write little notes---here the person even sketched the outline of the missing puzzle piece!
But the store gets waaay more than enough puzzles, and this one was nothing special, so into the trash it went.
10. It's common that people don't clean their shoes before donating them. Luckily the material in the treads of these hiking boots was just grass and mud.
11. This memorable entry from February 5, 1964, is the last entry in this donated daily journal.
After this, the journal is blank.
12. A shoe box of John D. MacDonald paperback thrillers from the 1970s was another donation that came with handwritten notes. In this case, the notes seem to be reminders to the owner him/herself, not to the future buyer. But who knows for sure?
These old pulp paperbacks were well worn and the high-acid paper yellowed. I saved a few with the best covers and put the rest on the 33¢ shelf.
13. This is the creepiest donation I've yet seen––
some kind of dead worm, a true computer bug, stuck under the screen of an MP3 player:
some things sad,some surprising,like the shoes...
ReplyDeleteI am surprised that people donate dirty shoes too, but sad to say, it's common.
ReplyDeleteDirty everything, in fact...
As a long time thrift shopper I have seen shampoo bottles that have been used (uh, hotels won't leave them in rooms why would you donate them?), very nice sweaters with paint splatters or obvious holes in them in the front, clothes that obviously look like they were worn into the store and then something else worn out (tags stuffed behind the dressing room mirrors or missing tags).
ReplyDeleteKirsten
KIRSTEN: Check, check, check---all of the above!
ReplyDeleteStill amazes me what people donate. I wonder some time if they are "seeing" the donating as a means of "I did good today and gave something away rather than putting it in the trash" but not considering that other people may not want their donation either.
ReplyDeletePerhaps keeping culturally significant as a group until a place to provide them can be found. Perhaps contacting the National Museum of African American History and Culture in DC. It might be worth an email to ask them if they know of a place that collects items.
Kirsten
KIRSTEN: I think you're right that people see donating ANYTHING as a good thing to do---
ReplyDeleteand of course thrift stores encourage that pov, since it's better if people donate too much than not enough.
And you never know what surprises of the valuable sort might be in among the trash...
Hey, good idea about contacting the Af Am museum!
It also occurs to me, I could contact the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia at Ferris State University, Big Rapids, Michigan.
It's horrific:
you see how even the "mild" stuff like this missionary comic book is part of a continuum, from belittlement to mutilation.
Looking at their collection online was what made me stop shrugging off the "little stuff".
P.S. Oh, wow--yes! The Jim Crow Museum accept donations of objects!
ReplyDeletehttps://www.ferris.edu/HTMLS/news/jimcrow/donate.htm
"The Jim Crow Museum is the largest publicly accessible collection of segregation and racist artifacts in the United States. These objects are used to teach tolerance and promote social justice. The Museum is free and open to the public; therefore, the Museum is largely dependent on donations-financial and in-kind-to enhance its work.
"The Museum accepts the donations of objects at all times. If you have an object that you believe is consistent with the Museum's mission and work please consider donating the object to the following address:
Jim Crow Museum
Ferris State University
1010 Campus Drive
Big Rapids, Michigan 49307