Tis the season for catalogues!

So, this morning at the post office was great. There were four catalogs in the trash. I only used one, and got packaging material for two medium-sized boxes out of that one catalog. Yay Christmas season! I hesitated to throw the three I didn't use back into the trash, but that's where they came from, and I can't bring someone else's trash into my apartment, because that would just solidify my craziness.

Then, later in the day, a friend emailed me to ask about the best thrift store options in the city to donate large items ( I especially love when people call or email to ask me thrifting questions). I suggested the Catholic Charity downtown, because they're small and cheap, and they offer cheap goods to a neighborhood in need. I've been frequenting there so much more often over the past year. There's so much going on in the building; I'm not sure what's specific to the thrift store, but it's a busy place. Sometimes there are people who seem like employees, and sometimes they seem more like volunteers. There are always a lot of people shopping, and lots of clothing for children.

I've become more and more disturbed over the last year by the changes in thrift stores that have coincided with the changes in the economy. Instead of becoming beacons of hope for their communities, many stores have upped their prices. They've changed their market entirely, trying to make thrift attractive to groups that aren't already big thrifters. I don't like that. It cuts off those in need from their needs. I don't know if I'm saying this very eloquently. It's very systemic, and complicated to explain, because ideally, I'd have charts and graphs to show how prices have changed over time.