Are people at thrift stores that stupid?

All of my LPs come from the local thrift for the most part.

I don't think it is unreasonable to expect a business that specializes in reselling used goods to not to damage the goods. Whether they come from a niche hobby or not.

I just bough a copy of Dick Hyman's Brasillian Album with the price written on it. :dunno:
Happily spun it.

Thats my two cents.
 
May as well add an experience to this.

I was scouring LPs at a local GW a few weeks ago, when one of the staff came up and started chatting to me about music. He was pleasant and knowledgeable.

I have no idea why people work at thrift stores. What I do know is that there is no such a thing as an easy job. Whatever a person decides to do with their time, their effort is to be applauded. There are plenty who are prepared to do nothing and expect everything.
 
To insult these workers or refer to them as stupid just shows your ignorance in my opinion. Support your local record store and pay for the smarts
I was referring to the management who just sees dollar signs and decides how to handle the merchandise. They want the bucks but don't take time to consider that they are defacing the merchandise.
 
I'm about to take a part time job at one for fun, and absolutely have no plan on making sure that donated Thorens never sees the shelf. :rolleyes:
Yeah, that happens here, too. The guy who used to run a record shop here started working at a thrift after he shut down. Now I never see any decent albums there.
 
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I love the GW/SA !!!!!! :) (the ' special ' ones)

Consistently, like every time - top quality 'amazing scores'... for pennies on the dollar.

What's not to like? So way cool.

... but still haven't found those JBLs yet... someday !!

The folks working at thrift stores down here are pretty nice & helpful. And the gal @ the GW with the blue hair is pretty hip! LOL. She's pleasant.
 
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All I know is I never diss people who volunteer their time as I know that it takes a level of commitment that many talk about but few practice.
 
All I know is I never diss people who volunteer their time as I know that it takes a level of commitment that many talk about but few practice.
Once again, this is about a For Profit thrift? store, not a volunteer based thrift like GW or SA. They want the money but not to take time to properly take care of the items they sell. The managers set the tone on how to handle the merchandise and apparently don't care. Would you buy a record that had a staple stuck in the back that someone might have pulled the record out and scraped it up. I don't think so. I may have used a poor choice of words to open this thread, I apologize for that. But if a For Profit thrift expects top dollar (read ebay) prices, they need to do better about handling the inventory. The GW here actually puts out all records unmarked at one price, to their credit.
 
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Once again, this is about a For Profit thrift? store, not a volunteer based thrift like GW or SA. They want the money but not to take time to properly take care of the items they sell. The managers set the tone on how to handle the merchandise and apparently don't care. Would you buy a record that had a staple stuck in the back that someone might have pulled the record out and scraped it up. I don't think so. I may have used a poor choice of words to open this thread, I apologize for that. But if a For Profit thrift expects top dollar (read ebay) prices, they need to do better about handling the inventory. The GW here actually puts out all records unmarked at one price, to their credit.
Come on, how much do you really think the average sales person or even manager at that thrift makes? For profit, non-profit, the lines are blurred but the labor pool is the same. Are you really expecting a savvy, top rate manager at your local thrift? A real go-getter that understands all aspects of merchandising and every product class that is sold? Keep dreaming. Don't like it, go somewhere else (the dollar vote).
My perspective is different. When I lived in Portland, I loved to visit the main GW as I was always surprised by the people that worked there. Knowledgeable, friendly, and often in fact, intellectual. There was a guy there that would pull obscure LPs from the rack for me that he, being a musician, thought were worthwhile. He even would grade them in a very accurate way. After getting to know him, it turns out he was a Reedy who did a thesis in Nuclear Physics. He got involved because he loved the idea of buying used clothing by the pound and used his salary to purchase clothes for children in Mexico that he distributed for free every winter. I'd rather have him as a friend, dinner guest, or employee than any Wall Street hedge fund manager.
 
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Come on, how much do you really think the average sales person or even manager at that thrift makes? For profit, non-profit, the lines are blurred but the labor pool is the same. Are you really expecting a savvy, top rate manager at your local thrift? A real go-getter that understands all aspects of merchandising and every product class that is sold? Keep dreaming. Don't like it, go somewhere else (the dollar vote).
That's my point. They don't care, and as long as people keep dishing out the dollars to them, and don't complain, they will never change.
 
That's my point. They don't care, and as long as people keep dishing out the dollars to them, and don't complain, they will never change.
so that makes them stupid???? Need I list all the top rate companies where this is a foundation of their business model?

Take a look at Goodwill.com auctions and get an estimate of how much they are raking in per hour. All this on merchandise that cost them ZERO. Now look at how much they actually end up giving back to charitable causes. It is ridiculous and hasn't increased at all with their revenue stream. Where does the money go? If you don't like it, don't support it by purchasing from them. Same with the local thrift you describe. Rather, support your local, honest, record store owner who is just trying to make ends meet.
 
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I love my local Savers and make it a point never to be a jerk. My 30% off card was expired last Friday but the manager at the register accepted it because we always make a point to say hello to each other. You will find that sometimes the discounts will come easier and more often when you are friendly and except the good with the bad.
It's just stuff.
 
so that makes them stupid???? Need I list all the top rate companies where this is a foundation of their business model?

Take a look at Goodwill.com auctions and get an estimate of how much they are raking in per hour. All this on merchandise that cost them ZERO. Now look at how much they actually end up giving back to charitable causes. It is ridiculous and hasn't increased at all with their revenue stream. Where does the money go? If you don't like it, don't support it by purchasing from them. Same with the local thrift you describe. Rather, support your local, honest, record store owner who is just trying to make ends meet.
I guess I am stupid to care about that records should be handled with some care. Greed is the driving factor for everything, I guess. Damn the care about the actual items that they sell. As for my local Honest record dealer, I've been there when people bring in records to sell, he gives them pennies for them. Then takes them and marks them $10, 12, 15 or higher with out looking at any book.
 
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I guess I am stupid to care about that records should be handled with some care. Greed is the driving factor for everything, I guess. Damn the care about the actual items that they sell. As for my local Honest record dealer, I've been there when people bring in records to sell, he gives them pennies for them. Then takes them and marks the $10, 12, 15 or higher with out looking at any book.
I get it. Maybe hang out in front and catch people with armfuls of Lp's before they get into the shop? Or, better yet, take a want ad out in the local paper? I am never surprised that people care more about the money than what they are selling...maybe I'm just getting old. Either way, I hear what you are saying and partially agree. It is the "stupid" comment that I take issue with.
 
Come on, how much do you really think the average sales person or even manager at that thrift makes? For profit, non-profit, the lines are blurred but the labor pool is the same. Are you really expecting a savvy, top rate manager at your local thrift? A real go-getter that understands all aspects of merchandising and every product class that is sold? Keep dreaming. Don't like it, go somewhere else (the dollar vote).
My perspective is different. When I lived in Portland, I loved to visit the main GW as I was always surprised by the people that worked there. Knowledgeable, friendly, and often in fact, intellectual. There was a guy there that would pull obscure LPs from the rack for me that he, being a musician, thought were worthwhile. He even would grade them in a very accurate way. After getting to know him, it turns out he was a Reedy who did a thesis in Nuclear Physics. He got involved because he loved the idea of buying used clothing by the pound and used his salary to purchase clothes for children in Mexico that he distributed for free every winter. I'd rather have him as a friend, dinner guest, or employee than any Wall Street hedge fund manager.
That is a great example of meeting someone who belies the old adage of not judging the book by it's cover! Always treat ALL employees as the humans they are, and then be happily surprised by the nuances of their lives that come through when you open lines of communication, if you will. When I lived in California I would frequent a St. Vincent De Paul thrift store on Chapman Ave. in Orange, CA. I would stop there on my route as a lab courier when I had some down time. The guy who worked the record and book shelves got to know me, and when he found out my musical tastes he would set aside records on a shelf next to the main shelf. Didn't hide them from any other customers, he was fair in that way. But they were gathered on this other shelf, which he would direct me to when I came in. He was about 60 then (this was 1998-2000), and records were cheaper than the local Goodwills and Salvation Army stores-which were consistently at about $1 per album (even if multi-disc sets). Though the really big boxed sets could be $3-$5. So this guy had the records priced at 50c-$1 for 33rpm, 25c for 78s, 50c for 45rpm. I can't tell you how happy I was, and how many wonderful records I picked up there over about a year and a half period. Experiences like that leaven things out for the bad ones from less aware thrift employees at the other stores. Even so, I always treat anyone employed in retail as a fellow working person. What they do is not always who they are. Karma needs to be kept good at all times, and everyone should be treated decently as you interact with them. Even the Wall Street hedge fund manager :)
 
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