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With the temperature dropping, and our economy what it is, more and more people are turning to second-hand stores to find warm clothes this winter. But some of our viewers said the selection at an area Goodwill store is down this year compared to the past. To compound the situation, those same viewers say they see a lot of what they describe as perfectly good clothes being thrown away before they even make it out to the sales floor. They wondered why. The answer is the subject of this Fact Finder.
Robert Randall is the chief operating officer of Goodwill industries in Traverse City. Every year his staff sees more and more people coming through the doors this time of year hoping to find a winter coat at a price they can afford. Due to the economy, Randall says "It's a huge need this year in the community." But that huge need is being meet by a short supply of warm children's clothes at second stores like Goodwill. A viewer who shops there often wondered, where did it all go? There used to be 6 or 8 racks of children's clothes. This year she found barely 2 racks and not very much winter gear.
Why? Why are there so few winter coats for kids available this year compared to last? According to Randall "it's probably about 20% of the children's clothing is no longer able to be sold on the sales floor. The lead standard changed and went into effect this year."
You may remember the entire buzz this spring when the Government changed the lead laws in things like children's toys and clothes. Well this is the first full winter where those standards are actually in effect. Consequently the first year when second hand stores can't sell a lot of what's being donated. And the lead law is taking a huge bite out of children's clothes in particular. As Randall explains "oh absolutely most smaller children clothes are embelished in some ways or some fashion whether its decorative or buttons or zippers, and if we can't verify what the metal is that's on the children's clothing we have to dispose of it, we can't put it out for sale."
This means less selection for shoppers looking for a winter bargain and a lot more clothes that Goodwill has to do something with. Some clothes that are just worn out they can recycle, but not the ones that might have lead. According to Randall "The clothes that aren't eligible to be sold we can't sell them as a further recycled commodity. We have to dispose of them; there is no revenue in it. It's the cost of doing business. We're probably disposing of 500 to 1000 pounds of clothing per week."
And that means a double hit for Goodwill; no profit from the sale of the donation, and then actually a cost to get rid of it. It's a tough situation right now for shoppers looking to bundle up with our spending a fortune, and one that might be around for a long time. As Randall sees it "this will definitely have an impact on for the next several years. A lot of times the small children's clothing might have only been worn for one or two times, too great of shape to dispose of it, so then it comes in as a donation. We'll still be seeing these items donated for 5 to 10 years."
I asked Mr. Randall what should people who want to donate do. After all you don't want to make work or even worse, cost Goodwill money by making a donation that they have to pay to get rid off. He told me they would rather you donate and let them sort it out, than not donate at all. They have a good idea what they're looking for when it comes to lead.
So what have your experiences been? Have you given what you donate a second thought about lead? Have you had challenges find second hand clothes see the lead restrictions what into effect? Are the lead restrictions too restrictive or a good step in consumer protection?
Let me know by leaving a comment below.
