Shopping Disappointment

[gary meakin]

That may indeed be the case, but in many thrift shop situations, the rules are extremely rigid only because they're designed not only as a source for the public but more and also, to teach and give succour to handicapped staff who may have little or no vocational or cognitive skill. Some of those are individuals who simply cannot handle variation, even if it is made by their leaders, and it can cause some very real emotional breakdowns for some of them.

We need to remember that some (and admittedly not all) thrift shops have two products: the items on the shelves, and the emotional/ social/ vocational lives of their clients who work and learn there at the same time as we go shopping. It's something with which I had a very close connection for 25+ years, and while I know that often this is not the situation, it sometimes is, and that's why I mention it as one possibility.

OK, I see your point. Although I have never been in a thrift store where this is the case. Is this really how they are or are they just like that in your area.
Or are they just not like that in mine.

[Father Bill]

OK, I see your point. Although I have never been in a thrift store where this is the case. Is this really how they are or are they just like that in your area.
Or are they just not like that in mine.

It depends on state/ provincial legislation and on the mandate of the individual shop and organization. I'm not saying that this was the case in the present situation, just that sometimes it may be, and we shouldn't assume that managers have the flexibility that we would expect in a purely for-profit retail operation.

Actually, in my area it's less the case than it used to be because of changes in the legislation, but there are still many situations where there's a background story that isn't always obvious or even imaginable to the rest of us.

[cruiser348]

OK, I see your point. Although I have never been in a thrift store where this is the case. Is this really how they are or are they just like that in your area.
Or are they just not like that in mine.

Within a 5 mile radius of my home there are somewhere between 8 and 10 thrift stores. I would say among those they are comprised of 2 Goodwill Centers (one a clearance center for others in the area), 2 which are church based, 1 which is part of a youth outreach ministry, and the rest are along the lines of what Father Bill mentions; they employ primarily those with physical or mental handicaps that make it virtually impossible for them to find employment elsewhere. I can certainly see where in these cases the rules need to be extremely stringent and unyielding no matter what the situation. I also have a good friend whom works for an organization that tries to find employment for area people with disabilities and I know she says with many of her clients the hardest thing is trying to find a situation where they don't have changes of routine handed to them because it is simply more than some are able to physically or mentally handle.