I don't know how to react to this but I'm not happy...

[verde]

I hope this is the correct place to post this. If not, mods, then move it to the appropriate place.

I'm a thrift store queen. I check out the thrift store about once a week. You would not believe the amount of things in my house that came from the thrift store.

For the winter holidays my 28 mos. old DD's big gift was a wooden kitchen and it's really cute. I've picked up lots of funstuff for the kitchen from the thrift store: a tiny little pot, an little cast iron fry pan, some tin dishes.

Lately I've noticed a HUGE appearance of toy dishes, especially tea sets, from China. I will guess the donors of these toy dishes don't want their children to be at risk because the dishes were made from China. That's fine. So my question is:

WHY DONATE THEM TO THE THRIFT STORE??????

Exactly what is the thinking here?? I don't want MY children to be at risk but it's OK for someone else's children to be at risk?

A lot of the people who patronize the thrift stores in the area where I live are new immigrants who don't speak much English. I do not mean to sound patronizing but I worry that they are not aware of the publicity about the toys from China. So I feel like there's something terribly WRONG about this situation.

Am I overreacting???

[alegna]

As long as the sets aren't recalled- yeah, I think you're overreacting. But I still buy MIC stuff. I think the whole thing was overblown.

Seems *really* wasteful to throw all that stuff away just because you think that it might possibly have lead.

-Angela

[JustJamie]

Yes and no.

I would donate MIC toys to a thrift store, because there are some parents who aren't that concerned about it. (My SIL for one.) So it's their choice to buy or not to buy those toys.

You do raise a valid point about non-native English speakers, who might not be aware of the issues. Perhaps have your thrift store post a multi-language notice warning about those toys?

[Nature]

I've seen a million threads on MDC about the MIC toys, and how they get so many from relatives over the holidays and birthdays, and how they don't want to risk it, they want all wood, all natural.. etc.. and everyone and their mother says, "Just donate it!"

On one hand, I can see... yes, if its in decent shape.. why not donate? Its better than a landfill I guess.

On the other hand, I'm one of the people buying from thrift shops. And it feels a bit like someone saying, "Those toys aren't good enough for MY children, but they're good enough for your children because you're poor." Its like a mini slap in the face.

If you really want to help out those less fortunate, donate high quality wooden and all natural toys to your local Goodwill or Salvation Army!

Ya, I know.. in a perfect world..

[mercy589]

better to leave it at a thrift store than the landfill, some people are just going to buy it anyway.

[liliaceae]

Um maybe they donated it because their child didn't like it or outgrew it? Almost all toys are made in China.....

[karina5]

Better there than in a landfill. Let parents make a choice.

[Nature]

Originally Posted by karina5

Better there than in a landfill. Let parents make a choice.

A choice between what? No toys, or toys MIC?
Thats a pretty crappy choice.

[karina5]

Originally Posted by Nature

A choice between what? No toys, or toys MIC?
Thats a pretty crappy choice.

A lot of people have said that they are not that worked up about toys MIC. If a child is not putting toys in their mouth, then they don't worry about it.

I'm sure you could find the thread that was about just that a while back if you did a search.

So it may be a crappy choice to you, but yeah, a lot of families would feel that NO toys would be even crappier.

[BetsyS]

Our Goodwill has a sign up (in English and in Spanish) that there have been recalls, that there is some concern over toys MIC, and parents should check out toys before they buy them.

Really, I think that's all they should do.

[Kessed]

Originally Posted by Nature

A choice between what? No toys, or toys MIC?
Thats a pretty crappy choice.

I don't really care about MIC. I care about toys that DD puts in her mouth and chews on. But other toys - I have other things higher on my list of things to worry about.

I think that for toys MIC - to me it's a personal choice about each individual toy...

If it's been recalled - then that's another story. But random MIC toys don't bother me.

[*Robin*]

We have gone the no-MIC toys route. We received some for Xmas and I tried to return/exchange what I could. So now I am left with MIC, in-box toys I don't want in my house and I have a bag going in the garage because I dont know what to do with them. I think about taking them to the thrift store, but I never do because I worry that one of the toys is actually toxic and I am the one enabling another small child to have it. But then I think of people like my SIL who is trying to get as many MIC toys as possible, she thinks she's rebelling against the rebellion I guess. I haven't noticed any toy signs up in the thrift stores I've been in explaining the concern. So as of now, the toys just sit in a bag in my garage. I might just drive them to SILs house one of these days, but I don't really want my new baby niece playing with them either. There really isn't a good answer.

[grumpybear]

Because people like me who are not on the anti-MIC bandwagon may buy them.

And yes, the comment on the non-English speaking immigrants sound a little too patronizing. Just because they don't speak English doesn't mean they're ignorant. There's the internet (you could actually read news there written in languages other than English) and newspapers written in their native language.

[Nature]

Because this is MDC, the issue goes even further than just MIC toys. But all plastic and or cheap toys in general. Its the same thing. Personally, I could care less about the MIC craze. However it is a bit unnerving to see everyone dumping what they lovingly call on millions of threads, their "crappy toys" at thrift stores. If you think they're so crappy, why donate them for families struggling financially? Would you donate "crappy" clothes too?

Its the whole attitude I find disturbing.

[IlluminatedAttic]

FWIW, all the thrift stores I frequent have been strictly adhering to the recall lists. I realize this doesn't mean all toys MIC are turned down, but at least the choices on their shelves are equal to what shoppers would find in mainstream stores like Walmart - where you will find a large number of the immigrant shoppers you are concerned about.

[Nature]

Originally Posted by ZFooFoo

FWIW, all the thrift stores I frequent have been strictly adhering to the recall lists. I realize this doesn't mean all toys MIC are turned down, but at least the choices on their shelves are equal to what shoppers would find in mainstream stores like Walmart - where you will find a large number of the immigrant shoppers you are concerned about.

In our local thrift stores, the women there can't even discern between kids clothing and adult clothing, let alone correctly identify from a recall list toys that should be destroyed. They just get hauled in and dumped in a big bin. Just the same as the clothes. There is no washing/drying, trying, inspecting going on at all. Nor are there any recall signs posted.

[Kessed]

Not everyone thinks that all 'those toys' are crappy.

I think that there are crappy plastic toys (which I throw out) and there are also *gasp* crappy wood toys. We have some. For us they are the toys that DD completely ignores. I have some expensive wooden cars which she won't touch - and neither will the other 3 or 4 kids who've been over to play. She plays happily with the nice plastic cars - but not those. So I will probably donate them. Maybe someone else's child will like them.

But there are good plastic toys - just as there are good wooden ones.

I guess I see this from an environmentalist POV. If people will buy MIC toys anyway (which they will) - then I would MUCH MUCH MUCH rather they buy them second hand than buy them new. If a toy is in good shape, not known to be dangerous, and has any redeeming qualities - then donate it. It's far better than throwing it out and causing someone to buy it new and thus increasing the 'demand'.

[Ruthla]

This time of year, many people donate stuff because their kids got too many holiday toys and they need to give away the old ones to make room for the new ones, or because it's been long enough to see that their DC don't like some of the "new" toys and want to declutter their houses of what the kids aren't playing with anyway.

Are you SURE there are more MIC toys now than there were last January? Or are there just more toys now than there were in October?

[prettypixels]

Originally Posted by Nature

Because this is MDC, the issue goes even further than just MIC toys. But all plastic and or cheap toys in general. Its the same thing. Personally, I could care less about the MIC craze. However it is a bit unnerving to see everyone dumping what they lovingly call on millions of threads, their "crappy toys" at thrift stores. If you think they're so crappy, why donate them for families struggling financially? Would you donate "crappy" clothes too?

Its the whole attitude I find disturbing.

Crappy is a pretty subjective term, but the reality is that most things donated to thrift stores are not in the best shape, they are used. That is reality. Most of us cannot afford to donate new in box high quality toys or clothes. We donate the things we've *used* and don't need/want anymore. So if that's "crappy," well... what would NOT donating be???

The Salvation Army is no longer taking used toy donations at all, which sucks, because I have a ton of very NOT CRAPPY toys that we are not using that I was taking to donate. Now I don't know what to do with them. It *would* be nice to get the tiny tax break from donating to the Salvation Army.

[Nature]

Well, see.. I can understand the environment point of view.. which is why I included that in my post.

Perhaps what bothers me more than, is the attitude I've seen in recent past regarding these "crappy toys."

Theres a huge difference between saying, "My children don't like these toys, or play with them.. so I'm going to donate them" and "These toys are horrible! They might be unsafe! And they're plastic! *insert gasp here* Ugh! I can't keep these in MY home! I'm going to donate them.." the latter being the attitude I've heard so frequently. Especially with the rash of MIC recalls in the past few months.

It almost makes me wonder if people donate things because it makes them feel less guilty about throwing things away, or feel better about the environment.. or what? Because a lot of the time it doesn't seem like they really care that what they're giving away isn't that useful, or even safe. Its like people think that those who thrift shop will always be thankful for whatever they get, no matter what condition its in.

Where thats probably true.. it shouldn't have to be. Poor people deserve nice things too.

And you'd be surprised at the things people donate.. Broken things rank high on the list of things that get donated. Tax breaks for broken radios, cars with no wheels and clothes with rips and holes in it..

I know someone that specifically told me she gave all the recalled toys on the last list to Goodwill. Because, "Someone out there that doesn't have any toys could really use them!"