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is it unethical to shop at Salvation Army if you aren't "in need?"  

post #1 of 57
10/24/08 at 2:40pm
Thread Starter 
We make a decent living, though we have MANY bills and no savings or retirement (yet!). I shop at Gymboree and Old Navy and Target, always trying to find sales of course, but I do buy things full price on occasion.

I have always loved thrift stores and yard sales and the like, and sometimes I will dig through the Salvation Army to find name brand stuff for cheap. I DO also give clothes away to the salvation army and freecycle.

Is this wrong, since technically I can afford to buy clothing at stores? Should those clothes be reserved for people who truly cannot afford anything else? My DH thinks so. I am not sure...
post #2 of 57
10/24/08 at 2:46pm
No, I believe the idea of Salvation Army is that the profits from the sale of the items go to help people in need, not that the items themselves go to people in need. That would be more like a food bank system. I've seen places that give away/sell cheaply work clothes, baby goods, etc to the needy, but you can't wander into those off the street as a regular shopper either. I think what you're doing is exactly what the SA would like you to do.
post #3 of 57
10/24/08 at 3:06pm
The purpose of places like Salvation Army, Goodwill, etc is to provide jobs to those that are "unemployeable" and teach them skills.
post #4 of 57
10/24/08 at 3:07pm
There's nothing unethical about trying to save money, especially in these economic times.

If you do feel a bit guilty donate some of your clothes or housewares to them, then you have some balance.
post #5 of 57
10/24/08 at 3:08pm
No.
post #6 of 57
10/24/08 at 3:09pm
I don't think it's unethical to shop at any of the thrifts other than in the aspect if the thrift was to support a cause that you were totally against.

If you do not want to support ___ and that is where the monies from that thrift goes to then don't shop there.

I would think it was wrong to go into the totally free stores and take gobs of things for free if you can really afford it or are getting the items for resale.

The every now and again ultra cheap or free give aways at the thrifts you fequent is okay with me, the one place we shop has a free toy bin, little toys like from fast food meals and pieces of games that have fallen apart, I will let my kids get a 'free toy' but not everytime and sometimes if that's the only item we are getting I will have the kids give the lady at the couter a quarter.
post #7 of 57
10/24/08 at 3:19pm
What everyone else said, plus it's green. It's recycling.
post #8 of 57
10/24/08 at 3:19pm
No, I don't believe it is. And if you think about it, it's kind of nice that people of all backgrounds frequent there. It takes away the stigma and shame that some may feel. I know as a kid in our small town, if you were seen at "vinnies" it was mortifying. Now, so many go there that most people don't even bat an eye at it.

I given a lot to them and I shop them. It balances.
post #9 of 57
10/24/08 at 3:23pm
The point of the stores are to make money off the donated clothes and use those funds to further their charitable efforts.
post #10 of 57
10/24/08 at 3:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tumblingstar View Post
What everyone else said, plus it's green. It's recycling.
post #11 of 57
10/24/08 at 3:30pm
Nope. They are happy for those dollars we spend.
post #12 of 57
10/24/08 at 4:05pm
i'm probably going to be the odd one out. i do agree to a certain extent with your dh amila.

there are some things that i choose not to buy from thrift stores because they are not in abundance. wooden toys for example. i usually see the plastic ones in abundance but not the wooden ones and i will purposely walk past them because i know we can afford to buy them brand new. i always think that there might be someone who only has a toy budget of say $10 and would also love some wooden toys for thier child. just because you are low income doesn't mean your children deserve any less you know? and well i'd feel bad if i stripped the hypothetical child of that wooden toy because even though i could clearly afford the extra $20, i just refused to spend it. even though the salvation army needs money to support thier charitable efforts, a good amount of the salvation army stuff is also purchased by low income earners. they may not be low income enough to qualify for money/coupon assistance from the salvation army themselves or other charities, but thanks to the low prices at the thrift store, they can still have some benefits. i am sure there are many low income mamas here who are thrilled when they find a really nice purchase for thier children for cheap. it's those people i hope to leave the nice, hard to come by stuff for. in our case, the nice, hard to come by stuff are wooden toys and good books.

clothes i don't feel bad about buying. there is always a huge influx and often more than they can handle. same with furniture and homewares. toys and books for some reason are not in abundance at our local goodwill stores and so i refuse to take what little there is.

i also regularly donate and have donated many items brand new or hardly used. the salvation army really helped our family when i was growing up, i am forever indebted to them... i have been on both sides (being able to afford and not being able to afford) and i know it would have not been very fair if people who could afford more took all the nicer things simply because they refused to pay more, and we were left with all the cruddy stuff to purchase. again it depends on your income, how often the stuff is replenished and whether it is in abundance. these rules i have are based on my current situation - i am by no means implying that this is for everyone.
post #13 of 57
10/24/08 at 5:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by EviesMom View Post
No, I believe the idea of Salvation Army is that the profits from the sale of the items go to help people in need, not that the items themselves go to people in need. That would be more like a food bank system. I've seen places that give away/sell cheaply work clothes, baby goods, etc to the needy, but you can't wander into those off the street as a regular shopper either. I think what you're doing is exactly what the SA would like you to do.

Yeah, this.
post #14 of 57
10/24/08 at 5:44pm
I don't think its wrong, but I do think you should pay it forward, to an extent. If you find something super-duper good, make sure you put something good out there into the universe too.
post #15 of 57
10/24/08 at 5:48pm
Most charities that help out "families in need" will give the clothes, housewares, etc, directly to the needy people, rather than charging them low fees for the items. Charities that run thrift stores generally use the money the store earns to support charitable activities.

By shopping in thrift stores, you're keeping the store turnover high, so fewer items end up in landfills (because many thrift stores discard items that don't sell after a period of time.) You're also minimizing new manufacturing and the resultant resources used when you buy 2nd hand instead of new. In short, you aren't hurting anybody by shopping at the thrift store and doing quite a bit of good for the Earth.
post #16 of 57
10/24/08 at 5:50pm
No, not at all. The stores generate funds which help those who are needy.
post #17 of 57
10/24/08 at 5:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruthla View Post
Most charities that help out "families in need" will give the clothes, housewares, etc, directly to the needy people, rather than charging them low fees for the items. Charities that run thrift stores generally use the money the store earns to support charitable activities.

By shopping in thrift stores, you're keeping the store turnover high, so fewer items end up in landfills (because many thrift stores discard items that don't sell after a period of time.) You're also minimizing new manufacturing and the resultant resources used when you buy 2nd hand instead of new. In short, you aren't hurting anybody by shopping at the thrift store and doing quite a bit of good for the Earth.
This. I read a book about global markets, and a ton of left over stuff from the thrift stores that was 'old' (aka had been there a while) would be trashed or sold to merchants who would ship them overseas. I'd rather save the items than fill up a landfill or waste oil shipping them around globally.

Ami
post #18 of 57
10/24/08 at 5:57pm
Not at all. My mother's friend is a Goodwill manager and the primary purpose is to raise funds and generate jobs/teach skills.

I shop a lot at the thrift store on our military base - the prices are super low and they raise money for scouting, scholarships, etc. Extra clothing goes to an overseas orphanage. I "give back" by donating things there as well.
post #19 of 57
10/24/08 at 5:57pm
No it's not unethical! The way I look at it is when I shop at Salvation Army or Goodwill, the money I spend is going to help their charitable causes. They want you to shop there.
post #20 of 57
10/24/08 at 6:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by EviesMom View Post
No, I believe the idea of Salvation Army is that the profits from the sale of the items go to help people in need, not that the items themselves go to people in need.
This! There are thrift stores for a variety of causes...I've seen a thrift store where the proceeds go to an animal shelter, a pregnancy crisis center, etc. They want anyone to come buy things so they make money for their charity.
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Mothering › Forums › Natural Family Living › The Mindful Home › Frugality & Finances › is it unethical to shop at Salvation Army if you aren't "in need?"