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is it unethical to shop at Salvation Army if you aren't "in need?" - Page 3  

post #41 of 57
10/25/08 at 1:52pm
Quote:
what about ebay? or craigslist? or a second hand furniture shop? there are many options out there for people who can pay more because they can afford it, but refuse to and instead go to goodwill. i'm not saying this is the case for either of you mamas, just making a point in general. goodwill is not the only place to shop and get a bargain while you're at it.
I do think it is very unrealistic to think that the next person who comes along will be some one who needs it more than I do. And really, for most of the past decade we HAVE been the ones who couldn't afford even the basics. I would never expect someone NOT to buy something because I may come along and need the same thing but be unable to pay more.

Places like Salvation Army are just like used furniture stores, but the money goes to charity (at least around here, couches are often over $100 and therefore unaffordable for many low income folks, or at least it was unaffordable for us when WE were low income).

In fact, if a person is in need, Freecycle, Kijiji, Facebook buy and sell groups, etc. will often list free or low cost furniture as well. I often shop that way, but there are some local thrift stores I choose to shop at instead even though I sometimes pay more because the money goes to a cause I think is valuable.

I DO get where you are coming from. We have been poorer than poor and it really sucks to see that table you really, really NEED because you don't have one walk out the door with someone who could clearly buy one somewhere else and probably already has a perfectly good table at home. But thrift stores are just stores where everyone can shop. The difference is in where the profit goes.

post #42 of 57
10/25/08 at 2:30pm
I live in a small town. Our Goodwill closed two months ago. They couldn't afford to keep the store open. I wish more people would've shopped there, whether they were "in need" or not. Now nobody is able to benefit from it. Very sad.
post #43 of 57
10/25/08 at 4:17pm
I agree that is is fine to shop thrift stores even if you are middle or upper income. It is green, it is helping a charity etc.

If I think a mom in need will love the nice toy for a great price at the thrift store, personally I'd just buy it and pass it on directly to someone so it is free to them. The person who comes up after you to the nice toy or whatever is just as likely to be an ebayer as a mom with a child who wants that toy and can't afford it. I work for a non-profit though so I have the opportunity to pass things directly to families.

One thing I would add is that even middle and upper income families with a thoughtful budget might not be able to afford to shop new in many cases. We make well over $70K a year and frankly new furniture is NOT in our budget (and we are debt free except for an affordable mortgage). But once savings, our own college tuition (my husband is a ft student and I am in a professional program for those that work ft), gas, food, insurance, utilities, healthcare, other expenses add up, furniture is a huge splurge for us new if it is of any sort of decent quality. Personally, if I was not saving for retirement or emergencies much, I would not feel that I could afford NOT to shop thrift first. I just went to a rummage sale and bought a fair amount of clothing and books for my son for $19 (we are talking over 30 books here plus several pairs of pants and shirts). Buying that stuff new is out of my budget for sure, even if I could afford new at the cost of say tuition, insurance or savings.
post #44 of 57
10/25/08 at 5:09pm
No, like the pp said, they are trying to CREATE jobs for people, and to raise money to help others in need. Keep on shopping, you are doing a good thing!
post #45 of 57
10/25/08 at 6:10pm
Absolutely not. You are reducing waste and reducing pollution and etc...by buying used clothing. Why do we all need brand new clothes all the time? do you know how many resources are used in production, shipping, and so on?? It is staggering to think about, really. What is unethical is buying new clothes all the time when there are perfectly fine used ones at Salvation Army.
post #46 of 57
10/25/08 at 6:29pm
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.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Denvergirlie View Post
The purpose of places like Salvation Army, Goodwill, etc is to provide jobs to those that are "unemployeable" and teach them skills.
I used to have the same question and this is the answer I got. So I shop-- sans-guilt!
post #47 of 57
10/25/08 at 6:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kijip View Post
One thing I would add is that even middle and upper income families with a thoughtful budget might not be able to afford to shop new in many cases. We make well over $70K a year and frankly new furniture is NOT in our budget (and we are debt free except for an affordable mortgage).

I just wanted to add a huge yeah that! to the above.
post #48 of 57
10/26/08 at 5:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tumblingstar View Post
What everyone else said, plus it's green. It's recycling.
exactly!
post #49 of 57
10/26/08 at 6:17pm
Shopping at the Salvation Army goes against my ethics in lots of ways.


They fought to be allowed to discriminate against LGBT people in their hiring practises:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp...37723-2001Jul9

http://www.cephasministry.com/church...e_iceberg.html

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m..._/ai_n11436895

"It appears that the Salvation Army is on the forefront of Christian Right efforts to undermine the public good in pursuit of narrow religious goals."
http://atheism.about.com/b/2005/11/2...ial-worker.htm

These quotes are from their website:

abortion:
Quote:
The Salvation Army supports responsible measures necessary to avoid unwanted pregnancy and is opposed to abortion as a means of birth control. We are concerned about a growing social acceptance of abortions and believe that a genetic abnormality in the unborn child is not generally sufficient to warrant a termination of pregnancy.
homosexuality:
Quote:
The Salvation Army believes that God’s will for the expression of sexual intimacy is revealed in the Bible, and that living fully in accordance with biblical standards calls for chastity outside of heterosexual marriage and faithfulness within it
marriage:
Quote:
The Salvation Army believes marriage is the covenanting together of one man and one woman for life in a union to the exclusion of all others.
pornography:
Quote:
The Salvation Army urges those involved with pornography to renounce this injurious lifestyle and promotes healing through Christian counselling and professional help.
The Salvation Army is run mostly by volunteers or very low waged employees. So sure, they may hire "unhireables" but they pay them accordingly :
Here's an example of one of the many class action law suits against them for poor labour practises:
http://salvationwagelawsuit.com/questionnaire.html
and more on wages:

http://emlawcenter.bna.com/pic2/em.n...7?OpenDocument

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpag...5AC0A966958260

http://www.opseu.org/news/Press2000/jan172000.htm

and on and on and on...
post #50 of 57
10/26/08 at 6:23pm
I don't think so. The money you spend there is helping out too.

I am forever dropping off donations at my local St Vincent de Paul and then going in to take a peek around.
post #51 of 57
10/26/08 at 6:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mamajama View Post
Shopping at the Salvation Army goes against my ethics in lots of ways.
True dat. My answer concerns using thrift shops in general. I don't support the Salvation Army and after the things observed by my father when he worked for them as a therapist (being urged to tell addicts in recovery that recovery would be easier if they "really" believed among other things that are untrue and actually unethical/illegal for him to tell people as a counselor I refuse to even give their bell ringers change.
post #52 of 57
10/26/08 at 8:11pm
Right, the Salvation Army isn't my charity of choice, but for thrift shops in general-- what everyone else said.
post #53 of 57
10/26/08 at 8:27pm
It is not unethical for anyone to shop at a thrift store. Anyone who wants to spend money there is benefiting either the charitable organization that runs it, or in the case of "for profit" thrift stores, helping a business that contributes to the "reuse" part of reduce, reuse, recycle. And your need is as important as anyone else's.

It is not as if there is a shortage of clothing or other items. Most thrift stores that take donations (and don't pick through them and turn stuff away up front) end up disposing of items they do not have room to sell or store, or sometimes they can sell them in bulk to a for-profit thrift store, but a lot of stuff ends up being thrown out.

If there is something you want in a thrift store, and you have no ethical concerns about the organization or business running the thrift store, go for it !!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Amila View Post

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 #54 of 57
10/26/08 at 9:36pm
If you are feeling guilty you could always pay more for it and tell them it is a donation.
Susan
post #55 of 57
10/26/08 at 9:59pm
No, I don't think it's unethical to shop at the Salvation Army or thrift store when you don't truly 'need' to shop there. In general, those places seem to have plenty to go around so it's not like you are out there clearing out the place and leaving nothing for anyone else.

I wouldn't go to a food bank if I didn't need it, but I see that as a different concept as those are set up to help those who truly need the services. I don't think that most thrift stores are set up in that manner.
post #56 of 57
10/27/08 at 9:14pm
[QUOTE=mamajama;12471687]Shopping at the Salvation Army goes against my ethics in lots of ways.
[QUOTE]

Me too... Goodwill is the way to go!
post #57 of 57
10/27/08 at 9:51pm
We have a couple of Sally Annes in my area.... they are super expensive!!! Kind of a bummer, but I think we are too low income for that thrift store! lol It is ok though.... we have a favourite thrift store that is messy but awesome. The women that run it are so great and always throw something in extra if they know you are lower income. They will never take someones last dollar if they clearly are coming for something they need.

There are so many thrifters in my area. I do know a few that hoard the good stuff. They go daily to the thrift stores and have bags and bags of clothes in storage that they wont ever use. Darn it that her son is the same age as mine and thetre are slim pickings for boys clothes at thier age. I just can't compete!
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