Thrift stores such as the Salvation Army's store in Eagle River are booming. Sales are up 30 or 40 percent - double the 20 percent growth predicted at the beginning of the year.
“Donations are selling as fast as they come in,” said David McDaniel, administrator of the Adult Rehabilitation Program for the Salvation Army. “Store sales are steady and we couldn't be happier to see in-need families get items that they normally can't afford.”
McDaniel said it's possible they are seeing an upswing in sales because of the current economy. He said many of the “hot items” are bigger-ticket, such as televisions and furniture.
On the flip side, the Salvation Army is receiving fewer of those bigger-ticket donations.
Home pickups this summer dwindled from an average of 55 pickups per day to about 25 per day for stores in the greater Anchorage area.
McDaniel believes many people are trying to sell bookshelves, entertainment centers, couches and bedroom sets on Web sites like Craigslist and e-Bay instead.
“When people wanted to get rid of something, they just donated it, now they are trying to sell it themselves,” McDaniel said.
McDaniel said that the Salvation Army accepts gently used items.
If the store can't sell items, McDaniel has to haul them to the dump and pay for their removal. The three thrift stores in the greater Anchorage area annually pay out a trash bill of $80,000 to $140,000 - and these costs have risen the last year by 33 to 40 percent because people are dumping household items that are too far gone to be sold in the thrift stores.
All Salvation Army thrift stores use their profits to benefit the organization's adult rehabilitation program - a residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility that offers Christian faith-based recovery support, job skills, help in finding employment and a chance at sober living.
The thrift stores provide a significant portion of the rehabilitation program's budget.
