So many of my stores are closing. Not good!!

[Spartcom5]

So I started collecting/hunting thrifts, antique, pawn shops, estates about little more than a year ago now. Since that time a couple stores have closed including my most profitable. Then just today I found out another one has closed!!! I was just there last week and bought some awesome 14k Atomic age clip on earrings for $30 weighed 10 grams. I had a friend there as well who held onto all watches and gold jewelry until I showed up each week. It was amazing and now they're closed. No idea where my friend went, no idea where the inventory is going. I'm so confused because the place was always packed, prime location, nice store, good people working. So now TWO of my best thrifts are gone within one year. This one thrift was part of a three location chain, one of the stores is run down, bad location, bad inventory, far away... why not close that one instead? Has anyone noticed store closing around them as well? Numerous thrifts gone, 3 antiques gone, couple pawns gone. Still plenty of horrible GOODWILLS around who never put anything good out, not even sterling lol. Bummed out right now, but hopefully I'll find stuff at the remaining places (probably be finding stuff at a much lower rate).

 

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[Goose-0]

Stick with it Spart.........you'll rise again!

 

[AlienLifeForm]

You must have been getting all the good stuff, they weren't turning a profit and had to shutter the store. It is probably your fault. Just kidding!

 

[boogeyman]

Did they close down completely? Or if you're lucky they might be consolidating down to one or two locations. Had the same thing happen, my favorite closed. Saw another regular & he clued me in that they just moved to a bigger location. It'll be really good I think once they get rolling. GW heh... Round here the only deals are books. $75 or $80 books for $2 even better on half price Saturdays! Keep your hopes up & your ears open!!!!

 

[Rodbuster209]

You must have been getting all the good stuff, they weren't turning a profit and had to shutter the store. It is probably your fault. Just kidding!

Exactly what I was thinking!

 

[vwayne1]

All the answers to your questions are in your text. Two good points that lead to the downfall of such a store. Dishonest employees holding merch for one customer, which leads to others not finding anything worth while to buy, leading to less customers through the door. This is epedemic is second hand stores everywhere. Second, where do you sell your items? Yes, the internet. Sorry to be blunt, but those are the facts.

 

[Spartcom5]

Still doesnt make sense. First i dont sell on the internet. Second i had only ever bought four things from them within the course of a year. They always got tons of gold and sold them for more than scrap. They once sold a watch for $200... I payed reasonable prices for everything. I could profit maybe 200ish if I'm lucky. They had been open for 12 years! Someone told me today that the reason for all the stores closing has something to do with the economy and there's not as many people shopping at thrifts and no need to sell to pawns right now. Makes sense but I'll keep at it!

 

[silverdollarbill]

"14k Atomic age clip on earrings for $30 weighed 10 grams"....this is an example of why they closed

 

[Spartcom5]

"14k Atomic age clip on earrings for $30 weighed 10 grams"....this is an example of why they closed

They only sold them for that because they didn't know if the entire thing was gold or not. Only the screw was marked 14k where as multiple listings on eBay were marked 14k in a couple of places. They didn't have a test kit so I gambled and bought them for $30. Tested them after I bought them and they turned out to be all 14k. Most everything they sold was weight and above. Couple months ago every Sunday was 50% off and they sold their jewelry was not exempt. They stopped that though. I never made it to any of those days because they had lines before the store opened. That was probably a mistake on their part honestly. See how the earrings below are marked 14k on the post and the screw? Well mine were ONLY marked on the screw so nobody knew, maybe it was only the screw that was gold?... I got lucky, they closed the day after. Yes, I get it, it's pretty obvious why they closed but they weren't the only one. Also, they have two other stores that do MUCH worse, but I think the rent in those locations is a lot lower as well.

 

[seekerGH]

So sorry to hear that the Charities are not providing you with profits. When you realized their mistakes, did you go back and make any donations to the charity from your profits?

Perhaps go direct, and shake down the homeless for your material?

I had a friend there as well who held onto all watches and gold jewelry until I showed up each week. It was amazing and now they're closed.

oh really, and you see nothing wrong with this (and wonder why they have closed)

 

[DFW_THer]

Spartcom--tough crowd in here. Not sure why you're getting snarky responses. Lack of jewelry sales to any customer that walks through the door is certainly NOT a reason a thrift store would have to close. The jewelry department does not determine the ultimate success of a store, the clothing does! And if you have established an inside track for jewelry, more power to you! It is so hard to get that type of relationship with a particular store. I have managed it one time, at a very busy mainstream thrift in my area. Does that mean I get all the good jewelry there? Absolutely not! The jewelry case is always overflowing and people are constantly buying. In my area, there are very few people trying to pick fine jewelry, in fact, I rarely see it.

I also don't understand the comment regarding where you sell your goods (the internet) like that has anything to do with the profitability of a thrift store. Thrift stores need all the pickers they can get. 9 out of 10 pickers sell online, big frickin' deal.

 

[Spartcom5]

Spartcom--tough crowd in here. Not sure why you're getting snarky responses. Lack of jewelry sales to any customer that walks through the door is certainly NOT a reason a thrift store would have to close. The jewelry department does not determine the ultimate success of a store, the clothing does! And if you have established an inside track for jewelry, more power to you! It is so hard to get that type of relationship with a particular store. I have managed it one time, at a very busy mainstream thrift in my area. Does that mean I get all the good jewelry there? Absolutely not! The jewelry case is always overflowing and people are constantly buying. In my area, there are very few people trying to pick fine jewelry, in fact, I rarely see it.

I also don't understand the comment regarding where you sell your goods (the internet) like that has anything to do with the profitability of a thrift store. Thrift stores need all the pickers they can get. 9 out of 10 pickers sell online, big frickin' deal.

Thanks for the sensible comment! I didn't mean for this thread to turn into what it did, I was really looking to see if anybody else had stores closing around them! I was also thinking to myself how could the jewelry been the reason they closed? Also, my inside track wasn't exactly what you are all thinking, basically just like if a cool vintage watch came in she'd show me before putting it in the case but that's it. Most of the gold was put in the case at weight value and then sometimes it would be 50% off first come first serve. Appreciate how you acknowledged the fact that I wasn't buying ALL of the jewelry, I literally bought 4 things from them in a years time hahah plenty of people got good stuff from them. I still reel at the fact this lady beat me to buying a Bulova Astronaut for $200, one of my biggest regrets, I'll always remember that! MAYBE she was the reason they closed? Profit of at least $400 vs my $180 hmm? Again thanks for the cool comment.

In response to SeekerGH have you seen some of the recent threads in the thrift store section? If we all went and paid the thrift stores for their mistakes none of us would ever go to them. I have seen some people find MUCH more valuable things than the earrings I got... If I didn't buy them somebody else would have anyways. I also bought plenty of vintage clothing from the store that closed as well for myself to wear. Lastly, I'm not selling the earrings (gift to my mom) so no profit made there. Also, the homeless comment wasn't needed as it is very unrelated to this whole thing.

 

[GibH]

So sorry to hear that the Charities are not providing you with profits. When you realized their mistakes, did you go back and make any donations to the charity from your profits?

Perhaps go direct, and shake down the homeless for your material?



oh really, and you see nothing wrong with this (and wonder why they have closed)

Dumbest reply I've seen in a while. Since when should a customer feel guilty about supporting a business?

 

[boogeyman]

Wow! Hard crowd!!!! Three of the thrift stores I hit weekly aren't charities. Good Will is just a business masquerading as a charity. Just my opinion here, but if someone walked into my place and made a score like that my first thought would be jeeze! I need to brush up a little, buy some new price guides or maybe do a little computer researching. We're ALL in this to make a buck period! If the store has more than one employee somebody should be in the back at the very least getting Fleabay prices. They made some money on things that were donated (ie: free). check! OP made or will make some money when sold. check! When OPs buyer sells hopefully they'll make some bucks. check! It's business my friends!!

 

[vwayne1]

DFW Ther, the comment about the internet sales was mine. I looked back and really didn't complete my thought on that. My point was, that like most of us, the thrift stores are also selling online. Some of them don't manage this well and have nothing to offer their walk in customers, hence the store closings. And others, with multiple locations, take in items, sell a lot online and are able to close some locations due to heavy online sales.

 

[Beachkid23]

I got an email today from a place I consign jewelry at they are closing their doors after 36 years. I called them and asked why and they said a death in the family. Sometimes It just take something small to shut the doors. A death in the family, people shopping online. Health insurance, wages, employee theft, or someone wants out of the business or wants to retire. Stinks when it happens. But more come along. Usually in the same location if they were successful another store may pop up in its place.

 

[JimDon]

The big issue now is finding volunteers or people to run the stores. There are a lot better jobs out there.

 

[diggummup]

The big issue now is finding volunteers or people to run the stores. There are a lot better jobs out there.

 

[Paleo_joe]

It's retail, the most hated of minimum wage jobs. And if you're going to have to work a job that pays below the poverty line, then even WalMart would be better than a thrift shop.

 

[Butter Hat]

ALL our local thrift stores closed years ago, except for those run by churches. And those are very picked-over.