For-Profit Consignment Shops can Support Not-for-Profit Thrift Shops…even if they don’t want donations.
We discussed how NFP stores can expand their presence in the resale industry recently, because NFPs were saying they didn’t get enough charity-specific attention from NARTS as paid members, nor free information from my TGtbT Family of Sites for Resale Professionals. So I produced, as my donation to charities of all sorts, a free article they can download from TGtbT.com: How NFPs Can Profit by Reaching out to Resale Peers
I can relate to their plight of feeling like Cinderella in the ashes. After all, I volunteer at a NFP: it’s volunteer-run and it gives to charity, but it’s a consignment shop (talk about minorities within the larger industry!) And if items aren’t what our customers will buy, or if it doesn’t sell in its allotted time, they are passed on to various thrift stores. Not all NFPs, however, want these items, as I read this month.
In the NARTS member newsletter a manager of a not-for-profit shop, while discussing how she helps resale peers, stated
we are not interested in NTY (no thank yous) or OD (out of date) merchandise in our shops … the less fortunate are not interested in it either. We give that stuff away for “rag”.
Well, that puzzled me. She says her NFP shop does not want unsold goods from for-profit resale shops? I always imagined, as a for-profit shopkeeper, that when I gave items not quite good enough to sell at my price point, that these would still be at least as good as their donations from individuals and sellable at “thrift store prices.” And the ODs, accepted items which didn’t happen to sell, culled from my on-the-floor stock simply because I needed the room? Why, I thought, there’s some good deals here for them to sell.
What else can we do if they can’t use our merchandise?
Well, I guess that NARTS article means we shouldn’t burden them with actual stuff, because whatever it is, they’ll just give it to the ragman. But we all want to see our NFP peers do well… so I offer these suggestions to for-profit shops, if your neighbor charity stores spurn actual merchandise to sell.
1- We can shop there. That’s almost the most direct way we can help the charity. The most direct way, of course, is to write a check to the charity, bypassing their retail outlet completely.
2- We might offer our expertise and physical help in rearranging the store, doing displays and so on. That might be misinterpreted though, so be leery of giving offense.
3- We can urge them to participate in mutual advertising, town-wide promotional events, and local market Shop Resale! brochures.
4- Well…number 4 was going to be that we could donate underused fixtures, but I guess if our NTYs and ODs aren’t the quality they want, that showcase or T-stand wouldn’t be, either.
What can you add to this list of what else for-profit shops can do to reach out to the not-for-profit resalers in our communities?
Read how NFPs can reach out to their resale peers.
Download my free PDQ How NFPs Can Profit by Reaching out to Resale Peers even if you’re not a non-profit thrift shop, if you like.
Learn more about NARTS.
Auntie Kate The Resale Expert 
Wow! How rude, that was my first thought. My daughter has a NFP that would truly love to get donations from the consignment community in our area. I volunteer for my daughter and there is no way that she would ever treat a donor in that manner. We have some homeless patrons who bring in there clothing and they are treated like any other donor. We forward donate any unusable items to another charity who has employees that mend clothing, treat stains and they are given to the less fortunate who are great full to have a change of clothing of any kind. It sounds like that person needs a career change! Wonder what her mission statement is?
Just found your website and it is wonderful. I will share it with my daughter, We are relatively new to this, (1.5 years) and need all the help we can get.
Thanks for all the wonderful info.
This is my goal with my shop! 💕 I want low income moms to be able to come “shop” my discards and learn to fix them either sewing or stain removal etc. so inspiring!
Interesting as we decided several years ago to open another shop and stock it with our unsolds that were to be donated. We donate all of our net profits to a local women’s shelter and it has been a win-win situation for all.
Check out Revente’s Second Chances on FB.
Over on Facebook, which “syndicates” Auntie Kate as a column, several resale shopkeepers have commented:
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ThisnThat Thrift: As a NFP affiliated thrift store if it wasn’t for the consignment shops donating their expired stock I’d be ‘just another’ thrift store! I am blessed to have a wonderful relationship with a couple of consignment stores AND I let my customers and donors (esp the higher end ones) know that they should support these consignment shops as strongly as they support us.
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Carolyn Barter Kate, I am wondering if what the narts member was saying is that they don’t want no thank yous that might be unaccepted because of stains, or whatever, and maybe od’s mean outdated merchandise, as in not current enought to sell…I really do think they would want items that did not sell in our time frame, or had to be culled because of space. It could be just one stores opinion….but all your above ideas are also wonderful
Thanks to both ThisnThat and Carolyn.
I certainly agree, TnT, with your comments; I was just flabbergasted by the published statement which seemed unnecessarily divisive and dismissive.
And yes, Carolyn, perhaps she meant what you stated, but I am still puzzled at the attitude. I think NFPs and FPs alike can agree that (most) thrifts can sell things that (most) consignment and resale shops cannot. Example: 2005-style jeans for $5 would be a probable sale in a thrift, but not, by virtue of style or price point, something most for-profits could afford to stock. Therefore, should we send these jeans to the landfill rather than passing them through to the charity shop? The article seems to say NFPs don’t want these (which, by the kindest interpretation, are both NTY and OD from the viewpoint of the for-profit shop.)
We stop “donating” to thrifts a long time for the very reason quoted in your post. We now give our consignors donations to the American Cancer Society and boy, do they appreciate them! About once a quarter, we get a personal note from the manger thanking us and telling us how her customers love our donations!
How about this…she called us last month and offered to do a joint press release highlighting our donations. Wow, what a nice offer and it really gave us a boost in sales (we’re down over 25% this year)!
Forget your local thrift. Donate to an organization that appreciates your consignors’ donations!
Thanks, Wilda, for your comment. You donate to an ACS free pantry/closet? Versus an ACS thrift store? And you stopped donated to thrift stores because they didn’t want your items?