I'm a member of a few op-shop Facebook pages and there's a running theme which goes through these pages... and it never ends.
It's the donation of goods at the large bins outside the op-shop/thrift stores for the public to leave their goods.
Now that the Christmas Holidays are over, every man and his dog are out there decluttering their homes for the new Christmas gifts they've received. Now, this is a good thing to do - but delivering those unwanted goods is another thing all together.
I have never dropped off my goods for donation at the bins of an op-shop - ever! The simple reason is because while it's next to that bin, anything can happen to it. It could rain, and the bags could leak; thus ruining the clothes I've lovingly washed, folded and put into that bag. And who knows how long they'll be sitting there until a volunteer comes along to pick them up?
Or if it's furniture, somebody of the public could come along and throw it onto the road or sleep on it, urinate on it (thinking it's funny - and yes this happens)... or Mother Nature could play a part again in being herself again and wreck the furniture.
Now, I've been seeing photos of the bags and boxes of items left overnight and all of those boxes and bags have been ripped opened by people who just won't leave things be. It's not theirs to open, and take what they want - and yes, it's called stealing and for those who want to be religious about it, it is a sin - and after you've gotten what you want (or not found what you were hoping to find in that box), it's often something you can't close up again.
So, the right way to donate your unwanted items is to take it into the charity store of your choice in a box or a bag.
Wrap the fragile items properly.
Wash all the clothes and fold them up.
Mend what needs mending.
Wipe down all the books you no longer need and take out the bookmarks, photos and money from within the pages (yes I've found money inside books I've bought).
And most of all, make sure you deliver your preloved items with as much care as you did when you first bought them.
It doesn't take much to be a good person when it comes to donating your goods. Just be thoughtful about how you go about it, and you'll find that your charity store will pay you back three-fold when you go in there looking for items you need in your house later on.
It's the donation of goods at the large bins outside the op-shop/thrift stores for the public to leave their goods.
Now that the Christmas Holidays are over, every man and his dog are out there decluttering their homes for the new Christmas gifts they've received. Now, this is a good thing to do - but delivering those unwanted goods is another thing all together.
I have never dropped off my goods for donation at the bins of an op-shop - ever! The simple reason is because while it's next to that bin, anything can happen to it. It could rain, and the bags could leak; thus ruining the clothes I've lovingly washed, folded and put into that bag. And who knows how long they'll be sitting there until a volunteer comes along to pick them up?
Or if it's furniture, somebody of the public could come along and throw it onto the road or sleep on it, urinate on it (thinking it's funny - and yes this happens)... or Mother Nature could play a part again in being herself again and wreck the furniture.
Now, I've been seeing photos of the bags and boxes of items left overnight and all of those boxes and bags have been ripped opened by people who just won't leave things be. It's not theirs to open, and take what they want - and yes, it's called stealing and for those who want to be religious about it, it is a sin - and after you've gotten what you want (or not found what you were hoping to find in that box), it's often something you can't close up again.
So, the right way to donate your unwanted items is to take it into the charity store of your choice in a box or a bag.
Wrap the fragile items properly.
Wash all the clothes and fold them up.
Mend what needs mending.
Wipe down all the books you no longer need and take out the bookmarks, photos and money from within the pages (yes I've found money inside books I've bought).
And most of all, make sure you deliver your preloved items with as much care as you did when you first bought them.
It doesn't take much to be a good person when it comes to donating your goods. Just be thoughtful about how you go about it, and you'll find that your charity store will pay you back three-fold when you go in there looking for items you need in your house later on.
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