Sara writes today about Dumpster Diving.
I will add to her thoughts my own, coming from a different perspective. I’ve worked at JoAnn’s for about a year now. And they are like so many other retailers when it comes to garbage. It drives me INSANE. I have talked to the store manager about it, and will be writing letters/calling some of the higher ups when I am no longer an employee (out of a desire to not make trouble for my current managers).
When a pattern is discontinued, do you know what happens to it? It gets cut up, then thrown away. They CUT THEM UP. I have suggested that I could pull my car around and the patterns could accidently fall into my trunk, and I wasn’t kidding, but it was explained to me that that would not be possible. They have to destroy them.
I can understand it, to a certain extent. The pattern companies/the distributors don’t want to risk that someone takes their stuff for free and then sells it for a profit. And I can see where that could lead…as an employee, I could “accidently” set some patterns back until they are discontinued, purposefully not selling them, so that I can then take them as free. (I have it on good word that some chain electronics stores used to “allow” employees to set back merchandise for sometimes months, until it was marked down on clearance to 75% off.) This type of thing clearly hurts the retailer as well as the manufacturer, since it’s actually making it harder to sell product. There’s also the concern that if I’m waiting to get the patterns for free after they’re discontinued, I’m not buying them when they’re current, thus harming the companies financially, as well.
So, I get it.
But then…there’s the other perspective. The perspective that says - holy cow, you’re throwing it away! Why should it matter to you?
They also destroy seasonal merchandise that doesn’t sell. I will admit that cutting up ugly St Patricks Day decorations was fun. I was kind of grumpy the morning we were to do the destruction, and it felt goooooood to destroy things. For pay.
But part of me was screaming the whole time - can’t we donate this? isn’t there someone who would use it? I asked about Swing Des Moines taking some of the decorations, but apparently, they can only give things to nonprofits that are on their list, who have applied to National headquarters, etc., and even then, it can only be a certain amount.
THAT, I do not understand. If they’re throwing it away…why does it matter if I take it home? Why?
Same thing with bolt ends of trim and ribbons. Less than a yard, it gets thrown away. Why not take it home? Why not give it to the customer who bought the last cut from the bolt? Why not save them up in little bags and sell them as Misc Bits Of Ribbon? I mean, come on!!
I totally understand whereyou ae at with this one, Sarah. My first job was McDonald’s and for four long years of working there, it pained me to watch so much food get thrown away. Back in those ‘old days’ McDonald’s sandwiches were prepared and had a holding time of 10 minutes, after that you were supposed to toss it. To their credit, they have reduced that excessive waste with their new methods of preparation and they do a lot of good charity work, so I pray somehow that balances out.
It is pretty sick. The auto shop where my husband works is actually very good about this sort of thing. They set the old tires out behind the shop, and anyone can come in and take their luck with those with some life left. They also have managed to find a guy who burns old engine oil for fuel, and thus saves it for him. They figure if you are willing to try it or take that risk, then it is your perogative (sp?). It would anger me about the patterns and such. I have been in JoAnn’s and they offered me the last bit of cloth on a bolt when there wasn’t much left, for a discounted price, which I almost always say yes to, because, well, my sewing skills stink and a little extra never hurts anything. Why wouldn’t ribbon be any different? Walmart sells the bits as remnants for discounted prices. I sift through their bins frequently. And I would I think that they could sell discontinued patterns in the same manner as they sell remnants-just mark them down drastically. I would look through them. I am notorious for searching through the old patterns at thrift stores-that can’t be that different.
I’m not sure why trim is treated differently from Fabric. Fabric is NEVER thrown away, even if damaged. Trim, I’m not sure if it’s because it’s worth so little financially (whereas fabric is quite expensive even wholesale), or what the deal is.
The patterns…it’s not just Joann, it’s the pattern companies, and I don’t know why they won’t allow clearance. It’s the same thing with magazines that are out of date. They are destroyed. Not given away. Not sold at a discount. Destroyed. It’s the publishing companies’ policies. grrrrr.
Bookstores and (some) shoe stores have similar policies. We wore shoes with hot glued slashes through them all the time while growing up. My mother found them in the dumpster behind Payless and hot glued the damage.
Barnes and Noble has to tear paperback covers off and cut magazines in half. No discounting, no clearance. When I worked there we could take the coverless paperbacks home. The thing that always amazed me though was we’d get non salable preview “editor’s copy” books for free all the time. Those are super salable on ebay and amazon.
Students have created programs to move non usable cafeteria food to the shelters, surely the big chain diners can too. It’s a tax write off for goodness sake!
Its all maddening. Books and magazines could be donated to ICU waiting rooms or hospice where families (having gone through both situations) need something to read or do. It wouldn’t have to be acknowledged what they were, just that they were there. And then, yes, a tax write off! We take our used mags and drop them off at both places.
I bet if the companies REALLY cared, they could figure something out. Someone needs to alert Oprah, or something. I am sure she would be able to persuade someone to do some changing. (Not a big fan, just well aware of her power…)