Programs
Resale Stores 101
Nearly a year ago, we shared a blog about where recycled textiles go once they have been donated to a bin, or to a resale store. From sorting to consolidating to grading to their final destination, recycled textiles can go on to have a lengthy second life after you choose to donate them.
So what happens when your donations are placed in the store for resale? Are they simply resold as is, in the same condition you dropped them off? What do resale stores do with the money from sales? And do all salvageable items go on the floor?
Behind the Scenes
The behind the scenes look at local and chain resale stores is quite fascinating. Many stores go the extra mile to repair or clean salvageable donations with minor problems before placing them on the sales floor. Skilled craftsmen are employed in addition to those on the sales floor to repair these minor fixes.
“Upholstery is cleaned, and couches are shampooed, cleaned and sanitized. Electronics are plugged in to make sure they work. Donated mattresses are taken apart and rebuilt by a company before being resold at the store…In the woodshop, workers go through pieces of furniture. ‘If it’s salvageable, they’ll clean it up, make minor repairs if they can,’ Burleigh said.” (Read more here)
However, not all donations are salvageable. So what do resale stores do with these items?
“Furniture and other items that aren’t fit for sale in the Salvation Army store because they’re stained or defective are taken to the As-Is warehouse behind the processing center to await public auctions on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings. Store merchandise not sold within three weeks also gets auctioned.”
This is why in our previous posts we have pointed out that it is important to make sure your donated items like electronics are in working condition. A working toaster or cd player is going to bring in more money for the resale store than a broken one, which may not bring in any. The sale of these items puts money back into the community and supports charitable causes.
Partner Programs
In addition to the two options of sales floor or auction, resale stores have partnership programs with local and/or national businesses and organizations:
“Goodwill participates in the Dell Reconnect program, in which computers that can’t be refurbished are recycled, and Dell pays Goodwill for the materials. Another partnership is with the nonprofit Shared Knowledge Literacy Foundation, which looks for unsold books with high-value titles that can be sold online.”
Many other resale stores also find local programs that can offer mutually beneficial partnerships, such as a thrift store in Virginia that donates books to “The Up Center for literacy programs.”
Partnership programs is where Chicago Textile Recycling fits in with resale stores. We have a partnership program with over 40 local Chicagoland resale stores to help them raise funds from their unsaleable clothing, purses, shoes and belts. Acting as a consolidator for these stores, we partner with them so that they too can raise money for local charities just like the bigger name resale stores.
Where Does the Money Go?
The next question you may be wondering is what do resale stores do with the money made from your donations? Of course some of the money has to go back into paying the store’s rent and utilities and paying employees, but the remaining profit oftentimes goes back into community programs and local charities. “All the money made in local Goodwill stores goes back to community programs – job training and career development for people with disabilities or obstacles such as homelessness.”
Resale stores have a variety of programs they support with the money made from sales:
“All proceeds raised by local stores go toward the Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center, which houses 114 men for six months to a year as they fight drug and alcohol addictions. To feed them three meals a day costs $20,000 a month, Burleigh said, in addition to expenses such as heat, water and electricity.”
Local (non-chain) resale stores typically have other community programs and charitable causes they work with. Many stores in our own Chicagoland area support homeless shelters, low-income families, and other programs.
This is why here at CTR we believe so strongly in what we do. Many of our recyclers previously gave their excess to the big guys – and then weren’t able to raise funds for their own critical programs. We stepped in and began consolidating all their unsaleable items with those from other local small business resale stores. The money they make from our purchase of those items goes back into our city supporting many great and vital programs in the community. We love supporting the people in our city and local small businesses while also caring for our planet.
Donations to Sales Floor or Somewhere Else?
After your donations have been sorted, there are many options as to where they can eventually wind up. As stated earlier and in previous blog posts, some donations go to auction, some to other countries, some to make rags or insulation, and some to the sales floor or local shelters.
“At the Union Mission Ministries store in Norfolk, in-house use is the top priority. ‘The first thing we do when we get items donated like clothing, we see where we can use it in our shelters,’ said Linda Jones, the mission’s public relations director. The approximately 350 people in the shelters get free clothing, and if they move into apartments, they are given household items. The next priority: poor people in the community, who receive vouchers and can pick out items from the store for free.
Whatever’s left after that is open for sale to the public, Jones said.”
Another resale store owner shared about a similar end for donations,
“Clothing that doesn’t sell is given to shelters for people in need, and linens that are stained or otherwise can’t be sold are donated to local animal shelters and animal hospitals, said Frances Ross, the Norfolk store’s assistant manager.”
Where We Fit In
Here at Chicago Textile Recycling, we support small resale stores so that they can turn around and give to local shelters and other charitable organizations. Many cannot generate the volume of larger stores, so we purchase clothing items that are unsaleable and typically send them to a business who specializes in sorting and processing. We specifically serve as a consolidator and help fill full truckloads of baled unsaleable textiles (43,000 lbs at a time). This allows small resale stores to raise funds the same way the bigger name resale stores do and support their local nonprofits.
This is one big reason thrift or resale stores are so vital in our communities. They work to provide thousands of people with clothing and other household goods.
Why Choose Resale
Here are some of the many ways resale stores are important for our economy and the health of our planet:
- They “employ tens of thousands of people”
- “Generates at least $18 billion in annual revenue”
- “Keeps an enormous amount of used stuff out of landfills”
- “Contributes billions each year to social-service and job-training programs that are crucial to communities nationwide”
(Statistics found here)
After understanding the myriad of ways resale stores benefit our communities and planet, where CTR fits in as a partner to resale stores, and knowing the problems fast fashion potentially create, why not choose resale for all of your shopping needs?
Amongst those who took the survey, the room most likely to get deep cleaned was the bathroom: “46% reported that the bathroom was the room they most likely chose to ‘deep clean’.” As you clean the bathroom this Spring, remember to declutter as well. Check the drawers and closets in your bathroom to assess which towels and washcloths no longer get used or absorb as they should. Check also your beach towel stash for the summer ahead and recycle any beach towels that you no longer need or use. Lastly, If you are looking to give your bathroom an inexpensive makeover, also remember to recycle your cloth shower curtain. For information about recycling bins and partner stores nearest to you, please 
The second most likely room to be deep cleaned (with 36%) according to the survey was the kitchen. This is usually comprised of pulling ovens and refrigerators out to sweep underneath or behind, deep cleaning the oven and fridge, sinks and stovetops, and mopping or scrubbing floors. As you complete these tedious but necessary tasks, look around at the textiles in this room also and see what needs to be recycled. Kitchen towels, non-vinyl tablecloths, table runners, cloth placemats and oven mitts at times will need an overhaul, and when they do, remember to recycle these items and do not throw them away.
The next room most likely (10%) to be deep cleaned this spring is the living room. Although we do not accept pillows or rugs, we do accept pillow covers, sofa covers, drapes or curtains, and blankets that you may find in your living room. Even if it is tattered, stained or contains holes, please donate it so that we can best decide how to give it another life elsewhere. For where to donate your rugs, carpets or pillows, check out our previous blog about 
From those surveyed, seven percent answered they deep cleaned bedrooms as well during spring cleaning. Bedrooms are where the majority of textiles can be found in your home as bedding and clothes constitute the majority of what we own in textiles. As you move your bed aside to vacuum underneath and dust dressers and bookshelves, take the time to declutter as well in your spring cleaning and clean out your closets, dressers and excess bedding. No matter how you go about the process, it will feel good to go through and assess what you already own, what you may need, what no longer fits or is no longer in good shape to wear and recycle those items you’ve realized are not getting worn.
One area of your home not mentioned by those who took the survey but equally important in cleaning out this season are your closets, such as linen closets, hall closets, and front closets. At Chicago Textile Recycling, we accept sheets, bedspreads, jackets, coats, scarves, hats, mittens, and quilts in addition to those items mentioned above such as handbags and backpacks. All of these items may be ones only found in extra closets around the house, so be sure to clean these out as well before making a trip to the donation bin or resale store. 
Twenty-two percent of survey respondents cited decluttering as their primary reason for spring cleaning each year. If you are a part of that 22%, or even if you aren’t, try decluttering as a part of your spring cleaning this year and see if living with less reduces anxiety and makes you feel better in the space where you live. “Women’s stress levels are directly proportional to the amount of stuff in their homes.” I have found this to be true in my home. I feel more relaxed when there are less piles on each tabletop and when things are put away in their proper place. According to the National Soap and Detergent Association, “getting rid of clutter eliminates 40% of housework in the average home.” Who wouldn’t want less housework?!
