Osprey - 4-12-2014 at 04:53 PM
Charity and Fashion at Good Will
A long time ago I worked for a well-known insurance agency in Las Vegas at a time the boss was moving from sales to management. He sometimes called me
into his office to give me one of his accounts to service.
“George, here’s the Good Will store file. Go say hello to Bill Saphire, the manager, nice guy, you know where it is, just four blocks up by the bank.”
I had never been in the place so on my first call to see the guy I had to wait a few minutes because he was busy on the phone and I spent the time
just walking around the place. There were racks and racks of used clothing and I found several sport coats that were close to my size. I couldn’t
believe my ears when the counter girl told me they were $5 each. After a pleasant meeting I bought 5 of them, dropped them off at the cleaners to be
tailored and dry cleaned.
Vegas being what it is, I had checked them all for bullet holes or stab holes. Also the town is ground zero for quick and easy U.S. divorces, home to
hundreds of thousands of retirees so when some casino big wheel dies, some old retired golfer gets his last Mulligan, the widows do the right thing
and call Good Will.
This was my first time wearing somebody else's clothes. My dad worked the gambling circuit for the mob during the recession in the 30s when I was
growing up so we didn’t have to wear hand me downs or second hand anything. Now I wondered who the former owners of these fine coats were. All of them
dead and buried I suppose and most were pretty well off, no bums or day laborers regularly dressed that well. One of the jackets was a pricey mohair I
had seen advertised for $450 dollars even way back then so I was pleased at the complements I received for my new/old duds.
My weight was bouncing around some at that time in my life and when I put on weight, I would visit the store, donate the old coats and buy new ones
that fit me better – I saw that as a win-win for everybody. Then I lost some weight again and had to make another swap trip to my client. Even heaven
doesn’t last forever; I inadvertently bought back one of my previous purchases! One of the guys at work pointed it out.
It hit me right in the face; I’m renting my clothes from Good Will Industries. Looking good in the neighborhood or just the cheapest skate in the
rink? Well, I’m old now and the shame has dimmed a bit. I make no excuses and I expect no fist pumps or kudos. I just blame it on the town and the
times.
BajaBlanca - 4-12-2014 at 07:44 PM
Great yarn! As always.
bajalearner - 4-13-2014 at 07:52 AM
I like the story, but I sense some guilt and I don't understand why you would have any. But I am 60 years old and have worked since my first paper
route at age 12 so getting something nice and at a good price is the smart way to go.
durrelllrobert - 4-13-2014 at 08:08 AM
I have a fully lined button down cashmere sweater with a Niemen Marcus tag that I bought at Goodwill for$5. Retail price $245
Osprey - 4-13-2014 at 08:40 AM
Learner, I'm 77 years old but I still shrink at the thought of some jerk at a c-cktail thing saying "See that guy over there. He RENTS his clothes
from Good Will."
bajalearner - 4-13-2014 at 09:36 AM
I don't shrink at anyone's need to feed their ego.
I Used to Shop at Goodwill
Gypsy Jan - 4-13-2014 at 09:45 AM
For clothing for myself and my then young daughter when I was a struggling single mother, trying to take care of my family.
My ex-mother-in-law made a point of listing this in the divorce papers as "a sign of negligence".
[Edited on 4-13-2014 by Gypsy Jan]
watizname - 4-13-2014 at 12:09 PM
One of my mom's friends was one of the best dressed ladies in her group of ladies at Tahoe, when my parents lived up there. She would go to the
thrift stores, buy expensive, carefully used things, and take them home and make alterations herself. Like I said, she was usually dressed to the
nines, and turned a lot of heads. She bragged about how little she had to spend. 