Shopper sparks outrage with photo of absurd sighting at thrift store: 'This is honestly one of the worst ones I've seen'

A shopper took to the r/ThriftGrift subreddit to share their discontent with a price listing for a pair of jars at their local Goodwill. 

"I was told you all would appreciate this insanity," they wrote under the post, which shows a pair of large jars, one containing marbles and the other various buttons and sewing equipment, both listed for $60.    

The description lists them as "handpicked" by Goodwill itself, which the user and others in the comments found hard to believe. 

"Handpicked is a fancy way of saying scooped from the garbage without gloves," one user said. 

Although thrift stores are known for reusing or reselling items that would otherwise be thrown away and end up in landfills, they hardly ever mark up prices to this degree. 

For example, another shopper found a vintage Alessi teapot, normally worth over $300, for just $3 at their local secondhand shop. 

According to data from the Environmental Protection Agency, of the 2.2 million tons of small appliances tossed in 2018, only 5.6% was actually recycled. It noted that 18.5% was combusted for energy recovery, while 75.9% was tossed into a landfill. 

This can cause heavy metals and other toxic substances to leach into soil and waterways, ultimately harming surrounding plants, animals, and even humans.   

Thrift stores tackle this issue by keeping appliances and other items out of landfills by offering bargains on common household items. This can help consumers save hundreds of dollars per year. 

However, rare instances of price gouging like this can sow distrust and cause people to avoid shopping at thrift stores, especially if the items for sale are not unique. 

Would you buy formal clothes from a thrift store? Yes 💯 I already have 😎 Depends on the event 🤔 Nope 🙅 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

"It would be one thing if the buttons and marbles were truly vintage but the marbles in this pic look brand new," one user pointed out. "Actually I recognise some of them from the packs you get at the Dollarama." 

"This is honestly one of the worst ones I've seen lol," another user added.

This is why it is important to call out this level of grift to discourage thrift stores from engaging in anti-consumer practices that push shoppers away rather than draw them in.

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