Bring it on!

Ever been to a Goodwill outlet store? We have one in Salem and I have driven past it for years - YEARS. People have told me they have bins, just a bunch of bins that you paw through and then you pay by the pound. As much as I love junking and treasure-hunting, the idea of digging through bins didn't sound all that appealing. And for some strange reason, I thought it was mainly clothing. Then, last Thursday night in my Visual Journaling class, one of the ladies was sharing all the things she has found digging through the bins. Well, she got my interest and so on Friday morning I made the drive to Portland Road. I wanted to get there early before things got too busy, but when I arrived it was already busy because THE PLACE OPENS AT 8:00 AM! (And it is open until 8:00 PM - that's 12 hours of shopping possibilities!).

I snapped a photo of the first bin I came upon - games, glorious games. Most of the pieces had long ago fallen out of the boxes, which required digging through the detritus on top. I noticed people were digging with long wooden sticks; one woman was wearing utility gloves. Ummmm, not a bad idea. I found a long stick-like affair and started to dig myself. It didn't take long for me to get the hang of it.


After about 30 minutes of pawing, here is what my cart looked like:


I had been warned about what happens when new bins are brought out - basically I had been told to "stay away." From a distance, I saw people lined up along parallel yellow lines, the lines marking where the fresh bins are positioned. I snapped a photo of the people waiting waiting waiting - and as I dug through bins, I watched for the protocol of going through the new arrivals. I'm not sure there was a protocol, so I mosied on over and did a little dumpster diving myself (the people going through the new bins are in the far distance, bent over and enjoying the fresh merchandise - I didn't want to be too obvious about snapping photos!).


So did I find much? You betcha. Here is my trunk, laden with goodies (including a plastic shopping cart for the grandkids, a child-size skateboard, and a pink Barbie convertible). I'll be going back again - soon.