Donation Changes at the Mercer Island Thrift Shop

August 28, 2024 - The Mercer Island Thrift Shop proudly offers a curated selection of goods in ideal condition for sale. The community's generous donations keep inventory flowing, yet the Thrift Shop receives many more items than they can sell – some items simply don’t fit what customers are looking for, or exceed the amount of inventory they can process. Here’s more on this process and what’s changing:

When items are donated to the Thrift Shop, they are sorted by dedicated volunteers who determine what items should be put out on the floor or listed online. Items that don’t fit the small shop’s inventory needs, have imperfections, or are hard to clean, are sold in bulk to a partner organization who can sell or repurpose them. Sometimes, they receive items that are soiled or unusable and Thrift Shop staff must dispose of them to the landfill at an expense.

On average, the Mercer Island Thrift Shop wholesaled 37,000 pounds per month of items they cannot sell at the shop to Goodwill which are sorted and sold through their retail stores. Goodwill recently implemented changes where they are no longer purchasing bulk items from other organizations, meaning this partnership has come to an end. Thrift Shop staff are now searching for additional options to sort through and maximize the impact of all donated items while keeping the shop from overflowing.

What does this mean for Islanders? We are asking the community to be extra-mindful when donating items. Please only donate goods that are clean, functional, and fit the quality standards you have come to expect when shopping at the Thrift Shop. Please avoid adding items that are heavily worn, broken, or need to be recycled or disposed of (scratched Teflon pans, stained clothing, deeply scuffed shoes, for example). This helps ensure we can maximize your donations to benefit Youth and Family Services and avoid hefty disposal fees for items they simply can’t sell.

Some items that the Thrift Shop could use at this time are back-to-school goods (coats and backpacks in good condition), fall sports gear (outgrown cleats or clothes, sport bags) and Halloween items (costumes and decor).

The Thrift Shop also needs to reduce donation hours until they can get another partner on board. The Thrift Shop will only accept donations Sunday through Thursday from 8:00am to 10:00am through the end of September. They are also unable to accept large-volume donations, such as estate donations, during this time.

We are thankful for the many high-quality items our community continues to donate which keep shelves full and shoppers happy. You can learn more about donations on the Thrift Shop website.