We recognize that the concept of "set your own price" can be off-putting to some customers. Here are some guidelines to help our customers navigate our "set your own price" system:
The following people should expect to pay NOTHING at “Jackie’s Attic:”
1. Social workers, probation officers, group home employees, foster parents, teachers, etc. who are picking up needed items (clothing, furniture, a pot, pan, plates, utensils, etc.) for clients
2. People who do not have any money and are picking up needed items (clothing, furniture, a pot, pan, plates, utensils, etc.) for themselves
3. People who are taking something we are happy to get rid of (a coffee mug, a book, a throw pillow, a picture frame, a bag of foul-smelling, stained women’s clothes from 1974)
The following people might wish to offer a few bucks:
1. People who are buying several items that no one needs (cat figurines, a few VHS tapes, 30 coffee mugs)
2. People who asked me to wrap something up, carry a couch to their car, or deliver a dresser to Grand Rapids for them
3. People who knock down my wall of books and shatter the glass shelving on a priceless antique hutch and bounced a $30 check the last time they were at the shop
The following people might wish to offer more:
1. People who want to help fund the work that we do
2. People who understand that they would be paying FAR more, often for the exact product, at Hobby Lobby or Goodwill
3. People who are going to sell the item elsewhere for profit
We want to assure all our customers that the owners/volunteers are not making money from sales. If a volunteer suggests an alternate price point for 30 boxes of goods it is not so they can personally get rich. Rather, our volunteers are just making good-faith efforts to help as many people as possible without encouraging hoarding, greed or exploitation.
