Easy come, easy go at thrift stores

Normally, it’s a good deed for people to donate items they no longer need to thrift stores that use the proceeds to benefit their charitable services.

However, it doesn’t always work that way. Some thrift stores in the Charlottes-ville area have the per-ennial problem of people rummaging through items dropped off after business hours, leaving the stores with fewer items that they can sell to help others.

At the Salvation Army store off U.S. 29, manager William Long said he has tried to block off the entrances to prevent people from getting near the store after hours.

“People dump in our Dumpsters,” Long said. “If there’s anything left outside, they steal anything that’s good. We’re losing a lot of money.”

On Sept. 9, two Stanardsville men were sentenced to 21 days of active jail time each after being convicted of petit larceny for taking a washer and dryer on June 25 from the Salvation Army store in Albemarle County.

Andrew Sneathern, an Albemarle assistant commonwealth’s attorney, said Randy Gus Othouse Jr. and Wayne Foster Raines never admitted to stealing the items during their trial, but they did say they traded in junk in Greene County.

“I want people to know that we’re not going to tolerate that behavior,” Sneathern said.

While the local Salvation Army stores have problems with rummaging, the Goodwill stores on U.S. 29 and Pantops have reported more issues with midnight dropoffs.

Jerry Kite, the senior vice president of donated goods for Goodwill Industries of the Valleys, said the Charlottesville-area stores experience more evening dropoffs than Goodwill’s other locations do.

“For the most part, what we’re finding is the bigger items typically dumped off at night — furniture, appliances, TVs,” Kite said. “We don’t sell appliances or mattresses, but those tend to be dropped off at night.”

Items that spend the night outside after being rummaged through have to be thrown out if they are wet and dirty, Kite said. Employees spend less time in the store when they have to clean up items left in the parking lot overnight.

The motives of the evening donors vary, said Capt. Dan Matthews of the Salvation Army’s Charlottesville Corps.

“Some are real, legitimate donors,” Matthews said. “Some just drop whatever they don’t want at the Salvation Army on the weekends.”

Long said he believes that the people who rummage through items are probably looking for metal to scrap or items to sell. His location also has a problem with people dumping household trash in the garbage bin, which costs the store $125 every time it needs to be emptied.

The local thrift stores have been trying to thwart unwanted dropoffs and thefts with a combination of posting signs, chaining off the driveways, using flood lights, installing security cameras and having store employees drive by at night. Kite said Goodwill has been trying to benefit from late-night dropoffs by salvaging metal and recycling electronics.

Charlottesville and Albemarle police said they haven’t gotten many complaints about thefts. Lt. Todd Hopwood, spokesman for the Albemarle Police Department, said stores could request that police officers make an extra patrol to their location when possible.

However, not every area thrift store has problems with late-night donations. Sharon Johnson, manager of the SPCA Rummage Store, said few people drop off items when the Preston Avenue store is closed.

“We post signs to let them know,” Johnson said. “When we open up, we’re glad to take your stuff.”

Despite the problems that the late-night dropoffs cause, Kite said Goodwill is thankful for the donations it gets.

“The Charlottesville-Albemarle-Greene area is so supportive of Goodwill and so generous,” Kite said. “That market is one of our best donor markets. We really do appreciate their contributions to us.”