Should we expect cheap prices at the thrift shop?

I know!!! Wasn't that video about the Ro-Ro carriers fascinating? And now we understand why things cost more, and it's cool to think some of our cars crossed the ocean on a boat! Basically a giant floating parking garage! 

I am home. And I'm unpacked! I'm on a tight turnaround, and I didn't want to keep my samples in the suitcase longer than necessary. Plus, I have to do laundry today. So that's all good! The bonus is that I already have almost 1000 steps - something I didn't get many of while I was away. 

But let's take a look at what happened yesterday. 

It was a lovely morning, so I took a LONG walk to the End of the Pier! Actually, I was following another Adventure Lab, and that's what it was called. The beautiful path along the shore, and in total, the walk was about 6 K, which is my usual morning walk with the girls. 

This was the view back towards Lion's Gate Bridge at the End of the Pier!

The End of the Pier

There was a fundraising tree display near that pier, and when I quickly passed it on the way out, I had no idea what this was. It was only when I was walking back that two ladies said, "Oh, these are the gnome trees!" Duh --- I totally get it, but I think I was too close to the trees the first time. Pretty cute! And original - at least to me. 

The gnome trees

Of course, there were loads of seagulls and other waterfowl. It was fascinating to watch them as many flew just above the water's surface. What was that all about? And when they come in for a landing, well, they make loads of noise. 

Seagull along the shore

I had packed up before I left for the walk, so when I got back to the house, I took Mister Bear for one last walk. He is so slow! It's going to be two FAST walks this morning! I can hardly wait. But he is so darn cute! And very much full of attitude! 

Are you talking to me?

I passed this shop on my way to M's house, but, of course, I couldn't take a picture while driving. So what's this all about? A Value Village Boutique? I guess all the high-end stuff goes there. The outfits in the window were very coordinated. I didn't get a chance to stop. 

Value Village Boutique

OK --- a quick Google search reveals they are smaller stores that mostly carry clothing and accessories, not the wide range of items at regular Value Village stores. Now here's the thing about Value Village or any other thrift shop. THRIFT does not mean inexpensive. They have overhead, salaries, and other expenses to deal with. I am not a fan of hearing people complain about prices. Yes—like all stores, you must be careful, and yes, some items are overpriced!

But let's take a puzzle, for example. A good 1000-piece puzzle costs between $20 and $30 today. You can find them at Value Village for $6.99, and if you are a senior or have a coupon, you get 20% off. So, isn't that a bargain? Do you expect them to be $1? You can't even find anything for $1 at the dollar stores any longer. The same with books—buy 5, get 1 free (I think that is the deal). Books are expensive to buy in a store. Books at Value Village are $4-10, depending on the type of book, so that is still a great deal and comparable to a dedicated used bookstore! 

Yes -- some things are "expensive", but look at the price of the comparable item in a regular store. Not cheap! I got a fantastic pair of name-brand black jeans for $6 at Value Village. One must watch, one must compare, and one must be prepared to pay SOME money. And yes, there are things I leave at the store because I don't think it's worth the price they charge! 

Now you might say that everything was donated, so it should be cheaper. Hmmm—did you consider the cost of dealing with those donated items? I would bet that more than half of what is donated is GARBAGE, and they have to pay to have that garbage removed. Never mind the sorting and whatever else they do. They have a HUGE sorting area in each store. They do not just take your items from your donation box and hang them up! There is a processing cost! 

So don't expect things to be cheap. The idea of a thrift store is to search, find a "bargain," but more importantly, to find something that you can't find anywhere else, and hopefully for less money!

And Value Village is a FOR-PROFIT store. It's always been, always will be! It is not a charity shop!

OH - how did I get that picture? It was on the way to the airport. If you are coming or going from Vancouver proper or the north shore, the only way to get to the airport is to go right through downtown. So while I was a passenger in the car, I snapped that photo. 

And then I got to the airport, with my favorite tiles on the bathroom walls. 

Tiles in the Vancouver Airport

I once designed a quilt for A Needle Pulling Thread magazine based on those tiles. I didn't have a picture handy, but a friend happened to be in Vancouver, and I asked her to send me a photo! You can read all about that story here. 

I was sitting almost at the back of the plane, so it took a while to get off. I really, really hate it when people start pushing, and there is NO room to go! Patience!!!!! But I got off, and my luggage came through - again, people pushing! And they line up in the boarding zones way before it's time. What's the rush? We all have a seat and a few seconds here, and there will NOT change your life when boarding or unboarding a plane. If you have connection issues, the airline is aware. And if they are not, make them aware! 

The girls were, of course, very excited to see me. We had stopped at Tim's because I wanted soup. It was later in the evening, and I hadn't eaten much all day. They accidentally gave us three chocolate Timbits. I gave one to Lexi, and she took it outside and hopefully ate it. Murphy just stared at it. WHAT? 

MOM? I'm not allowed to eat people food! 

Usually, she just gobbles anything in front of her! 

And there she is - watching TV again. She likes to bark, depending on what's on, and I'm not usually there to guide her through her exuberance. However, since I was eating my soup, I just said a few words, and she didn't bark once. If I hadn't been there? Well, that would have been a different story. Dogs, like people, need some guidance to help them through stressful situations. DH should know by now. But he lets things go until they have escalated. Sigh...........

MOM - I LOVE the Christmas commercials! 

I couldn't help myself. After I ate, I dug out my Noro yarn afghan. OH!!!! I see I have even started the sashing. I knew exactly where it was, and there were a few other surprises in this bag, as well as a few more in the cupboard where the bag was stored. OK—I need to get that knitting done! 

My Noro yarn afghan

And there's the drawer with all the knitting needles and crochet hooks. Yep—everything's neat and organized! And I know where it is - that's very important. 

Needles and hooks

Speaking of neat and organized, I should mention that the two suitcases are unpacked, but that doesn't mean everything has been dealt with. The items were sorted - what goes in Studio U, what goes to Studio B, and what goes in the laundry. I still have to sort and put away the items. Studio U needs a good clean-up, now that all the events are over for the year. And I want to set up a jigsaw puzzle. 

There are items on the cutting table in Studio B that I'll deal with later today as I work on a customer quilt. 

So this happened last night. It started about midnight, and there are a few inches to contend with this morning. UGH - welcome home to Ontario! 

Winter wonderland

I had a bit of trouble falling asleep, so I got up and read. I had a chuckle because the book I picked to read is set in Toronto, and the family just moved from Vancouver! It's creepy - it's very creepy from the first sentence! Yikes!!!! 

Here's one more blog post from QUILTsocial. Today it's all about another machine embroidery technique called Thread Velvet using the Husqvarna Viking Designer Topaz 65. I LOVE the textured embroideries!!!

Well, on that note, I've got oodles to get done today, and I had better get started! And nice to have the blog back on schedule! 

Have a super day! 

Ciao!!!