Second market TVs

As we prepare for some remodeling, we're trying to get rid of things that are simply taking up precious space. I've been lucky to sell a handful of things on Craigslist. We've also made several trips to Goodwill for things that aren't worth selling or are too time consuming to deal with.

On this trip, we dropped off an old CD-ROM read-write drive, a box of random kitchen items, and a 27" Sony television with its original remote and box.

I have lurked in a couple of the local Goodwill stores for the past six months, but Tim hasn't been inside a store since he first moved to his last apartment some eight years ago. He was curious so we took a stroll through the store. I think he was also curious to see what might happen to his tv.

As we entered, it was clear that Sunday is a popular day to shop at Goodwill. The parking lot was pretty much full and the store was bustling. At the far right wall, we could see televisions displayed along the wall. Just over to the left there was a couple and elderly man examining a tv on the linoleum floor, preparing to plug it into the wall.

Tim spotted a large Sony XBR tv and noted that the price tag read "$69.99." Not a second passed before the elderly man helping the couple pointed at the tv and claimed it was his. There were a couple other people looking at the selection of electronics and discussing with others the selection of tvs available. I felt kind of sad to think our effort to keep Tim's tv pristine and well-packaged would be for not once they dump the tv on the store floor and the remote into a box of tangle cables and random remotes.

I guess with the switch over to digital television, this is a good time to cheaply upgrade those little 20" tvs. While the better off upgrade to LCDs and plasmas, the financially challenged get to enjoy bargain prices on big tvs. Do you think all these buyers know that they need to be a DTV converter? I suppose it's nice to know that someone will appreciate the tv.

On our way out of the store, I realized why there were so many people in the store. A small board posted days when the store offered additional discounts on selected items. It just so happened that Sunday from 3pm to 6pm, the entire store was an additional 30% off. Wow, what a deal on electronics and anything else in general. It's definitely like going to a collection of garage sales - go early and often.

It's rare I find anything I want to buy at the thrift stores, but I must say they can be a great place to pick up deals. You can bet that when it's time to buy my kid kitchen stuff for college, it's going to be second-hand stuff.