She wrote, "...all the great diversity Vallejo has to offer."

From http://www.examiner.com/x-2336-Vallejo-Community-Examiner~y2009m2d4-The-second-coming--Great-thrift-store-find

This is The Thrift Center Thrift Store on Sonoma Blvd. in Vallejo. Yes, I think it's really called that. Practically half of my wardrobe is from there. The other almost half comes from the other thrift store of consequence, The Value Center, which is just around the corner, by car. I like both places quite a lot, but at this one I can speak either language with anyone who works there. And it's slightly more, um, affordable than the others. The Thrift Center Thrift Store actually have sales! The signs in the windows advertise that everything is an extra 30% off on Wednesdays and Saturdays and they make the same offer on holidays that fall on Mondays. I usually go on Sundays, and you know what? There's always a surprise -everything is 50% off!

In the years that I've been shopping there, it's never occurred to me to make a donation. On the other hand, I do donate to the Goodwill, but choose not to shop there very often because it's, um, overpriced.

I may not be making many donations there anymore, either, though. They've become very selective. So it wasn't surprising that they would not take the futon that my friend was trying to donate this weekend. However, the donation station attendant stated that the Thrift Center Thrift Store would accept it. We didn't make it to the Thrift Center on Sunday and the futon stayed in the truck until yesterday, when we tried jamming the whole thing into my Subaru, knowing it wouldn't really fit, but hoping it would. We pulled it all out, put the frame into the Subaru and crammed the mattress into her car. We pinky-swore never to get futons ever again, and that if either of us ever did, she couldn't ask the other to help her move it.

So if they're such pains in the ass to move, why not just leave it in the truck and drive that over to the Thrift Center Thrift Store?

Yeah, so anyway...

Before we left, I called to confirm that they hadn't changed the policy over the weekend and we could still drop it off. I also asked if we had to assemble it or if we could bring it in pieces. Both responses were favorable. When we pulled up to the back, I looked into the garage and slowly walked in. "Buenos dias," I started my explanation to the man working. As we were helping him load the frame onto the dolly he'd provided, a woman got out of one of the cars parked in the lot and inquired about the futon. Only...she wasn't asking about it for herself, but for the man who was still sitting in the passenger seat of her car because, "he didn't want to come out and talk." Eventually he did come out and actually talked quite a lot, inquiring about the futon's price, first to my friend, then to the manager who'd since come out to look at it and help load it. It turned a bit awkward: The potential buyer wanted to negotiate in the parking lot and the Thrift Center Thrift Store employees explained that they had to bring it inside first and process it. The buyer explained that he really did NOT want to have to go back to IKEA for a third time. Upon hearing this, he had my sympathies. I don't even like to go to IKEA a first time. My friend felt a bit torn, but had resolved to give it to the Thrift Center Thrift Store, as she'd offered it to them first and they'd helped unload it.

I selfishly felt a little bit relieved that it really had nothing to do with me, but hoped that all would work out for both parties, ending in a little harmony and cooperative spirit that would eventually spread through Vallejo.