beacon's closet

Today, in my first mode of business as a responsible adult, I went out to Beacon's Closet to sell clothing that I spent a lot of money on but never really wore. To those of you out there without asymmetrical haircuts, Beacon's Closet is a thrift store in Williamsburg, Brooklyn where people go to sell their unwanted designer and vintage clothing and buy other people's cast offs. You show up with your big laundry bag of crap, fill out a little form, and wait 20-30 minutes while the employees decide what they're going to take and how much they're going to sell it for. Then you either get 35% of the estimated retail value back in cash or 55% in store credit. Beyond that, there really is not much method to their madness. Some of my most valuable items, including a pair of 1970's Levi's 517's and some summery shoes from a brand that I saw other pairs by on their racks, were passed up, and then a denim skirt I got for $6.99 on sale at Old Navy was taken. Anyway, once they've made you feel sufficiently inferior by rejecting the majority of your items, they invite you to leave the rest on a rack to be donated to charity. Of course, most people are going to do that rather than lug their still-heavy sack back to Bushwick or wherever. A friend of mine affirms that he has "donated items to charity" at Beacon's only to see those items on the racks later. Sneaky (and smart) little bastards. Regardless of the Beacon's Closet ethics, I must say I'm happy for the extra closet space, $35 in cash, and three used clothing items that I justified were necessary additions to my unnecessarily large wardrobe.