pixhellated

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose. That's how thrift stores work. You'll see the same items over and over again in perpetuity.

• Bread making machines for $10 mostly missing the mixing paddle that is $30 on eBay because they know exactly why you're looking for one (if you find a machine that does have a mixing paddle, steal it and sell it on eBay).
• T-Fal Actifry Air Fryers (only the grungy white and puke greens ones they mostly stock work - if it is any other colour it is there because it is broken so avoid)
• Toaster ovens, almost always a good deal unless it was donated because it nearly set a home on fire. Give it a good sniif before purchasing.
• Broken Keurigs (I have a theory that people buy one, it does't work, it is returned, sold again, returned again, and may have been sold 15x before YOU discover it is dodgy, too).
• Bookshelf stereos with the broken cassette player. If the cassette player works it means a toddler put a thumb through a bass speaker cone so pop the speaker cover and look first.
• VCR that eats tapes.
• DVD/BluRay player that skips.
• Grandma's cherished spoon collection she spent her whole life on and that was discarded ten seconds after she went into the home.
• Grandma's expensive fine China that clashes with her daughter's cheap IKEA furnishings (see above).
• Dented, branded coffee mugs that no one wanted when they were free and now they're $5.
• 1000 piece puzzles that have 998 pieces.
• Computer hardware that seems like a deal until you realize it's not supported by Windows 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, etc.
• And so on.

I find thrift stores kind of neat because I occasionally score a good camera there, but mostly depressing. Walking through the debris of someone else's life, seeing what they loved thoughtlessly discarded. It's worth going because you do find some good deals, especially on puke green trimmed kitchen appliances that work great for $10 used versus $120 new for a prettier version on Amazon.

Thrift stores can be easy on the wallet but hard on the soul.