Vol. 38, No. 18

2-16-2006
By: Julia Harris

Buckeye Bargains Thrift Shop is more than just a good deal

Bargain hunters of the world, unite! So what if yard sale season is still weeks away - there's a basement full of discounted treasures right here at Ohio State just waiting to be pawed through. And what's more, all proceeds fund scholarships for Ohio State students.

Yes, at Buckeye Bargains Thrift Shop - stuffed into a cozy bottom corner of Converse Hall - everybody wins.

Operated by volunteers from the University Women's Club, the thrift shop has been selling gently used goods to faculty, staff and students for 40 years, raising more than $330,000 for the UWC Scholarship and Student Emergency Loan Funds administered by the Student Financial Aid Office. Last year alone, the shop contributed $16,000. Each year the club honors 10 to 13 scholarship recipients at a Faculty Club luncheon.

Barbara Herzog, a retired oncology nurse and Ohio State alumna, has been a UWC member for three years and chair of Buckeye Bargains since last fall. "We have around 40 ladies who volunteer to work a day or two a month," Herzog said. "We work Tuesdays and Wednesdays when OSU classes are in session. Tuesdays we sort donated items, mark prices and ready the shop for business. Wednesdays we're open 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m., but all the good stuff gets taken up early!"

The "good stuff" can be pretty much anything Herzog and her team think will sell, from books to pots to clothing and, of course, Ohio State memorabilia. There are even items that tout non-OSU sports teams, such as a Notre Dame car ornament and an Ohio University sweatshirt.

This eclectic inventory turns over rapidly. Clothing is allowed to hang on the racks for three months; after that, it's marked down to half-price, and if it still doesn't sell, it's given away. On this particular day, a nicked baby crib festooned with baby clothes sat in the middle of the tiny shop; a sold sign indicated that the display was going to have to be rethought soon. "You learn what's going to sell and what's not," Herzog mused, eyeing the crib, "but sometimes you just don't know. I never dreamed somebody would walk in here and buy that crib!"

Goods come in from a variety of sources. UWC members donate family memorabilia and things they no longer want or need, and store volunteers offer their own homes as drop-off locations for donors in the community.

Sometimes it's a challenge, Herzog said, to resist buying some of the items that come in. Pricing the items they receive is another challenge Herzog said she enjoys. Her theory is that value is in the eye of the beholder, so the dollar amount is generally up to the volunteer who pulls the item out of the bag.
She admitted they're not particularly skilled at pricing electronics, but when it comes to clothing, they do much better.
"L.L. Bean sweaters with lots of wear left in them are going to be worth more than something someone's husband wore 20 years ago and has kept in a trunk all this time," she said. "But the real challenge is to make the shop look a little different each week. We don't have a lot of things, and let's face it - they're all used."

Whatever they're doing, it must be working, as the store brings in an average of $400 per day of operation. Thrift shop volunteers also hold various fundraisers, such as the silent and live auction held last October at the Faculty Club in which club members bid on some of the store's choicest items. The event raised more than $2,000.

Additional moneymakers include the annual Hidden Benefits Fair and a "tea" at the beginning of the academic year in which the store opens its doors to club members only. "It's just like Christmas, they come in and grab up everything in sight," Herzog said. "They're our best customers."

During finals week each June, leftovers are donated to church groups or civic organizations such as Ronald McDonald House. "They come with their trucks and haul everything away," said Herzog. "We start fresh every fall with donations that come in over the summer. It's a wonderful way to give back to the community and to have a good time."

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