Thrift store blues...

Entry posted by 2600FunTimes November 1, 2008

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I figured I would start up a blog regarding an environment many of us probably see when we're out there hunting for classic titles at a [usually] reasonable price; The almighty thrift store.

When people think of "Thrift stores", usually mainstream names come in to mind.. Salvation Army, Goodwill, Value Village, the list goes on... of course, depending on the town, theres also a variety of individual thrift stores, owned by another non-profit organization. Garage sales and flea markets could also be identified as a good thrift hunt environment, or whatever you wish to call it.

Personally I love to hunt at thrift stores, even check the "G-word" store still every once in awhile, even though in my personal opinion, their corporate environment has gone downright .. nuts.. and their prices keep climbing since they've discovered people like.. ..well us.. ha.

But lately.. ..practically nothing. ESPECIALLY in the way of classic Atari games...

Six years ago, it was the thrift stores that practically DOUBLED my collection of 2600 games, with labels in practically PERFECT condition, and a price you couldn't argue with

..........so long as it wasn't just three copies of "Combat" and a "Space Invaders" text edition.. which is all I usually see now.

Which brings me to my semi-rant. I walk in to a Goodwill here in Oregon just the other day... was in a smallish town, but you'd still think there might be a reasonable turnout at a store like this...

THREE combat games [as I said], and a frogger... 4.99 each.. FOUR NINETY NINE, for a game you could probably buy for 99 cents from anybody who had half of a brain and 99% less of the money snatching attitude.

I know though, good cause, people have jobs, yada yada.. but come ON!

...has anybody SEEN their buildings lately..? How do you think they're paying for all of those..? Money donations, from the kind-hearted people who have enough money to blow on a new quazi-corporate facility in every mid-sized Goodwill operation that happens to need one in America's heartland, I don't THINK so..!!

4.99 for COMBAT.. whoopy.

Whats even more degrading is that they put these my-first-2600-game pieces into the glass antique case, like they're going to depreciate ten cents in value if you touch them before you buy them, or something... and you can't tell me it's for theft protection, because I saw three/four other SNES/NES sports games [duplicates of NFL and NHL as usual] sitting out by the other electronics..

..y'know, by the crappy extension cords and surge "protectors" that look like they haven't even had power flow since 1972.

..but 4.99 for a single "common", for about two times the price of that, I purchased a small lot of six Atari 7800 games on eBay.

....speaking of such, makes me curious as to how many 7800/5200 games people come across at thrift shops, because I've never, ever seen them... even the "common" ones.. ..but back to the thrift scene..

I just feel like it may be coming to a sad close, since most of the corporate thrift chains are jacking up their prices to go with the demand, not to mention that I know there are people who go in there and tell themselves "Combat for only $5.. but.. this game is an ANTIQUE!! what a steal!!"

Salvation Army, usually can't get to it... Value Village, we ALL know how THAT usually turns out... you're lucky if you see a poorly reviewed sports game for the PS2 in a VV store, eh?

...but I'll continue my search, because I still get stupidly excited every time I set foot inside of one... because every time, I tell myself, "there could be some horribly misinformed guy out there who thinks 'Crazy Climber' is useless because his 2600 joystick broke when he was 12".. because I suppose it's the feeling and the spirit of it all that REALLY counts in the end.

And hey... these price hikes give us funny stories to tell, nah?

I just hope SOMETHING Atari turns up real soon! ...And I don't mean Combat... I've loved Combat for years, time for a new thrill