Lay of the Salvation Army

Published on June 2016 | Categories: Documents | Downloads: 39 | Comments: 0 | Views: 314
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Ryan Donnelly English 102 Nicole Ann Williams

The Lay of the Salvation Army On our first visit to the Salvation Army thrift store my friends and I had set out adventuring for cheep and unique Halloween costumes. Naturally we decided to make our own and this was the only place that we could afford or find the ridiculous clothes that we needed. We used Google maps to find the location and set out just after noon; it was only a few blocks away from our college so we decided to walk. When we got close to our destination was the point where we got confused; we had arrived by the directions of my phone but all that was around us were houses and a small bank. We then turned the corner to a white warehouse looking building with no sign and a small parking lot. This was nothing like the other Salvation Army stores that I had been to, and I was a bit surprised at the covert appearance. We walked inside glad to be in from the cold and wet weather and were greeted nicely by a middle aged woman behind the counter. There was nothing fancy about

this place, linoleum tiles and a cheap looking removable ceiling with fluorescent lights installed made a gloomy atmosphere.

The setup inside was simple, there were aisles set up of clothes racks like a typical clothing store. I soon figured out that it was also divided into men s and woman s sections on opposite sides of the store; with a majority of woman s clothes. The various garments were also classified by type or style and sorted by color. With so many options I had no idea where to start, I decided to walk up and down the aisles to browse the selection. At the back of the store there was a section for old VHS tapes and children s clothes, while at the other back side there was an assortment of appliances, toys, pictures, and other random oddities.

It smelled like one would expect an attic or old person s home to smell; the air was stagnant with a light musty smell. Although the smell was noticeable upon entry it dissipated from my senses soon after. There was a wide variety of people working there; the woman at the register wasn t exactly old, but she didn t have her younger qualities any more. I would have guessed that she was in her late 30 s. She was very plainly dressed and polite which brought out her seniority. All the employees there seemed to be extremely happy and nice; even when I mistakenly wandered into their back room which was just a sectioned off area with a white sheet hung over one side. I quickly realized that I wasn t supposed to be

there when all it was turned out to be a lot of boxes and a few younger looking people doing some light work; they just smiled and said hi while I turned and left.

The customers there were unique. When I arrived they were having a slow day so it wasn t packed. There was an older man looking at pants when I passed by, he was very serious looking and was not making eye contact so I did not start a conversation. Later when my girlfriend and I were looking at silly purses, an older lady in her mid 40 s over heard part of our conversation and decided to help us pick one out. Her hair was curly gray and shoulder length; she was also a mother of a young girl. She was making jokes with us and helped us decide on an interesting quilted purse.

I have observed a few customs while I was there; however they don t have any customs that are too obvious. Every Wednesday there is a half off sale on most items in the store. I haven t interviewed people or observed this event, but I suspect that there are customers that make a ritual or a point to come on Wednesday to shop or to just look around. There is also a discount of 20% for students of BSU. This shows that they are trying to attract new customers and make a custom for them to come back. While I was there I noticed a lady carrying her small dog around in her arms; this is a unique custom to allow pets in the store because many places don t. The way that they wrap and package items is

also a custom that is significant of the store. They recycle old newspapers by using them to protect their breakables and this is defiantly recognized by their customers whether they know it or not. They also use recycled plastic bags from other stores to package items together. These little customs of packaging make people feel at home when shopping because they know exactly what to expect and it also maintains the secondhand nature of their business.

It is more than easy to find artifacts when looking around. Almost everything they have in the store is an artifact in some way; people donate things that are related in no way at all and every one of them works together to create a certain culture. In the section for odds and ends there was a set of little ceramic ninjas, I feel like these are artifacts that help contribute to the selection as a whole. Another example is the purse that we found earlier. A lot of the meaning that comes from these artifacts is related to their previous owners. Although some have more meaning that others, when they become donated they take on a whole new meaning with remnants of their old ones attached. Although some things are less useful than others they reveal something deeper about the culture while providing a laugh. For example we stumbled upon a coffee mug with a graphic of a woman holding a ruler, the mug said You re everything I need, give or take a few inches. In a higher class culture this may be considered vulgar or in bad taste, however within the culture of the Salvation Army

this is considered normal. In another instance we came across an electronic toy with a red button on it. When we pressed the button it started spewing out terrible pickup lines. This as well as many other similar things could have the same thing said of them; funny to some not to others. While the store is loaded with this type of thing, there are also far more useful things that influence a whole different feeling. There were average things such as waffle makers, irons, and golf clubs.

The Salvation Army is the kind of place that you learn more and more about each time you go there. Everything that it has to offer cannot possibly be experienced in one visit. I plan on returning very soon to do a follow up investigation and more research. I hope that in future visits I can see a little more behind the scenes at what really goes on there.

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