The one near my home ("good" Detroit suburb - oxymoron?) is businesslike, accurate, has a fast, large turnover, and is easy to use. It does smell a little in there, though. Not everything is oderless. There is a big counter for jewelry and assessories which does a brisk business. You can bring things in at any time. You consign for 60 days, and if you don't pick up unsold items during a 2-day window at the end of 60 days they can donate the items to charity. Tbe shop reduces items on a regular basis at it's own discretion. They say they are seasonal; for example, they are no longer accepting winter clothing. But that is kind of a judgement call nowadays. I've never tried to argue it; I don't consign very often. The consignor gets 40%, the consignee determines the price and sometimes refuses items. I believe there was a fee of $5 or $15 to get an ID number. There is a particular day or two on which you are supposed to pick up your check - that is not something you can do any time at all. As far as what they take - I brought in some wool pants with the tags still on them and they refused them because they had pleats, for instance. I have seen people bring in big bags, and I got the impression the clothes came from, somewhere like the big rag warehouse where the clothes I donate to Purple Heart end up. The store goes through each item and makes a decision about it. The designer outfits are kept on a separate rack. Designer has to be St. John or DKNY level- my J. Crew and Liz clothes don't qualify. A St. John suit might be about $50 or $60. The formal wear, whether designer or not, seems to be a little higher. If I have something uniform and recognizable and costly - like a brand new Coach bag that was a gift that I'll never use - I sell it on Ebay. I don't think the store is the best venue for things like that. But the store was just the ticket for some NWT Liz tuxedo pants I wanted to be free of. I didn't want to deal with the vagaries of sizing women's pants on Ebay. As for pricing? They put $15 on the tuxedo pants, size 6. The had a whole long rack of black pants. Someone will probably pay $9 or $10 for them. I have never used another consignment store, nor seen one that I would use. I prefer to shop the sales racks of department stores. I do shop there when I'm dropping off, though, and on my last trip I picked up a lightweight gray blazer that I like which is probably from last summer. There are always lots of customers present when I go there. I don't think there are any "secretly rich" shoppers. I think there are some smart shoppers, some who are looking to pick off the best for resale, some for the rare formal occasion (like a cruise night), and some who want the latest trends in costume jewelry. You'd be surprised how well shoes sell.

Yea! It sure feels good. Too often I walk past a project time and again and instead of "just doing it" I let it bug me. I bought a Nike t-shirt and wear it on work days to keep me on task. While I am very organized, I have TMS to organize so I am like others here who now scrutinize the necessity of items before making the purchase. Good for you. Here is a link that might be useful: Just Do It!

Congratulations! Have you found anything good that you missed? I lost a ring my parents gave me when I graduated from High School. Gone for 20 years. I was cleaning a clset, found a box of "junk" on the floor. Going thru it I found several pices of missing jewelry (mostly costume) and my HS ring, safe in its own little box. I immediately phoned my Mom and told her how I'd lost AND FOUND it. I never told her when it went missing.

I would love the books. Please email me and I'll tell you my address and phone number. I would buy them off of you,and pay postage....Cathy