What To Do When Attacked By Vultures at the Thrift Store
I think you guys are really going to hate me for this: letting the most awesome sewing cabinet get away.
I tried to lie to myself and say, “It’s okay, Serena, the next great piece will come along…” But sometimes a piece is really unique and you can’t even find it on Google. That’s how unique some things are.
Like this sewing cabinet I saw:
By the looks of it, you can’t tell it’s a sewing cabinet. I thought it was a dresser. Dressers are a dime a dozen in these parts, and I would have just walked right on by. But it was one of those Monday mornings when you just have time on your hands to stroll through your favorite thrift store. So I decided to stop and investigate.
It’s not a dresser, but a sewing cabinet!
Okay, but I already have a sewing cabinet, why would I need another one, right?
Well, THIS is why!
Seriously, how cool is it that the seat actually slides out from inside the cabinet?!?! Yes, take another look at the pic above. The front of that sewing cabinet is really the back of the chair. It just sliiiiiiides right out.
Perfect for the apartment-goer…the small space saver….the person who needs to maximize every inch of space for their crafting and sewing…
And since I’ve 1) already got a sewing cabinet that I found at the thrift store, 2) am not pressed for space, 3) am not actively selling furniture, really, right now…..
…..I walked away.
But no sooner did I walk away after contemplating this piece, and pulling it apart, did some dude bum-rush the sewing cabinet and grab a store employee and claim it as his.
I have no reason to be mad, but I was irritated!
I mean, I know I had walked away from it, but what irritated me was that this guy walked up on me real smooth while checking it out, swooning over it alongside me:
“Oh wow…yeah, yeah, that’s reeeeeal nice!”
He circled back around a couple of times, like a vulture, apparently seeing if I was getting it or not. And as I started to walk away, he said innocently (I guess to not let his excitement show), “Oh, so you not gonna get it?” And I must have responded with something like, sigh, “No, I don’t think so….”
The second I walked away, he had the store clerk over there, writing a “SOLD” ticket for it.
If you watch this short clip I recorded, you even hear him walking up on me, at 1:19 min in the video. Can’t you hear his excited “yeah!!” LOL
But he is what I call a “thrift store vulture.” They’ll hover around, waiting for you to walk away or sit something down so they can swoop in and pick at it.
But after posting about this in the Thrift Diving community on Facebook, some people mentioned getting a sold ticket even if you’re still “iffy,” and putting Post-it notes on a piece of furniture if you need to walk away and get a sales clerk while making up your mind. I decided to throw in a few other suggestions on how to combat thrift store vultures ;).
Vulture Solution #1 – Create a megaphone with your hands and announce to the whole store, “Just because I’m walking away, doesn’t mean this is up for grabs! I’m just going to get a sales clerk! It’s MINE!”
Vulture Solution #2 – Carry Post-it notes in your purse adorned with skulls and bones that say, “Touch this, and you’ll be sorry. It’s already SOLD, pal!”
Vulture Solution #3 – Fake sneeze on the thrifted item profusely (along with sneezing on your hands), and then proceed to exaggerate touching all over the piece.
Vulture Solution #4 – Put it in your cart, even if it’s hanging off the sides and bumping stuff off the shelves. Speak loudly, “Coming through! ‘Scuse me, coming through!”
Vulture Solution #5 – Squeal loudly, “OMG, I just saw a bug crawl in there!! I wouldn’t even think of taking that home!” Then sneak off quietly to get a sales clerk to write you a sales ticket.
Vulture Solution #6 – Cover it up with an old comforter from the bedding department. Use the ugliest comforter you can find (only if item hasn’t been spotted already, that is… ).
Vulture Solution #7 – Put a “BROKEN” Post-it note or “DANGER! Contains asbestos!” sign on it while you walk away to get a sales clerk.
Vulture Solution #8 – Bring your kids to babysit it. Promise them an extra toy from the kid’s section if they don’t walk away from it.
Vulture Solution #9 – Use your cell phone to place an S.O.S. call the store’s main number and ask them to send a sales clerk to the furniture section RIGHT AWAY.
Vulture Solution #10 – Shout out, “OMG, did you just know they’re handing out 50% off coupons in the parking lot to the first 75 customers?! You better hurry! I just got mine!” Then quickly find a sales clerk.
Okay, so of course I am just being facetious. But really, the idea bout the Post-It notes was great. I’m going to have to try that!
What I DID Buy….
After losing such a great buy on that sewing cabinet, I wasn’t going to let anything else pass me by! I did snatch these up at the sister store a few days later. Not quite as “wowza” but still a great find!
They are solid wood and sooooo clean inside. Really great deal. They were a bit more pricey at $29.99 each (with 25% off). But for that quality, seriously, they were a good deal!
One of the end tables I refinished along with a brassy lamp, and the other one is in the basement. You can watch it here:
So tell me….have you ever been a victim of vultures at the thrift store? Do tell in the comments section!
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OMG I was laughing out loud while reading this. Been there before and I have been the other person as well.. If I see someithing I like and maybe even contemplating it, I remove the sticker…. just in case. I have already (many times) change my mind. I’m sure that annoys the employees but that’s just how it goes. Looking forward to reading more of your posts. I have recently started sharing more of my thrift projects and finds on my site. Please take a look
Hey Mary! LOL So glad you enjoyed them! I keep thinking to myself that these would make an awesome, funny Buzzfeed video! Or at least me going to the thrift store and reenacting them. OMG, how embarrassing would THAT be?! LOL. Okay, I’ll check out your site! Thanks for commenting!
This happened to me earlier today. I had picked up one of those IHOME ipod docking stations with the radio and alarm clock and I was sitting on the floor trying to figure out how the radio worked. I was pushing buttons and nothing was working. Meanwhile an older guy was at the other end of the aisle watching me. I finally decided to plug it into the wall. (It must have a back up battery for the clock only) and I got the radio to work. I dont know if they are worth anything as I will probably keep it but I could not pass it up for $5
Well – if it makes you feel ANY better, it looks really cool and all BUT would you believe that my parents had this exact sewing cabinet and chair AND a bed, dresser, and chest of drawers to match. It’s called blonde wood and was made in the late 40’s or early 50’s – it was my dad’s mother’s set. This is the part that should make you feel better………….the chair is SO heavy and that back panel/leg HURTS when you hit your food moving said chair and the chair is very uncomfortable after the first 5 minutes of leaning over the table………..well, if you are 5’5″ or shorter that is. Anyway, it’s cool looking but after dad died, mother and I happily sold the entire set – ALL the pieces for $25 at a yard sale and the man who bought it had to hire 4 men to come into our house to haul it away. I’m sure he probably sold it at some point but still, if you were getting it to use instead of sell, I’m pretty sure you would have not liked it in the end……..and getting your fingers stuck in those ring drawer pulls – as I did when I was a kid – hurts too! 🙂 Hope you feel better now!
Yes, Kelli, it DOES make me feel better! If you had said, “OMG, that was so valuable and worth so much money, why did you let it go!!!” I’d be kicking myself again all over tonight. LOL.
The two coffee tables, I just saw something like them on Flea Market Flip. Just caught a glance, but looks like they painted the base and covered the top in leather with silver nail heads around the table top ends. Gorgeous. BTW, lost two wood pottery barn chairs by not having any help to get them up to the counter. No big deal really as I needed four. Still, they were perfect–a little paint and new seat cushions. Ho hum…….
Oh no! Wasn’t there someone there to write you a ticket for them?
Unfortunately, no. But, now I know what to do–thanks to you.
HAHA, now watch–you’ll experience one! Just you wait! 🙂
If I know someone wants a particular item and I have my eye on it, I will walk away. I will only pounce once that person has left the store. Doing the right thing works out in the end. Also I am not afraid of germs. I use to work in a school. Germ city. I keep handi wipes with me at all time. SO DON’T TRY IT LOLOL.
Georgetta, oh darn!! Sneezes won’t work on you!? I’d have to try something else. LOL. You’re a really nice thrift diver! Waiting until they leave the store?! That’s very kind. I don’t think I’d have that kind of self-control. I’d had to move in like a vulture myself! LOL
I’m a vulture commenter on others good finds in their cart most of the time but this 1 time a few years back at Goodwill Outlet (they sell from rolling bins by the pound) & a lady at next bin holds up a Coach briefcase….I’m certain she could hear me suck in my breath in a silent OMG…I start silently chanting “put it down, put it down”
She did & moved to the next bin AND I SNATCHED that briefcase in 2.3 seconds & did a happy dance. They retail for $500, I paid $2.47 🙂
WOW, what a steal!! I could see you trying to be all cool and stuff and then–SWIPE!!!–as soon as she put it down! Hilarious!
There are a couple of ideas for how to keep the vultures that away I would try! Post a note is the number one, followed by sneezing and coughing and then making a big announcement saying don’t try to buy or you’ll die. Maybe be a bit drastic but I bet I’d get my deal!:)
Yolanda, LOL. I would NOT advise to threaten death. HA!! Jail cells aren’t decorate-able! 😉
There is something similar to that cabinet at one of my thrift stores but I believe the asking price was $145. Ill have to look next time to see what it is
YIKES, expensive!! Like $100 more than this one!
actually I was wrong. It was $245 and not a sewing cabinet. It is some kind of storage but it adjusts like a table. It had some table leaves on the top. I didnt really look at it too much but it was interesting to say the least. You could pull out the front and add the leaves to the top to make it bigger. Im not sure what the cabinet underneath does because I did not want to pull it apart and get yelled at when I had no intentions of buying it
Serena, I am so glad I stumbled across your blog. I can count on you to make me roll on the floor laughing with your humor and honesty. When I first saw your garage I knew I found my kindred spirit…mine looks exactly the same. Watch out for the vultures…they will beat you to the street treasures too.
Hey Dorie! 🙂 Ahhhh…another hoarder…..LOL. Spring is coming! I’ll be working on my garage! When are you tackling yours? And glad you stumbled onto m blog!!
I haven’t really had that much luck in thrift stores around me. They really jack up the prices, so no I haven’t really had a vulture (which is what that guy was with you) swoop in on me. I noticed the machine was a Pfaff – I have my mothers old Pfaff in the cabinet in my basement – going to have to go look at it now, but I know it doesn’t look like that one – it was really cool. My Dad bought it for my Mother probably in the early 60’s……and LOTS of my clothes, as well as bedspreads, drapes, etc came off that machine!
That cool that you still have your mom’s sewing machine! I had never even heard of Pfaff. I can’t even pronounce it. HA! I hear it’s a really good brand, too. Does it still work?
I honestly haven’t tried to use it since I got it – probably 10 years ago, and it hadn’t been used in probably 10 or more years prior to that, but I’m sure it was working back when! Pfaff is German, which is probably why my Dad bought her that brand – my Mother was from Germany. FYI – it’s pronounced as if the P isn’t there – faff. 🙂 Thanks for making me think about it – going to have to uncover it soon!!!