Thrift shops grapple with handling and selling secondhand goods

As retail continues to open up on Long Island, thrift stores are tackling unique safety challenges, including dealing with secondhand goods with at least some potential of carrying the virus and sometimes vulnerable clientele.

For some, this has meant new preventive measures they hope can encourage consumer confidence and protect both customers and employees, but for other, often smaller shops, it's meant closing down with no firm date to reopen.   

Though some stores, like Huntington Station's Island Thrift, opened up with other Phase 2 retail last week, others are progressing with a slower rollout as they navigate the complicated business of pandemic safety — something that, in most large thrift shops, includes directional arrows, Plexiglas, sanitation stations and the isolating of donations.  

Long Island locations of the Salvation Army will incorporate sneeze guards, additional cleaning, and will operate at 50% capacity, said Maj. Patrick O’Gara, the administrator of business on Long Island. Stores in Patchogue, Hempstead and Riverhead opened with shortened hours Tuesday, O’Gara said, and the other three locations will open as they continue to evaluate the situation.

“It’s important for us to get back open because we run a 100-bed rehabilitation program,” in Hempstead, he said of the Long Island-based nonprofits. “This is the only way we generate our money.”

Donations will operate on a first-in, first-out basis, meaning that the things found on the shelves have been isolated in a warehouse for about three months, O’Gara said — far longer than the virus can last on surfaces. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it's possible to contract the virus from various surfaces, though it isn't considered the main way COVID-19 is spread. The virus lives on surfaces anywhere from hours to days, the CDC said.  

“When we open, we’re going to have a 50%-off sale on stuff, but the shame of the matter is that it’s predominantly winter stuff that’s out,” O’Gara said. “Still, it would be a great deal for people if they have the foresight'' to shop now.

Some shops closing indefinitely   

Not all thrift stores are choosing to go that route, and some simply don't have the ability to do so. Small thrift stores like Twin Pines in Port Washington and Huntington's Community Thrift Shop are closed indefinitely.

Many of Community Thrift's volunteers are elderly, said Harriet Miller, the Huntington shop's treasurer, and even if they did get the shop back open, they'd have to have fewer people inside and completely reoutfit the store. Financially, they're not sure they can stay at the Huntington location or even stay afloat, she said. The shop, which provides funding for six local charities, including CancerCare and the Huntington Hospital Auxiliary, is no longer taking donations. 

"There's been a lot of discussion and a lot of strong feelings, but you have to be practical," Miller said of the store which, in one location or another, has been open for about 60 years. "It's a wonderful place, and I think we'll be sorely missed, but there's always hope for the future."

For stores that are opening, though, there are different approaches. Savers, which opened its four large Long Island locations this week,  is not isolating donations but is doing increased cleaning. 

Due to the volume of donations, staff can't clean items before they go on sale, said Sara Gaugl, a spokeswoman for the Washington state-based, for-profit  thrift chain.

“We’re deep cleaning all of our stores prior to reopening and increasing the frequency of cleaning commonly touched surfaces, like check-out areas and shopping carts,” she said. “We’re also creating additional space on our sales floors and Community Donation Centers to further support social distancing. Sanitizer stations have been added for our shoppers’ comfort and convenience, and our team members will be wearing face coverings and gloves.” 

Worker concern  

Not everyone is convinced that it’s safe to return, though, with at least one Savers employee, Joseph Tarzi, who works at the Commack store, saying he’s not ready. 

"I’ve had a fear of going back since we first closed," Tarzi said, adding that the clientele at his store skews older. He said he's sent a letter to Savers headquarters with his concerns. . 

Miller of Community Thrift said many of the Huntington shop's older volunteers are concerned about returning, even if the store were to open soon. 

A manager at the Island Thrift store in Huntington Station, Victoria Tito, said that, like the Salvation Army, it would first sell donations that have been in isolation for three months.  The staff has yet to receive clarification from the stores' owner   on how they’ll deal with donations once it’s time to handle new additions, she said. 

Jose Medellin, a spokesman for Goodwill, said donations will either be sanitized or isolated before hitting the sales floor, in addition to other safety precautions. These include mandatory face masks, one-way aisles, closed dressing rooms, no returns and contactless donation. The East Northport Goodwill opened on Wednesday. 

For Salvation Army employees, the biggest debate is not necessarily safety, but whether to return to work or collect additional unemployment, O’Gara said. “They’ll have to make their decisions, but I would say a good 85% of my people are excited to get back out there,” he said. “They’re stir crazy at this point.”

By Laura Albanese

laura.albanese@newsday.com@AlbaneseLaura

Laura Albanese is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. She's been covering MLB since 2014 after starting at Newsday as an intern seven years earlier.