Here’s the deal. Twice a year, the Home & School Association at my kids’ school has a “recycled uniform” sale. Because kids grow so fast, and because the uniform style changes when the kids transition from elementary to middle school grades, and because the uniforms are so stinking expensive, it’s a great deal. People bring in any uniforms that are still in good condition, tagged and ready for sale. It’s a great way to stock up without having to pay full price, and many of the uniform items look almost brand new. Depending on the child that wore them, of course. The only exception is the stuff that was worn by the PK, K, and 1st Grade boys. Well, you know. Those uniforms don’t usually make it to the sale. The boys were too busy grinding grass stains into them or making “dirt angels” on the playground. (Yeah, yeah, we don’t get snow here, so snow angels are out of the question.) But for the most part, you can grab some pretty good bargains. After the sale is completed, you have the option of donating your items for the next sale or picking them up and saving them for the next sale. And so it goes.
At the sale itself, the H&S Association sells the donated items as well as your items. And if you brought in some tagged items, you receive a check in the mail for whatever you sold. Not a bad deal. The H&S items are priced lower that the parent-sold items, because by the time they make it to the “donated” category, they are not in great shape. H&S items are not tagged but are sold at set prices. Parents price their items according to the condition of each item. And when I tell you some of this stuff comes in with the tags from the uniform store still affixed, I’m not kidding. Some of it is literally brand new, never worn. So the parent stuff is the good stuff, and the H&S stuff is, while perfectly fine, not as good.
But it seems that certain people discovered a way to rip off the system. Even at a parochial school. Because H&S items are not marked, and the parent items are, anything brought to the cashier without a tag is sold at the lower, pre-set H&S price. The parent-priced items are calculated separately so that the parent receives the money for those items. But because the H&S items are priced cheaper, well, yeah. You guessed it. Saturday we discovered several tags from parent items ripped off and thrown in the bathroom trash. What people were doing was taking the tags off the parent-priced items and presenting the items to the cashier. Since there were no tags, the items were rung up at the lower H&S rate.
So…the parents don’t get their money, and these dishonest folks, who send little Caroline to a parochial school so that she can be taught values along with her timetables, pocket the difference.
Oh, yeah. I’m feeling good about the state of our world.
June 5, 2006 at 1:36 pm
Way to teach their children values…or not, apparently.
June 5, 2006 at 2:03 pm
Did you see any of my tags in the trash?
June 5, 2006 at 2:28 pm
Dang, I TOLD them to empty the trash!!!!!!!
June 5, 2006 at 3:21 pm
I hate to admit this, but I would be removing the tags too…
June 5, 2006 at 4:06 pm
All I hope is that their kids weren’t there to watch that ‘lesson’.
June 5, 2006 at 5:57 pm
I hope they know that, since this took place at a CATHOLIC SCHOOL, God was definitely watching…and He was taking names.
June 5, 2006 at 6:23 pm
That really is terrible. What is the world coming to? Give me a break! It isn’t a small thing cause as you said, it IS stealing…And at a parochial shool, yet! OY!
Here fro Michele’s this afternoon!
June 5, 2006 at 6:47 pm
What in the world? that is terrible!
June 5, 2006 at 7:01 pm
Oh real nice. ARGH!
I, however, giggle loudly at your photo in this post. đŸ™‚
I followed you over from Michele’s. Good thing because my blog roll is down. I was having withdraw – i mean really, how can a girl NOT get to her favorite reads?!
June 5, 2006 at 8:50 pm
It is the small lessons in life that sometimes have more meaning. I just hope the kids didn’t witness the parents behavior. I am constantly amazed that some people think the rules don’t apply to them.
However, the sign was classic!
June 5, 2006 at 9:57 pm
I hope that you brought that to the attention of the people who run the sale, so they can figure out how to thwart it in the future. That’s a horrible thing to do and I wish there had been some way to catch the people who did that.
June 5, 2006 at 10:08 pm
Yes. I have issues.
Mostly that my domination over Brenda in Blog (or not-a-blog as it were) visiting is apparently over.
Of course, playing Civ4 22 straight hours probably isn’t helping matters any.
heh
June 5, 2006 at 10:25 pm
*shaking head* terrible, terrible…but I am feeling just as good as you about the state of our world since my car was broken into (damaged side window with a cement brick) yesterday at noon… here via Michele’s today, cheers!
June 6, 2006 at 7:48 am
No way. Just.No.Way.
I’m not particularly religious, but do believe in the golden rule as a good basis for human interactions and responsibility. The hypocrisy of this kind of behavior is, I guess, one reason WHY I’m not particularly religious, but prefer to focus on spirituality.
Next year, EVERYTHING gets a tag!
June 6, 2006 at 10:46 am
Never underestimate the power of cheap people when they think nobody’s looking. I see people try that every time I help with a garage sale. Lame.
June 6, 2006 at 2:17 pm
Where I work there are always customers trying to “cheat the system” so to speak. My employees get SO angry when people out and out LIE about things to save a buck. I always say, “Don’t worry, God knows they’re lying.” Not sure that fixes anything but it makes ME feel better. :-p
June 6, 2006 at 8:36 pm
Dishonesty is such a bad thing to begin with, but in this situation the ‘badness’ is multiplied about 250x. The sale is such a nice idea. It helps everyone out!! Why do people have to be cheats? They were probably also making sure they got their .15 cents change too. Sadly, you would probably be shocked to see who the cheaters were too.
June 7, 2006 at 7:25 am
Gaaaah! That’s just sad and pathetic. Is it wrong of me to hope that karma bites the guilty parties in the butt?
Here today from Michele’s.
June 7, 2006 at 9:33 am
Wow, that’s really sleazy. I can’t believe people would stoop so low. Well, yes I can.
June 11, 2006 at 2:13 pm
Sorry, but the hypocrisy of Catholics is why I’m a “fallen angel”.
That’s awful!
June 12, 2006 at 10:39 pm
What’s really pathetic is that the parents probably ripped off the tags in the bathroom in front of their kids. But if little Johnny or June dare to cheat or steal themselves…watch out. Typical ‘do as I say and bot as I do’ hypocrisy.