American Charity shops

[Astro Pen]

Quick question. What are 'Charity Shops' called in the US. I know that in Canada they are usually called 'Goodwill stores' but I need the US name to use in a story.
I'm using 'Thrift Shop' but I'm not sure that is right?
Thanks in advance
AP

 

[Cat's Cradle]

Hi Astro Pen! My wife and I are thrifters. When we lived in the States we went mostly to Salvation Army stores, and the ones we went to were officially named:
The Salvation Army Thrift Store & Donation Center (copied from the website of our favorite store).
I think most Americans would understand 'thrift store'. 'Goodwill shop' is something else I would think would be clear to many folks. But for me (living always on the East Coast of the U.S.), thrift store might be best, CC

edit- you know, it just hit me that the U.S. is a very big country, and different parts of the country can have very different terminologies for the common items/things. So the best name for a charity store might depend on where your story is set. Maybe @Parson could advise us on what name might be common in the U.S.'s mid-west, and maybe someone from the West Coast might have some ideas?

 

[Wayne Mack]

In the US, some terms would be: thrift shop, Goodwill store, secondhand store, consignment shop.

 

[Astro Pen]

edit- you know, it just hit me that the U.S. is a very big country, and different parts of the country can have very different terminologies for the common items/things. So the best name for a charity store might depend on where your story is set. Maybe @Parson could advise us on what name might be common in the U.S.'s mid-west, and maybe someone from the West Coast might have some ideas?

Okay. We are set in Nevada, so I fully expect a local variation

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

In California, the thrift stores with multiple branches ( and major charities behind them) are Goodwill, Salvation Army, and St. Vincent de Paul. Don't know if any of these are present in Nevada, but could ask my son, since he lives there now (and I think his fiancee has always lived there). Of course there are also thrift stores with smaller organizations behind them, as well as privately owned second hand stores. But around here if you said Goodwill or St.Vincent's there would be no need for further explanation. Salvation Army, depending on the sentence in which it appears, might suggest one of the many other functions of that organization.

 

[Parson]

Here in the Midwest everybody would understand "thrift shop." But if you said "Goodwill Store" or "Salvation Army" it would be understood that the sales in that store would benefit Goodwill of the Salvation Army. If you said "thrift shop" or "Second-hand store" people would not necessarily make the connection with any charity. In my local 4 county region (app. 6500 sq miles) we have thrift stores associated with charities, and those which are not, often those which are not are also consignment stores.

 

[Danny McG]

consignment shop

I think I've only heard this term a couple of times, I've tried to interpret from story context, are they like a real world eBay?

 

[CupofJoe]

I thought a Consignment Shop was what we might call an Antiques Shop. Items are held and sold by the Shop and they get a cut of the sale price.

 

[Wayne Mack]

I think I've only heard this term a couple of times, I've tried to interpret from story context, are they like a real world eBay?

In the US, a consignment shop provides a store front for individuals to sell items. The price is set by the individual and the shop owner gets a cut of of the sale price. The items for sell are typically in the 1-10 year old range and tend to be moderate to high end furniture, etc. There is no bidding or auctioning. Antique shops will resell items bought by the shop owner and tend to have much older merchandise.