Goodwill Compter works (back on that topic, not bears, etc.)

I was holding off comment on this, but today I found out that both of the Orange County Goodwill operations have been "reorganized" and new people are managing them. Luckily, it looks like the people who are in charge won't do anything out front, but there is no telling what the back operation is doing. I think one thing that is stressing goodwill and other thrift stores out here is the "recycling" operations that are picking up at the waste disposal centers here. about 15 or 20 years ago, a friend in Kansas City was a pioneer in the recycling of commercial equipment with the Surplus Exchange. Bruce Holland recognized that a lot of this was just stuff a bean counter wanted off the floor that he was renting and would give it to someone who carted it off. He began taking not just computers but everything not nailed down that an operation didn't want and distributed it to a network of charities for free inKC. In return most of their donations went to the Surplus exchange rather than being turned away. ANyway, now I see that the prices at goodwill for such as 500 to 700 to 1ghz systems is still at the $250 to $350 level, which is just too high. Also a lot of stuff is going to these recyclers, so they are loosing donations, I suspect. Anyway, as to collecting old computers there is probably not that much going to goodwill these days. I suspect most of what comes out are old pentiums, and P2's etc, and it would be pretty hard to get upset with them for loosing the odd old pile in all the stuff they have to deal with. As far as the original posting, from Jim Battle about Austin Goodwill. These operations are not set up to handle a lot of variety in their input. They have to move tons of excess every week, and simply don't have either the trained or sheltered workshop manpower to handle the odd stuff. They are primarily taking the profit the get from any sold donations to hire people with serious life issues, and they will not be spending any money to change their handling of anything, whether computers, antiques or whatever of any kind, but rather keep the basic flow of material going. Wish they could operate in a different way. Even worse, in a town which is the home town it is sad that there is no used computer or electronic surplus store with sufficient business and expertise to take your collectible and sell it, rather than a Goodwill thrift store. These operations are way more endangered now days than used book stores, my other favorite place to get lost in and browse. Ebay for all its flaws is pretty much where you get rid of strange junk these days, or recycle it, unless you are near some operation such as Gateway Electronics in St. Louis, Mo, or whatever similar operation may be around. jim