In recent years, a number of clothing retailers have been scrutinized for throwing away returned or unsold items. A couple noteworthy examples include the student who found garbage bags of shredded H&M apparel on the street in 2010, during what was deemed one of New York City’s most hellacious winters, and the woman who returned a pair of popular “PINK” sweatpants to Victoria’s Secret only to have them hacked with a pair of scissors right in front of her.
To avoid the above instances, many of us donate or resell our clothing. But what happens when that clothing is not sold either? Rhonda Blackstone, store manager of Value Village in Springfield, explains the process.@@http://www.springfield-chamber.org/members/retail/@@
“We do not throw away a single piece of clothing, ever,” Blackstone said. If clothing has been sitting in the store for four weeks, Value Village places it into bales that weigh roughly 1,000 pounds each. They are sent up to the company’s distribution center in Fife, Wash., and then sent overseas.@@http://cityoffife.org/@@
The clothing is shipped to more than 50 countries, where it may be donated, resold or sent to open-air markets. It’s likely a number of your once-prized garments are far, far away at this point. Knowing that, maybe writing your name and contact information on your shirt tag could become the modern-day message in a bottle.