Noticed something weird at the Habitat ReStore yesterday

I was at the Habitat ReStore in Denver yesterday and saw two identical bathroom vanities sitting right next to each other. One was $45 and the other was $85. Same brand, same size, same scratches. The only difference I could spot was the $85 one had its original hardware still in a bag while the $45 one had screws that were slightly rusted. That's a $40 markup for a 30 cent bag of screws. I asked a worker about it and she just shrugged and said "pricing is random based on who stocks it." Has anyone else noticed wild price gaps like this at your local ReStore?

3 comments

3 Comments

tara_palmer1mo ago

Oh I absolutely know what you mean, I found the exact same thing with a set of shelves at our ReStore here in Austin. One was tagged at $60 and the other identical one was $120 because the hardware was still sealed in its little plastic baggie. It feels like they just pick a number out of a hat sometimes and hope nobody notices.

campbell.robin21d ago

Had a buddy find two identical dressers at Goodwill last month. Same scratches on the top, same wobbly bottom drawer. One was $45 and the other was $110 because someone wrote "vintage" on the tag with a Sharpie. He showed a manager and she just shrugged and said "different pricers." Makes you wonder if they even glance at what the other person did.

the_daniel1mo ago

...I mean sure it's a little odd but is it really that big of a deal? It's a thrift store not a retail chain with strict pricing rules. They get stuff donated from random people and slap a tag on it based on who happens to be working that day. I've seen way bigger gaps than $40 on stuff like furniture. You're paying $45 for a vanity that probably retailed for a few hundred, so either way you're getting a deal. People get bent out of shape over the smallest things at these places when the whole point is it's cheap and unpredictable.