Here's a Late Word Edit, as of August, 2008.  WHAT HAPPENED TO GOODWILL HUNTING?????

 During my last 5 trips to various Goodwill Thrift Stores in Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego, I discovered the shelves had been wiped clean of antiques and collectibles. In each of the 5 stores. Not One Antique on the shelves!!!.....It feels to me like there is a new policy for employees of GOODWILL to sift through donated items before they reach the floor and remove anything remotely collectible or antique. And then put them up for sale on behalf of Goodwill (That's certainly their right, but a rude awakening for "thrifters")....  In my survey of books at the Goodwill stores I visited, for example, I noted many contemporary, current books - but none older than 1980. Not one Tom Swift! Not even an older Pearl S. Buck or a Bobbsey Twins reprint!....Same experience searching the china/pottery/glassware. The shelves were lined with goods from Wallmart or newer Avon or 1990s wedding gift rejects.  Most of what I saw on the shelves was  Made In China replicas or recent TJ MAXX purchases (labels still visible). Things Ain't Like They Used to Be when it comes to Goodwill Thrift Stores - at least in Southern California. Goodwills have cleared the aisles of anything collectible,with potential value, and replaced the treasures with shoddy replicas and poorly-made reproductions (look at the pretend vintage purses, for example)....So count your lucky stars if you live elsewhere and can still depend on Goodwill for Good Bargains. But if my experience is of any use, the days of thrift store treasure hunting at Goodwill and other thrifts may soon become extinct, as more and more thrift stores train or hire people to  identify the collectibles and teach them how to sell on Ebay. (Oh, WOE IS ME). This particular Guide used to be about how great Goodwill was for thrift shopping (after all, I found my Grant Wood lithograph there) -- but consider this a Gong Sounded, and the reason for the complete deletion of of this issue of the Thrift Store Confidential Guide that I wrote earlier. Confidentially, if Goodwill's move towards second-hand department store status is an example of things to come at thrift stores, think Collectibles Dinosaur (Collectosaurus).

And that, as they say, is that.