The bales we sell weigh right at 1000 pounds and are made up clothes that did not sell. The clothes were on our racks for 4-5 weeks and no one bought them. In the baler they go! The bales also contain clothes that have stains or some other things that we believe will prevent their sale or don't rise to our (pretty high) standards.
We bought our baler from Wal-Mart, when they closed their old store in Bedford. They used the baler to bale cardboard. The baler is one of the keys to what we do at the Store. When clothes come in and are sorted, they begin their journey by either going in the baler or not going in the baler! If they make it past the baler, then they have a chance to be sold. They will get some rack time at some point. If they are out of season clothes, then they will be stored for a while before getting their big chance!
We don't know exactly what happens to the bales we sell. We signed a contract with a broker. Who knew these guys existed? It's actually a very active, competitive market. Our bales go to Canada, where we believe they are un-baled and sorted again. Some of the clothes go to developing countries and others are turned into rags and used for making paper. Pretty cool stuff!
In addition to bales of clothes, we send other items: belts, purses, and shoes. The same procedure, described above, applies to them as well.
And now you know more about the Store!
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