buying used souvenirs

[depechemodefan]

I love going to Goodwill. If you don't know what that is, it's a thrift store/charity shop. My dad loved Goodwill, and when her married my mom he introduced her to Goodwill.

Now one thing I noticed is a lot of souvenirs. Stuff like plates and bells from different US states/cities. The other day I bought a Athens 2004 Olympic games shot glass, because I went to Athens in 2004, but 2 months after the Olympics, and I bought an Olympics t-shirt in Athens, which had the two mascots, Athena and her friend. I didn't need a shot glass but I thought it was cute.

Being that I travel, I pick up souvenirs for people. But come to think of it, I spend a lot of money on souvenirs to give to people, and I think some of them get chucked. Yes, I know people unclutter their lives, but considering I have to go look for stuff to buy when I could be looking at stuff, seems like a waste of my time. It's one thing if I know someone who collects something specific, like shotglasses or flyswatters and they want a souvenir, but just getting something to show I was somewhere and I bought something and when they get it they throw it away a year latter is annoying.

So recently I go to Goodwill and hunt for souvenirs of places I'm about to visit. Like before I went to Chicago for a wedding, I went to Goodwill (here in my home town) and bought a cup for my uncle that was a souvenir for Chicago. That I see he uses to hold silverware on his table. Considering a cup I did actually buy in Chicago for a friend (it was of the otters in the Aqurium; it said "The Otters Strike Back" and had otters dressed up as char. in Star Wars) arrived broken at my home, it probably works out better to buy something at home, and then don't have to pack it and worry about carrying from one city to another.

One of my cousin's invited me on a cruise, and we are going to Key West, Fl, and the Bahamas. I went to Goodwill and found a T-shirt for Hard Rock Cafe Key West. It still had the original price tag for $20, and was still new, and I got it for $2.49.

[EricKei]

bought a cup for my uncle that was a souvenir for Chicago. That I see he uses to hold silverware on his table.

Well...at least he *uses* it, and sees it every day o_O Maybe it's his way of being practical...?

[Trixie]

I'm always interested in seeing trophies at Goodwill. Almost tempted to buy some. Why yes, I am Player of the Year for my little league team. Greatest bowler? That's me! Never thought to look for souvenirs. Doesn't matter if I've never been there. Other people's junk could make it look like I've had an interesting life.

[Kiwi]

I buy mugs for souvenirs because then I use them and they are easy and fairly light to transport.
I've never understood buying stuff for other people when I vacation. I'm going there, not them.
The older I get, the less new stuff I want. The less stuff I want period.

[depechemodefan]

Well...at least he *uses* it, and sees it every day o_O Maybe it's his way of being practical...? This is what I get for posting late at night, hee. I was going to add to that that my uncle was the only person I've seen using anything I bought on a trip. I like giving cups as a gift since people can use those. Things like wall decorations (except calendars, those are useful) are bad souvenirs since some people just might not like putting them up or feel they don't go with what they have or just don't like them.

I've never understood buying stuff for other people when I vacation. I'm going there, not them. That's true. I can see if someone asking me to buy them a shotglass or a keychain as a souvenir because they collect those. And kids like souvenirs 'cause they like any type of gifts; I still have a Beefeater doll my grandma got me when she went to England from when I was 10 years old.

I'm always interested in seeing trophies at Goodwill. Almost tempted to buy some. Why yes, I am Player of the Year for my little league team. Greatest bowler? That's me! Never thought to look for souvenirs. Doesn't matter if I've never been there. Other people's junk could make it look like I've had an interesting life. Hee. I like collecting cats and at Goodwill I find a lot of things from Japan with cats which I buy. So people either think I've been to Japan or I just cats.

[Erinesque]

Whenever I get to travel with my husband, I always try to find a local Goodwill. My theory is that each Goodwill is a microcosm of the community it's in, and where better to get a souvenir than there? It's something that came from that particular area, and that's special.

Also, their crystal glasses are a heck of a lot cheaper anywhere else. Before I was married, one of my little hobbies was collecting interesting crystal glasses.

[MoonCat]

I love thrift shops. I buy a lot of stuff there, especially jeans because the ones in regular stores never seem to fit right. The used ones are broken in

I haven't traveled for years but when I did I used to buy little things for people. When I went to London my aunt asked me to bring her something small, just so she could say it was from England. So I bought a cute scarf in her favorite color. Wonder if she still has it?

[Sunshine]

I buy keychains for ppl when I go on vacations. I've never thought about going to a Goodwill to get souvenirs.

[Sapphire Silk]

I see nothing wrong with buying souvenirs from Goodwill, especially if you've been to or are going to the place you are about to visit. Buying them on the trip is hideously expensive, and I want my money to be available for fun.

The best souvenirs I have from my trip to Korea a few years ago are the couple hundred photographs I took. I have some other stuff: a nice holder for my business cards with traditional style artwork lacquered on the cover, a really cool little stick drive with similar, a hand fan in the national colors. My dobuk from a uniform shop near Kukkiwon. Stuff that has continuing practice use, rather than sitting on a shelf to gather dust is what I look for.

But I did pick up some beautiful celadon pottery from a friend of mine last year at a yard sale. He was moving to Alaska and couldn't take it with him. I got it for a fraction of its real value, and it was something I had wanted to buy when I was there but couldn't afford it and was afraid it would break on the trip home. So now I have some.

Also, their crystal glasses are a heck of a lot cheaper anywhere else. Before I was married, one of my little hobbies was collecting interesting crystal glasses.

I have my mother's crystal wine glasses, a decanter, and a pitcher. They are fine crystal and are beautiful, in perfect condition. They cost a pretty penny when Mom bought them new.

I tried to sell them. Couldn't get anything for them, so I've kept them. In the future, if I want more crystal I will buy it on the used market.

As for the comment about buying stuff for other people; I usually buy something for my nieces and nephews, but for adult friends and relatives not so much.

I bought souvenirs for the Chair at my old job, and for several faculty members who helped make my trip to Korea possible by approving the time off and covering for my classes (summer session was still going on) while I was away. Nice stuff, like the business card holders, nice pens, that sort of thing. The gesture was appreciated.

I know Dan loved the pen, because he was always using it at work, and was rather possessive of it

[Kogarashi]

My husband gets to travel a fair bit for work (scientist), and usually tries to bring home either useful small things or snacks from the place he's visiting (so authentic Indian snack foods from when he went to India, etc.). He's also got a standing request from me to keep his eyes open for nice and affordable chess sets from the countries he visits to add to my collection.

When we go on vacations as a family, the only souvenir we aim to get is a Christmas ornament for our family collection, because when Hubby and I got married we decided that's what we wanted to do for souvenirs so we didn't have shelves full of knick-knacks that just gathered dust. Sometimes we'll get an extra thing we want, but it's not guaranteed the way the ornament is. So we spend some time on each big trip looking around for something that'll do for an ornament, though it's not always explicitly an ornament when we buy it, and we decided it must represent the trip somehow, so no generic Christmas baubles either. There are times we've bought magnets, keyrings, a pewter thimble once, and then turned them into ornaments when we got home. And every ornament is tagged with the date and location of the trip so we can reminisce when we decorate the tree each year. I recently took photos of the entire collection as well so we could start a small binder to add extra details about the trip represented by the ornament.

Goodwill has some nice stuff, though. I want to go to our local one now and browse the shelves again.

[Kit-Ginevra]

Ooh I love collecting souvenirs,especially little things-a magnet,a pencil,I don't mind.Get me something different that other folks won't have.That little pin brooch your city sells for $1 a go-they'll be snapped up over here.The high school pennants every other person has decorating them-bet no-one has one here!
Before they started sprouting up over here,I loved getting American candy because you couldn't pick up a Tootsie Roll or an Oh Henry! over here at all. I sent a little email to most countries'tourist board asking if they had any little freebies.Got all sorts of cool stuff. Best one-the Bahamas.Thought it was a pullout booklet,opened it up-a mint condition set of that year's coins Got a whole envelope full of little knitted dolls from Peru.

Didn't fare so well from some other countries-they shall not be mentioned.One had 'used up all the postal budget for the year'.Another-'couldn't send me anything as they couldn't get their souvenir cupboard door open as they'd lost the key'

[protege]

I've never understood buying stuff for other people when I vacation. I'm going there, not them.

I always try to bring back something small for the kids that watch my cats when I'm out of town. Nothing major--magnets, keychains, a box of fudge/salt water taffy--a little "thanks."

The exception was when I went to NYC last September. I'd never been there, so quite a few things came home with me. Again, nothing too large or breakable, since it all had to fit in my backpack and survive riding the subway. I actually didn't do a lot of shopping there, mostly because I only had one day and wanted to see as much as I could before taking the train back up to CT. Maybe next time I'll do a dawn raid on the wine shop at Grand Central

[Sunshine]

I forgot earlier...I will get money from wherever I go because my dad collects money. I've got him rubles--- from a Russian student when I was in college, pesos, Caymamian and Jamaican from my cruise and I try to snag any Canadian coins I see.

[Kit-Ginevra]

Ooh I collect money too. If you have any nice little $100 bills,I'd like to get a collection of them please...

[depechemodefan]

so no generic Christmas baubles either. There are times we've bought magnets, keyrings, a pewter thimble once, and then turned them into ornaments when we got home.

One year I put up a Hawaiian Christmas tree, that had a bunch of magnets from my trip to Hawaii, and other Hawaiian themed stuff. I wanted to top the tree with a plastic pineapple I had, but I couldn't find it, so I topped it with a seashell.