In Tough Economic Times Federal Government Regulations Threaten to Shut Down Thrift Stores
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On Feb. 10th a new federal safety law designed to protect kids from lead and phthalates will take effect across the country. Any product designed for children, used or new, will have to be tested for lead and phthalates (chemical used to soften plastic). For sellers of used clothes this will be a tremendous problem because all of their products will have to be tested. In practical terms this means that they will have to invest in machines that test for lead and phthalates, which for most of these small businesses and non profits is not financially viable. Most of these thrift and consignment stores will be wiped out by the law. Unless the law is modified, millions across this country who depend on the second hand market to clothe their children will be out of luck.
The law, an attempt to protect children from lead contamination and exposure, was pushed through Congress as a result of lead tainted products coming into the country via China. Many have criticized the law for over reaching and not taking into consideration that many of the items sold at used clothing stores are brand names clothes that are less than a year old and are most likely already free of any lead contamination. If you have any specific questions about the new law, contact the US Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Further Reading On the Subject
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Vladamir,
At this point the regulations appear to targeted at children. Personally, I find the governement's reaction to be a little overblown, but that being said I am unclear as to what levels of exposure are considered dangerous and whether clothes are known to contain unsafed levels of lead. Al that being said, I do think the government will back track a bit and modify the regulation.
Thanks for your comment.
It's sad to learn that our government tends to do something good but other industry will be thretan by the rule and regulation. I like thrift stores and I think they are not just giving helps for our tough economy but educating people the concept of reuse and recycle. Perhaps the "business" of garage sale will get higher once our government reenforces the law.
yxhaung,
I think the attendance at garage sales will boom if the government enforces the law. I, as you, think thrift stores should be encouraged not discouraged. Hopefully they won't enforce it or they will compromise and modify the law.
Thanks for dropping by,
sschilke
Be carefull what you wish for, as it may be given to you...
Isn't American public craving for government to protect said public from all possible harms? Hence the results...
Misha,
I'm with you on this one. This is overkill by the boys in Washington.
sschilke
SSchilke, thanks for pointing out the perils of government regulation. No matter what the safety regulation, it can't help but have an economic impact. Decisions about safety versus thrift should be in the hands of the individual. They should not be made for us by others.
Aya katz,
In principle I agree with you, the individual should make the ultimate decision, but at times, in some cases regulation is needed. That being said, for most situations (such as this one) I think the consumer should be allowed to exercise choice. Let them know what the dangers are, but that should be it.
Thanks for dropping by.
sschilke
Another government regulated decision with an inability for us to have a decision in the matter. Yes, safety is very important and that is why everything should be tested LONG before it reaches our stores thus preventing it from ending up in our thrift stores; however it is too late, now we must come up with a solution to end our lead poisoning problem. An easy fix instead of requiring such testing in second hand stores would be to provide a list of lead tainted products and tested products that have already been recalled. A requirement of employees of these second hand stores would be to daily check donated and other items in store to be sure they are NOT on the list of recalled and possible lead products.
If the Government wants to regulate this they should "FREE of Charge" test the present products in their stores and then provide each one with a List of the potentially harmful items so they can keep these items out of their stores. The Government should regularly update these lists so safety is kept even in our thrift stores. They should also require that thrift stores have a specific locked container for items containing any lead poisons and discarded appropriately to prevent scavengers from raiding their dumpsters.
Our Thrift stores are very important especially in todays society of unemployment and low income families that can't afford Brand New items. We cannot survive without these in our communities because it would have an adverse affect and a bad chain of events causing more problems. A lot of these stores are providing a way to help the homeless, hungry, and jobless community financially. They are also helping to fund our drug and alcohol treatment facilities. They are helping pay for utility bills for those unable to pay them. A lot of these thrift stores rely very much on these stores to help those in need. I am a true believer in Safety but I also know to require that these same places that rely on donations to keep them afloat to purchase a $25,000.00 piece of equipment would be devastating to it's own purpose and utterly be the cause of their inability to stay open.
drviands,
A very thoughful and constructive comment. I think you are right on the mark with your ideas and analysis. The government needs to rethink this whole initiative and allow some room for thrift shops to operate while at the same time allowing the consumer some measure of information as to the possible hazzards.
Thanks for the comment, one of the best written in response to one of my hubs.
sschilke
Nice hub sschilke. I agree. We do need controls in place for children's safety, but we never need knee-jerk laws.
We get catch-all law like this all the time in Australia. They almost never do what they are supposed to, but wind up hurting innocent parties.
earnestshub,
You certainly nailed it earnest when you said knee-jerk laws. Sometimes I think we are legislating ourselves to death.
sschilke
Sschilke, forgive my ignorance, but I don't understand why a law requiring testing for a certain plastic would hurt the used clothing industry. I have rarely seen an article of clothing made of plastic - especially older/cheaper clothing.
Constant,
I had the exact same reaction as you did when my wife told me that our local thrift stores were in trouble. Apparently it has to do with buttons and any attachment to the clothes plus certain fabrics, I believe, are gernerated from plastic composites (don't quote me on that bit of chemistry) like nylon. Many clothes are made of a mix of cotton and other fabrics.
sschilke
That's true, and I didn't think of the fabric mix factor. I TRY to buy 100% cotton whenever possible, but that's not always possible. And buttons, rarely can I get the cool wooden ones.
Clark Howard on CNN Headline News just this past Saturday took a call on the air from a lady who owned a Childrens Boutique and she was expressing 'fear' over this new law. Clark seemed very positive that the inspections would only occur at the VERY large retailers such as Target, Walmart, etc. as the government does not come close to having the manpower to inspect all small business who deal in children's clothing. Wouldn't hurt to contact the link provided in this hub, but the lady seemed to feel much less 'threatened' after his comments.
brenflag,
You are probably right, that the government does not have the manpower to truly enforce the law, but if I was a shop owner I wouldn't want to operate a business in direct violation of the law. It would bother me ethically.
As for big stores, who primarlily sell new clothes, this law will not be a problem beause they can afford the testing of the clothes. It will be very interesting to see what happens.
Thanks for dropping by.
sschilke
Seems like the worst possible timing, doesn't it? When I first read the title of your article I thought perhaps this was the governmnent giving the retail industry a back-door stimulus by forcing people to buy "new" instead of "gently used."
I gotta wonder what level of threat these fabrics/buttons actually pose to children? And the percentage of items in the thrift stores that are affected. It does seem that we are in essence "throwing the baby out with the bath water" in this case. I have to agree with what other commenters have said. Put up a list of recalled items and let it be up to the individual to buy or not. You know, that old "caveat emptor" concept.
Vladimir Uhri Level 5 Commenter 3 years ago
Very informative. Thanks.
Should we buy products?