Recent product additions to the Steinbach MCC may be causing some customers to pause in surprise.

The thrift store, known across the southeast for its extremely cheap goods, is now selling some items for several hundred dollars.

Jason Hiebert is the Executive Director of the Steinbach MCC Community Assistance Centre Incorporated. As he explains, the startling price tags are in no way symbolic of a change in business model, but a means of enhancing what they already have.

New signs have been placed in the Steinbach MCC Thrift Store to notify customers of some of the changes.

“Part of our goal has always been to help reduce waste and recycle,” he comments, “We’ve done our research and from what we know there are a lot of liquidation products that could end up in a landfill that we can resell for reasonable prices.”

Hiebert says the advent of online shopping has considerably hurt the number of furniture donations being received by MCC stores across the province and Steinbach is certainly no exception. While many branches are still looking for solutions to this problem, Hiebert believes he has found one.

Procurement Specialist Steven Denault was hired by Hiebert back in May which is around the same time the thrift store's product line began to change. Denault brought with him connections to the liquidation industry from his previous job.

“I don’t think people really understand the liquidation industry,” says Denault, “what’s really happening is that major billion-dollar corporations have roughly 20% of their products returned every year.”

Liquidated items like these are both supplementing low furniture donations and bringing in new customers.He goes on to explain that damaged goods, products that are missing pieces, or even items that are too expensive to be shipped back to their mother companies are either liquidated or else discarded. Through Denault, the store is now purchasing some of these products and reselling them to customers for significantly less than their retail value.

While certain patrons may balk at the higher-than-usual prices, Hiebert says most people love it.

“Our response has so far been very positive,” he remarks, “there’s generally a great excitement at the potential, and it's even bringing in some new customers who normally wouldn’t thrift.”

Even though the store is selling some items upwards of $500, Hiebert assures customers that they are still a thrift store and will continue to sell their usual second-hand goods as they always have. "We're not straying from our grassroots direction," he stresses, "and all money generated by these sales is still going back to MCC Manitoba or to other local charities."

Hiebert adds that other furniture-deprived MCC outlets have already recognized the success of this new program and are turning to Steinbach for their advice.