s/o of Charity Giving Tree: Bad gifts given in "charity"

[Amy Rose]

Isn't it something like 60%, according to the commercials?

I don't feel too guilty about the hat thing, because I don't know the people's personal tastes, so it is about morally the same as buying something plain for someone whose exact tastes you don't know that well. Right?

I'll also get plain spaghetti for a food drive but the whole-wheat spaghetti for myself. I supplement B vitamins (which are present in smaller amounts in whole-grain spaghetti). They're about the same price anymore. (I also hand food to beggars instead of money. I don't eat peanuts, so I don't think I've killed anybody.)

[RubySlippers]

Can I just throw in a defence of the "hopelessly out of date" clothing?  Think - community theatre.  Our local group scours the thrift shops for suits, dresses, shoes, accessories, everything.  We did "Brighton Beach Memoirs" last year and needed dressing gowns for various sized people that looked like they came from the 1930s.  Also house dresses, men's hats, etc.  Old fashioned quality clothing is always a good thing.  Ratty clothing?  we can make ourselves thanks.

[Coruscation]

Yeah, I have done that myself - for myself - not to give away for a charity drive

I have a pile of games around here that I have bought new and either opened them and read the rules or played once

but the TFT won't take them cause they are not "unopened"  Of course, in all fairness most of them are not "Kid's games"

Sorry, we've had thread drift. People were talking general 'thrift shop' donations as well as giving trees and I was responding to that. I will donate the pieces in a baggy and the board if its in good condition. Usually the box goes first and then the board and the pieces get lost. I bought a Thomas Big Loader once after checking that the train was in it. I had the track (now I have two) but the train chugged off somewhere unknown.