Thrift store mega haul.

About every three weeks I drive up to Oregon to get gas. ($5.65 here and $4.29 there) It is only 30 minutes and my wife always gives me a Fred Meyer/Kroger shopping list. Every trip I visit a thrift store that always has a FREE spot outside. Twice I filled the back of my SUV with aluminum, wires and electronics. I got to know the guy that runs the back area. A few days ago I found out he got a donation that had been in a pot growing building. They are no longer in "business". I think maybe the county Sheriff's wanted to clear out their confiscation area. There were lights, bulbs and ballasts. The lights and bulbs were already gone. I am guessing another "company" snatched them up.

He had four big transformers and five a little smaller. While we were talking price (yes I wanted to pay) I noticed one lone transformer and a big blue metal something. I saw wires coming out and it was heavy. So I included them in my offer of $5 each. $55 sounded good to him so they helped me load well over 200 pounds into the back of my car. I am going to have fun for quite sometime.



I tore down one of the big ones and scrap value right now for ext AL, insulated wire and transformer wire is $27 and change.

The blue box says AC/DC converter and weighs maybe 50-60 pounds. Looking forward to tearing that one down.

Originally Posted by ChildhoodDream

What about more then scrap value if any of it works?

I do not want to be bothered with boxing and shipping things that heavy. Besides I have no way to test. The one I scrapped had a burned our capacitor. I could see black plastic foam that had come out the top.

It is a great catch you got. Here is the same as Repurposer. Second hand stores and such are mostly all selling scrap metals themselves. In a nearby location, the local scrap yard bin is straight by the main entrance. Same for furniture stores that buy back or take old appliance for free, I often meet them while dumping shred at the yards. Also, the largest second hand store in a 90 mile radius sells pretty much all their "unsalable" stuff themselves. For example, damaged, stained and rejected clothing is baled, then it all goes to another place closer to the port, then that's loaded in an Africa-bound sea can. The best free haul I got is when I asked for a fax machine and he gives me an untested one. I would be interested to take their CRT for free, but not sure that they would accept to deal with me since I am not a R2 corporation.

Originally Posted by cyberdan

I do not want to be bothered with boxing and shipping things that heavy. Besides I have no way to test.

Well I opened up one of the five in my top photo. (Pile on the left, the top ones) They are about 3 inches tall and half of that is black tar, just like in fluorescent light ballasts. Well I won't scrap those so the same holds here. I guess I am stuck trying to sell on feeBay. I looked them up and a company 2 hours south of me had two for sale at $80 each. So I sent them a message that they could buy these and they turned me down. (the ones they had listed were on consignment) A couple other things they said made me think this company was also one of my scrap yards. (I only have two) It is a nice little yard.

I now have five to sell. They are not the most modern units but I will make the price very interesting.

(I just found another one about 10 miles further south)

Newberg Fred Meyer, corner store has the least expensive gas around, a dime less expensive. Also the supermarket which currently conveys GUNS AND AMMO!! Well that is one-quit shopping. Need a sledge cooler rifle handgun plants milk gas bank store lounge chair table shirt shoes television jewel ring blossoms. Name another that has half what freddy's does! The main grievance is they are generally occupied and can be delayed at checkout, gracious and are not as effective at the permit and garage sales as Bi-shop.

Originally Posted by ohjabarn

Newberg Fred Meyer, corner store has the least expensive gas around, a dime less expensive. Also the supermarket which currently conveys GUNS AND AMMO!!

At least your Freddies sells guns and ammo. The one I go to (Brookings, OR) had a nice department and the sales people bragged all the other stores are getting rid of their stock, BUT NOT THEM! Last year they quietly got rid of everything and that area now just has fishing stuff. I only go there every 3-4 weeks for gas and good produce/fish. I live 30 miles south in CA. I rarely go to that side of the store.

Your gas is a dime cheaper mine is over a dollar. CA vs OR. A station near me is at $6.05, my last trip to FM gas was $4.21. I am sure it is a bit higher now.

Originally Posted by cyberdan

Well I opened up one of the five in my top photo. (Pile on the left, the top ones) They are about 3 inches tall and half of that is black tar, just like in fluorescent light ballasts.

I decided not to sell but to scrap. The top half is extruded AL and a heavy cord. I opened one again to see if I could bang that tar out, nope but I pulled the two torrid transformers and got about three feet of heavy #2 wire. Glad I decided not to sell because after doing this to all five I can say these were tossed because they burned out. On the torrids everyone had the wire melted in one tiny spot to the ferrite ring. It was like it had been welded. Must have gotten pretty hot. So because the torrids were half buried in tar I am sure they overheated. Bad design.

Originally Posted by cyberdan

.Your gas is a dime cheaper mine is over a dollar. CA vs OR. A station near me is at $6.05, my last trip to FM gas was $4.21. I am sure it is a bit higher now.

No gun and ammo or hard liquor in grocery stores here, but plenty of beer and wine. Up here, many Ontarians and New Brunswickers cross the line to buy cheaper beer and sprits in Quebec while Quebecers go in Ontario for cheaper wine. What surprised me is that gas is more expensive at your neck of them woods. We're at Cdn 1.839 / L (USD 5.54 / G), the record high price ever charged here and the province is known to be the second most taxed jurisdiction in North America. As for booze, many people go to Ontario or Vermont (before the pandemic) border towns to buy fuel as Californians do in Oregon. The price difference between Quebec and Ontario is usually about USD 0.30 / G and even bigger with Vermont. We don't have Freddie's, Kroger or Safeway here, but we have Loblaws gas stations that sells at the same price and give fidelity points instead. Flying J high-volume truck stops are not bad neither, but I don't have no one around here. If one got the Costco card (I don't), it is close by one of their store and enough time for waiting in line, they're always cheaper than other gas bars.