Like others involved with the FreeStore, I have noted a wide range of reactions from friends and neighbors..from genuine interest to total boredom with the idea of free. There has even been some hostility. There seems to be a misconception that its only for poor people. not true. I do want to share an observation about children who have visited, since I am very interested in children and consumerism. Lots of times in traditional stores I have seen kids whine or beg for this or that..we all know how targeted they are by marketers; the colorful packaging, misleading claims, so on. When kids (from 5 to about 15) come in, they are a bit shy at first because they dont have a reference point for free. So there is a wariness. But within a few minutes their delight is palpable. You can see them get it. And heres the thing: instead of getting excited, they calm down. Rather than running from thing to thing, they seem to inspect items more slowly and closely. The tension with the parent vanishes and they get lost in the possibilities of making their own choices. I have yet to see a child hoard or act possessive of an item. They make their choices with great deliberation and respect. I dont see the intense attachment to getting something. Lots of families bring donations and shop during the same visit. So kids see their own items lovingly displayed and maybe even chosen by another child. Lots of interactions happen that would not happen at ToysRUs: helpfulness, conversation, story-telling. And an idea has emerged of borrowing rather than taking. (Oh let me read this and bring it back; or I could use this at the beach for the summer). Its only been a week, but every day something great happens. We already see regulars, and people want to work a shift or two, and they want to know about Transition also. There is a sense of play - decorating, arranging, admiring. A big gruff guy stopped in and picked up some tools, a new orange extension cord..this is awesome, he said, and he meant it :) xx
Posted on: Sat, 07 Jun 2014 21:03:14 +0000
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