Mobile's Salvation Army Coping With Economy

Anna Kingery wanders through isles of shoes to what's new among the old things donated to the Salvation Army Thrift Store.

“It depends upon what your whim is and my whim is little novelties I like to look at the shoes I like to look at the furniture I like to price the TV's,” says Anna.

She, along with dozens of other customers, is why this store continues to hold revenue at about the same level from last year.

“That's kind of amazing because if you realize that donations, we're facing a challenge in donations,” says Salvation Army Director of Volunteers Christina Watts.

She says it seems like people are holding on to things longer in this economic downturn. She says the consistent sales are keeping them afloat.

“The time of year, season where people are more concerned with summer things than cleaning out their closets, and our pickups are down,” says Watts.

Donating a big item, like a sofa for example, requires you setting up an appointment w/ a delivery van. They've had to be very careful how they plan pick-up routes to save fuel.