MCC Thrift Store announces a historic $1.5 million in sales

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This article was published 28/06/2024 (321 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Steinbach MCC Thrift Store announced it had raised a historic $1.5 million in sales in 2023, $200,000 more than what was raised the year before and since COVID-19.

Sieg Dyck, chairperson of the Steinbach MCC Thrift Shop said 2023 was “a very productive year with considerable financial growth for the first time in many years.” He also said that this year’s first five months saw the store increase its sales by eight percent from the previous year.

“Another way to measure financial growth is by sales per square foot. In 2022, the sales per square foot were $70 and 2023 it had grown to $83 per square foot.”

In 2021, sales had hit a low point and were well under $1 million. Salaries were high compared to sales and volunteers were low at 50 to 60 people. Only $200,000 was forwarded to MCC.

Donations to charities increased from $400,000 in 2022 to $800,000 in 2023. Dyck said last year a total of $31,000 in grant money was given to local charities, the year prior $18,000 was handed out. Currently, for every $10 that the thrift store makes, $4 goes to charity.

In 2023, the minimum wage was increased from $11.90 an hour to $15.80 which added more than $100,000 to salary expenses. The decision to pay 100 percent of the extended health benefits of the employees was also made last year. Volunteers doubled in size from 70 regular active volunteers in 2022 to more than 140 regular volunteers last year.

Also in 2023, the decision to close Ten Thousand Villages was made as it had been subsidized by the thrift store for many years. It was sold for $340,000.

“In addition to the forwarding of $630,000 from the retail sales, another $170,000 was forwarded from the sale of Ten Thousand Villages. We forwarded $800,000 that year. MCC received half of the proceeds from the sales of the building and the thrift shop retained the other half for major repairs or improvements to our building,” said Dyck.

Improvements done at the store were a new outdoor sign, new windows in the storefront, repainting the interior, replacing the flooring in the clothing room, and finally there is a plan to pave the parking lot.

Thrift store general manager Dave Thiessen said that over the past two years the new board has made significant changes to its bylaws, structure, policies, and focus.

Aside from the minimum wage increase and the paying of employee benefits, the thrift store will also give birthdays off with pay and have monthly staff barbecues in the summer. Saturday shopping hours have also been extended to 4:30 p.m. and Mondays are now open to shoppers from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., which brings in another $5,000 to the store’s bottom line. Thiessen said the store makes about $7,000 to $8,000 a day in sales.

The store also created a special Old to Gold section in the clothing department with higher vintage and new items. The “tweaking” of pricing for fast moving items, such as pots and pans, plastics, and picture frames was also done.

“We’re a fundraising machine,” said Thiessen when referencing the history of MCC Thrift Stores and the more than 85 stores that are currently active.

“Selling donated goods to support the work of MCC and providing basic needs for relieving human suffering and promoting peace, that was then – over 53 years ago – and that is still our goal today,” he said.

Thiessen said the focus for 2024 will be a positive environment for customers and staff, to attract more customers, and increase sales and volunteers.