Miramar thrift store: Cheap solutions for pricey problems

Photo By Cpl. Christopher Johns | Whitney Mays, a spouse and mother, and a Pensacola, Fla., native comes to the Thrift Shop to look for books to aid her children’s homeschooling by looking through the shop’s stocks aboard Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., Oct. 10. Prices range from $.25 to $20 dollars on almost all items in the store, which helps to fund the Navy Marine Corps Relief Society’s giving to those in the military in need.  

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, CA, UNITED STATES

10.19.2012

Story by Lance Cpl. Christopher Johns 

Marine Corps Air Station Miramar

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. - When cash is tight, children need clothes, service members need new uniform items and spouses need certain odds and ends to make their new homes a better place for the entire family, they have a local place they can go – the Thrift Shop aboard Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif.

“I don’t get to come to the Thrift Shop that often,” said Cpl. Jack Loeb, a central technical publication librarian with Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 11 and a Longview, Texas, native. “I’ve come here for my uniform items mainly; I would recommend this place to anyone looking for [uniforms] and the like. There is a wide assortment of items you can get here besides uniforms, as well.”

The shop carries everything from children’s toys and clothing to adult clothes, books, electronics, uniforms and much more.

“It’s so rewarding to watch [spouses] come in here and leaving smiling,” said Diane Peske, a volunteer with the Navy Marine Corps Relief Society and Thrift Shop and a San Diego native. “The wives come here, sometimes with children in tow, money is tight and when I bring the price up and say ‘That’ll be $8.25,’ the look of relief that shows on their face is just so rewarding.”

The shop is staffed by approximately 25 volunteers and is open to spouses and retirees Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. service members in uniform are permitted to shop for anything they might need, as well.

“I would encourage Marines, sailors and families to come see us, get what they need for very little and save themselves some stress,” said Peske. “All of the funds we make during the week are used to give back to Marines, sailors and families who need them to make ends meet.”

For more information about MCAS Miramar’s Thrift Shop, please contact [phone].

• Date Taken: 10.19.2012
• Date Posted: 10.19.2012 14:24
• Story ID: 96463
• Location: MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, CA, US