This post is intended to respond to some of the recent negative reviews and experiences at SCRAP. We have fully read every review, and whilst we are thrilled that so many people love SCRAP, we would like to address some of the concerns voiced.
We want to thoroughly and wholeheartedly apologize for how you were treated and that this has not been addressed sooner. We cannot tell you how much we appreciate your support and all of our donors/volunteers/customers. SCRAP has been around for a very long time so sometimes people forget that we wouldn't exist without your gracious support. We are currently trying to change and grow and implement some long needed changes. We have been actively bringing in new people and are working on implementing training for all staff.
Regarding our pricing policy: we try to price things fairly consistently but there are factors that affect the pricing. These include 1) supply and demand, 2) how much room in the warehouse we have for items, 3) our operating expenses (and these have increased sadly) and 4) the expertise of the staff/volunteer working at the front desk. These factors do vary from day to day but we hope averages out in the end. Regardless of fluctuations, we strive to keep our prices as low as we can. We try to be fair while generating enough income to keep our doors open to serve the San Francisco arts community as well as working towards paying fair wages to our staff, who have to sort through approximately 2000 pounds of donated materials every day.
We acknowledge that previously some items have slipped through the net. In the past, there have been occasions where people pricing have not known the value of goods and severely underpriced valuable things, this has undermined the entire business. Again, this is an area that we are seeking to improve upon.
Our founder, Anne Marie, actually is a volunteer who runs our desk on Friday afternoons and Saturdays. SCRAP was the first creative reuse arts center in the country and is very deeply dear to her heart. She had to fight so very hard to start it and keep it going since 1976. Sometimes, when someone works that hard and sincerely, any perceived threat, even a false one, to the organization's sustainability is difficult. We want to respect her legacy and her hard work but also our customers so this can make things difficult and change is slow. I hope you are able to be patient with us as we try our hardest to make SCRAP better.
We are continually learning and evolving as a non-profit organization, and sincerely apologize if our growing pains have negatively affected you. Please let us know what we can do to remedy this and help you reconnect with us. Again, we are truly sorry and appreciate your support.
We welcome any feedback, concerns and suggestions, and encourage you to email warehouse@scrap-sf.org. We hope this post addresses some of your concerns and experiences, and assure you that we read and take these comments very seriously.
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