Word: flea
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...used to hordes of shoppers stampeding through the doors each Thursday-the day a fresh supply of items goes on sale. Business has been so good lately at the Junior League Bargain Tree in Portland, Ore., that the store closed down one Saturday for lack of merchandise. At the flea market on the grounds of Miami's Tropicaire Drive-In Theater, stalls are booked an unprecedented two weeks in advance. The latest trend in shopping, apparently, is the shift to thrift...
Business at flea markets and thrift shops has doubled, and even tripled, in recent months. At so-called "resale" shops (where the owner and the stores usually split the sale price), customers are streaming in not only to buy goods but to place clothes and furniture of their own on consignment. Much of the secondhand spirit stems directly from the recession. Explains Jane Kulian of the Salvation Army's Red Shield Store in Evanston, Ill.: "Many of our customers are people out of work." Adds Nancy Webster, owner of Nancy's Resale Shoppe in Dallas: "Loads of people...
...prices through the end of the year. The out-of-sight costs of materials and labor have had some hidden benefits. Millions have become craftsmen; the arcana of carpentry, plumbing and auto repair have been revealed to those who once thought they possessed ten thumbs. In a variety of flea markets, church bazaars and garage sales, secondhand furniture and utensils trade hands and are given a new life...
Chemical-impregnated collars are supposed to keep dogs and cats free of fleas for up to three months. Flea-plagued people apparently believe the collars will do the same for them. In both California and New York, pet store owners report a booming business in the collars and suspect that some are ending up on the necks, ankles or wrists of pet owners rather than on their pets. Says James Umberfield, manager of San Francisco's House of Pets: "One woman came in here with big red spots all over her legs and said she was buying a collar...
...Fleas may soon be the least of her problems. Recent studies suggest that the pesticides in the collars may be hazardous to both animals and people. In fact, the packages carry warnings that children should not be closely exposed to pets wearing the collars. Veterinarians who put flea collars on 50 cats at Washington State University reported that 21 of the animals developed ataxia-depression-a nervous disorder characterized by listlessness, loss of appetite and lack of coordination; four of the animals died. The Environmental Protection Agency warns that flea-collar poisoning may produce dizziness, nausea and skin rashes...