Bargain hunters may not 'always' find what they want, but the shelves at Arc's Value Village Thrift store in New Hope are filled with toys, clothes and trinkets, a popular draw for those looking for something for almost nothing.
Come next month, those shelves may be a bit more bare.
On February 10, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act becomes law. The federal agency behind it calls it sweeping legislation, that protects children from products that could harm them.
"It's getting very close, and more and more companies are starting to understand what their responsibiliies are," explained Scott Wolfson of the U-S Consumer Product Safety Commission.
For Value Village, that responsibility may include testing every children's product that is donated for lead and phthalates, a family of chemicals used to manufacture plastics. Both are considered harmful to the health of young people. As written, the law seems to require that both new 'and' used products sold after February 10,2009 be certified as lead and phthalate free.
"I hope 'that' interpretation, that every single item needs to be tested, is the extreme and won't actually be what happens in the long run," opined Pam Carlson, Public Affairs Director for Arc Greater Twin Cities. "We share a concern, obviously, we don't want to do things that are dangerous for people, especially for kids."
The potential impact on second hand, thrift, and consignment stores has prompted an explosion of anger and dismay from bargain-hunting bloggers, who have also swamped the telephone lines at the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Today, spokesman Scott Wolfson confirmed that the CPSC is combing the law and it's language, to see if there is reason to grant second hand stores an exemption.
"Just keep an eye on what cpsc is able to do over these few weeks," urged Wolfson. "We'll either be able to do something that 'may' be able to assist, or the law may be so strict that it applies to everybody across the board that deals with the manufacture and distribution of children's products."
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