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Pay What You Can

Posted by Kimberley Dares on

We wanted to share a little more detail on how our Pay What You Can section works. You can find this shelf near our cash desk, with an ever changing selection of goods. 
The Pay What You Can shelf is shown, it is white slat wall with an assortment of goods on shelves and in baskets.
A brief overview of how it works: 
💙 We add new items regularly, often items we have limited inventory of or that we are unable to restock. Makers sometimes donate items to be added to the shelf as well. All items are new and the same quality as the rest of the shop.
💙 The section is easy to spot in store, once you find something that works for you we just ask you take a moment to think about what you value the item(s) at & what works with your budget.
💙 Bring the item to cash and we will ask what you’d like to pay for the item. This part can be a little slow as we will likely try to scan an old Pay What You Can barcode that doesn’t work anymore 😂 before remembering to create a custom sale at the offered price. The delay is technology related and not at all an issue with the suggested price - it will take a minute.
💙 Taxes will be added on the item (15%). Then you pay as usual and are on your way!
A couple of notes:
💖 PWYC items are final sale
💖 There’s a limit of 3 items per visit to help keep this accessible to as many folks as possible.
💖 We love kids using this as a means for gifting something special and building their understanding of money and the value of goods!
Thoughtfulness on all parts is what makes this work. We have worked through challenges on our end with struggling with the value of items vs price paid and really are approaching it with no judgement these days. In the past their have been moments when I (hi I’m Kimberley!) have gotten this experience wrong and we have rebuilt it to avoid future missteps - there aren’t many examples of how to make this work.
If you are shopping and spot something in PWYC but can afford the item or a similar item at the full price, please remember this section isn’t a discount/clearance area (we have one of those!). Every once and a while the intention gets missed, so we’ve all got to work together!
If the holidays have been causing stress, or you just need a little self-care we really hope this helps brighten your day and takes a little pressure off.
You can also check this video out to learn more!
With Love, 
Kimberley & The Trainyard Team

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