University Star

Students looking to get rid of extra baggage need not look far.

San Marcos offers outlets for collecting unwanted clothes or items students cannot take out of their dorms and back home.

Goodwill accepts clothing and furniture donations of reasonable quality. Donations have to be stainless, and without holes. The store has a drop-off door that donators can use, or students interested in participating can leave donations inside with an employee.

Retro Exchange, located in The Square, buys and trades clothing donations, but has strict requirements. The store accepts the current trends in fashion, or clothing that encompasses recent fads, said Jillian Wiatrek, education junior and Retro Exchange employee.

Business varies between buying and selling throughout the year, but the store generally equals out, Wiatrek said. Christmas and the end of the school year tend to be the store’s biggest buying times since people are looking for extra cash for the holidays or moving home for the summer.

Ellen Gordon, applied sociology sophomore and Tower Hall resident, said she considers recycling to be the best way of dealing with unwanted items left after packing.

One place students can find packing materials for wanted items at the UPS store.

Bill Blocker, owner of the UPS store, said different boxes may be required for packing needs. Made in China boxes tend to fall apart under minimal pressure, he said. Grocery, moving and  shipping boxes are reliable for storage.

Blocker recommends buying 20-by-20-by-20 boxes that are under a large size which are cheaper to ship and easier to handle.

Students shipping items home instead of moving themselves should avoid using boxes that have alcoholic symbols or ORM-D (Other Regulated Materials-Domestic) which may have contained hazardous materials prior, Blocker said.