We're familiar with Thrifty Beverage Center on McDonald as a good stop for comparatively inexpensive cases of standard-issue beers, but today the Times explores the redemption side of the business.
As a commenter noted previously, parking is difficult around the store because of the crowd that comes from all over to redeem bottles--and at 6 cents a piece, it's no wonder anyone would go out of their way to get there. Take for instance "Frank" from Bay Ridge, who notes that he doesn't go so far just for the money:
The extra penny is not the lure of Thrifty Redemption for Frank. He goes there because he can unload all his empties at one place. Unlike many supermarkets, Thrifty does not limit how many it will redeem in a day. “I don’t take the extra penny. He’s got to eat, too,” Frank said. “I like that you can bring as many as you want.”
Vincent Cristallo, who runs Thrifty but is not the owner, says the business counts on getting as many bottles and cans as it can. “They don’t need to go into a supermarket and have people yelling at them,” Mr. Cristallo said. “We treat them like human beings.”
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