The Salvation Army Opens a Digital Thrift Store On Roblox

Slashdot reader BrianFagioli writes: The Salvation Army has launched what it calls the world's first digital thrift store inside Roblox, an experience named Thrift Score that lets players browse virtual racks and buy digital fashion for their avatars.

While I understand the strategy of meeting Gen Z and Gen Alpha where they already spend time and money, I feel uneasy about turning something that, in the real world, often serves low income families in genuine need into a gamified aesthetic inside a video game, even if proceeds support rehabilitation and community programs, because a thrift store is not just a quirky brand concept but a lifeline for many people, and packaging that reality as entertainment creates a strange disconnect that is hard to ignore.
"To be clear, proceeds from Thrift Score are intended to support The Salvation Armyâ(TM)s programs nationwide..." this article points out. "If it drives awareness and funds programs that help people in need, that is a win. But if it turns thrifting into just another cosmetic skin in a digital marketplace, then we should at least be willing to say that it feels off."

Thrift stores are a dead zone these days

[rsilvergun]

Anything of any value goes up on eBay. They aren't charities they are for profit companies that keep the profit inside the company so that they can get away with calling themselves charities.

There are plenty of good local thrift stores but you have to go looking for them. The big ones are just money makers for their owners

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[Valgrus Thunderaxe]

Salvation Army is 501(c)(3). They're a "not for profit".

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[anonymouscoward52236]

Not for profit doesn't mean not for revenue.

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[h33t l4x0r]

They publish financial reports, here's a link [salvationarmyusa.org] in case you're interested in learning something before spouting incoherent nonsense.

Double bad

[MpVpRb]

Encouraging addiction to support an evil religious cult

militarism

[trelanexiph]

Isn't exposing young influenceable minds to violent militarism like this "Army" inappropriate? :)

It's way worse than that

[Baloo Uriza]

Given the high positive correlation between child sexual abuse and religious leaders, Roblox is really going out of its way to prove that they're just completely uninterested in taking youth protection seriously.

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[h33t l4x0r]

Wait you're not claiming that the Salvation Army CEO is a religious leader, are you?

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[DigitalSorceress]

They're far more church/religion like than you might think

They're also an anti LGBTQIA+ hate group

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[h33t l4x0r]

I'm not questioning the church part, it's the leadership part that I wonder about. I don't think the Pope has them on speed dial in other words. As far as LGBTQ+ hate goes, that's par for the course with churches.

Let's see...

[guygo]

how can we monitize poverty? Can we get AI involved?

It's good they branched out

[Misanthrope]

From hating gay people and molesting children

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]

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[drinkypoo]

Conversely, I was going to say that people keep saying that there are child predators on Roblox, and now we know it's true.

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[outsider007]

Apparently there's a controversial LGBTQ+ position. Ok, but name a church that doesn't have that. And a child sexual abuse case in an AU branch. Again, name a church that doesn't have that. As far as churches seem to be a necessary evil, at least they are doing something useful, and that makes them better than most if not all.

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[Baloo Uriza]

The Salvation Army is neither NGO nor charity. It's a church. It's only a church. It's a really really grifty church that depends on deceiving people for support, but it's still just a church.

Who cares?

[UsuallyReasonable]

If you used every piece of paper on Earth, both sides, to make a handwritten list of everything I might be worried about now or might ever be worried about, this would not be on it.

capitalism may be ending!

[oumuamua]

With robots/AI poised to take all jobs TPTB actually allowed Clara Mattei https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org] on NPR! That means they are allowing the brainwashed hoi polio to be exposed to the idea that capitalism is NOT the best thing since sliced bread.
Her book The Capital Order: How Economists Invented Austerity and Paved the Way to Fascism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
Video Clara Mattei: capitalism is not natural - it’s enforced: https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]

Salvation Army never helped when we were hungry

[BrendaEM]

After my mother and father divorced, the child support was so lean that at times we had little food. The Salvation Army never helped us.

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[h33t l4x0r]

If you ate at soup kitchens or food pantries they probably did without you knowing it because those aren't branded like the thrift stores are. They are legit feeding hungry people.

Not so bad

[TenDimensions]

If I were to guess, the average child playing on Roblox is probably decently privileged. If this gets just a handful of kids more aware of thrift and charity, why not? Nothingâ(TM)s perfect, but I also donâ(TM)t see any other charity organizations trying to get onto the radar of kids.

So dress/buy your avatar in 2nd hand clothing....

[bsdetector101]

Geez, we don't go to real thrift stores as it's full of junk. Now they want someone to pay to play a homeless person getting dressed up.....

gacha fasha

[Venova]

my wife and i spend hundreds every month on fashion in Infinity Nikki; a fashion open world rpg; it has some of the most beautiful outfits ive ever seen in ny life and the most intricately detailed clothing ive ever seen in a game; easily hollywood level of detail in the designs its a singleplayer game but has some limited co op with photos together and exploring the big beautiful world and doing minigames; platforming challengine; a small amount of fairly easy combat stuff; etc we enjoy it alot; theres t