This month, we spoke with Thrift Operations Manager Dan Moore about why our thrift stores are so important to the Arizona Humane Society’s mission. Here you can read highlights from our chat, but be sure to watch Dan’s full interview to learn all about how he supports our efforts to serve our community’s pets and people.
For people who may not know what goes on in our thrift stores, can you describe what you and your teammates do and why Thrift is so important to AHS’ mission?
We’re selling people’s donated goods. We get it all. Still, things come in, and it’s like, “Wow, what is this?” We have a lot of really nice donors who donate a lot of really nice stuff, but we get all kinds of things. And it can be a dirty job sometimes, but I have a really good team here, and we work hard to give it a fair price, get it out on the floor and our customers love seeing what we have every day. We’re all very motivated to make as much money as we can for the animals that need it.
What is your favorite part about being the thrift operations manager or being a part of the Thrift team as a whole?
Genuinely, my favorite part is just being a part of a mission that is important to me. The Arizona Humane Society as a whole, I’m very proud to be part of it all. Even on a rough day, I know it’s all for a good cause, and it’s really good to be a part of all that. It’s easy to stay motivated when it’s for a good cause. That’s really the main motivating factor. I know it’s all coming from a good place.
How do you and the rest of the Thrift team support each other through the tough days?
I think humor. Humor goes a long way. I have this little stupid hat, and sometimes I’ll just put it on and wear it around the store. There’s enough silly stuff in the store that makes it easy to have fun. Yes, we’re serious about doing a good job, but like with any job, you have to make the most of it. Make it fun. Make each other laugh.