Greg fontes
Alternative assignment (interview)
Eng 101
Laura Darrow
4/15/2010


1. How long have you worked at the D.A.V thrift store?
Sam: It will be nine years in September that I started working for D.A.V and have loved every minute of it.
2. What are some of your responsibilities working for the D.A.V.?
Sam: well I open every day, then I have five employees that I help plan there day, I also have people that come in and do their community service, then the rest of the day I run the register and price the items we sell.
3. How do you think the economy has affected the D.A.V.?
Sam: Actually are sells have gone up more people are coming in to save money, and we are still getting a lot of donations it’s been a good year so far.
4. Where do you see the D.A.V in say five years?
Sam: Well the way things have been going so far we may need to find a bigger building with more parking and possibly hire more help.
5. What are some of the things that the D.A.V does for the community of Yavapai?
Sam: The biggest part is that we support are veterans and their families, we also help the homeless, and the low income families such as single moms, we also help those that are trying to mend their ways.
Some of the things you like?
Sam: I really like seeing their smiles with they think they got a really good deal, for me it’s not so much on how much we make on items we sell, as it is seeing the faces when they find something they like and then they get it so cheap.
Things you dislike?
Sam: People with no manners the one that come in thinking there better than the rest of us like there doing us a favor stopping in we don’t need them we do just fine on our own.

As I sat in the store and watch Sam I got a good feeling the customers really seem to come in just to visit with Sam as much as they do to shop. It seems as if everybody knows Sam and the people that work there. There is such a positive source of energy that come from the surroundings that you can’t help but feel good when you are there. It was funny to watch Sam haggle with one of the customers because every counter offer Sam gave was lower than the first. It’s amazing how she actually makes money.
I talked with some of the people walking around, and they all had nothing but good things to say about Sam and the D.A.V. I even had a conversation with some of the individuals that where doing their community service at the D.A.V and their response was that they wouldn’t want to do it anywhere else. Sam and the people that wok at the D.A.V don’t make feel like their less than a person just because they made a mistake in life. They feel like they’re getting a second chance to make things right. The people that I talk to that were donating things feel that there item were really going to a good cause. I even talk to one lady who said she thinks that one of the items she had just bought might be something she donated earlier this year.
This interview I think will show that being a part of the community as a friend as well as a business can be a positive thing. It gives people a place to find things they need and get it at a really good price. It also gives some people a place to go that they feel comfortable, and have some kind of social life when they might not anyone in their lives. It also gives people that have made mistakes in their lives a positive support system to help get their lives back on track.
All I can say is that the D.A.V is a great place, and I hope that it stays around for a long time. As a disabled vet myself I have found the services to be very helpful and am very greatful for what they have done for me.