Demand for goods at Salvation Army's St. John's store is far outstripping donations

Letty Stone is the manager of the Salvation Army thrift store on Kenmount Road in St. John's. She says demand has increased at the store, but donations are down. (Arlette Lazarenko/CBC)

If you're looking for a snapshot of how the economy in St. John's is doing, consider what's been happening at the Salvation Army's main thrift store on Kenmount Road.

Sales there are brisk, as consumers look for bargains.

The problem is that donations are not keeping up, and in fact have declined, says the store manager.

Letty Stone said she sees people from all walks of life come through the doors each day. She's seen demand rise in recent years, and says the cost of living is playing a factor.

"Unfortunately, demand has increased for assistance," Stone told CBC News this week.

"With the economy, the way thing everything is nowadays, everyone needs a little bit of help."

Ted Troughton, the national managing director for Salvation Army thrift stores, said sales for the St. John's store are outpacing donations by 23 per cent.

What we're seeing is people trying to find a way to make their dollars go further," he said.

"We get tremendous donations here in Newfoundland, but we're looking for more."

Troughton said similar situations are playing out in other parts of Canada.

The Salvation Army is always looking for donations of things like clothes, home decor and household appliances.

Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Click here to visit our landing page.