ORANGE LUTHERAN THRIFT SHOP HISTORY
The first Lutheran High School Thrift Shop opened on Chapman Ave in Orange on May 18, 1969. The decision was made in the late 1980s to close the Thrift Shop due to a lack of volunteers and sales.
For several years there was no thrift shop. However, the need to provide funds for financial assistance to students at Orange Lutheran High School was still there. In 1994, the Lutheran High School Thrift Shop reopened at 676 N. Tustin St. in Orange. That building is now referred to as the ‘old’ building or furniture store, and the main shop is next door across the alley.
At Back to School Night on September 9, 1998, the Thrift Shop presented to Lutheran High School its first officially recorded Student Financial Assistance donation of $10,000.
Since 1994, the Orange Lutheran High School Thrift Shop has grown to a team of over 80 regular volunteers and hundreds of students and families from the high school giving so graciously of their time. Add the blessing of plentiful donations and the Thrift Shop has raised over $7.5 million going directly to financial assistance.
Our goal is to help more children – as many as possible –receive a Christian education. Thank you for being a part of this ministry!
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1976 Thrift Shop Advertisement
VOLUNTEER INFORMATION
The following policies and procedures have been developed to support your time at the Thrift Shop and ensure that we are consistent with how we operate our business. We want you to have a great volunteer experience! We want our staff and volunteers to represent Orange Lutheran Thrift Shop in a positive light to our customers and to the community we serve.
VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENTS
We ask our volunteers:
• Be at least 14 years old, or high school age, unless you are volunteering with an approved school or youth group
• Be willing to learn and adapt as business needs change and participate in training as necessary
• Accept the guidance and leadership of Orange Lutheran Thrift Shop management
• Complete assigned duties and responsibilities
DRESS CODE
All volunteers on the sales floor are required to wear name badges/lanyards or OLu shirts, Thrift Shop vests, or aprons. The customers need to know who the volunteers are!
Dress is casual/modest–jeans, pants, skirts, shorts, and comfortable shoes are appropriate. Closed-toe shoes are preferred.
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VOLUNTEER SHIFTS
Volunteer shifts are a minimum of two hours, one day per week and one Saturday per month unless otherwise arranged. Tuesday volunteers come the second Saturday, Wednesday volunteers come the third Saturday, etc.
When you report for your shift, please sign in on the clipboard located by the back door and sign out at the end of your shift. This documentation is necessary for tracking hours, plus helpful if there is an emergency.
If you cannot make your standing shift, it is your responsibility to call the Thrift Shop and report your absence to a staff member. Please do not call/contact staff members on their cell phones – If they are not at the shop that day, they will have to call the shop to report your absence. If you know in advance that you will be absent, please mark yourself out on the calendar located on the wall in the sign-in area.
CONDUCT
While a volunteer at the Thrift Shop, you are representing Orange Lutheran High School to the public. You are expected to be welcoming, without discrimination, to all customers.
Please avoid conversations which are inappropriate for the workplace. While customers are in the store, all staff and volunteers are to maintain the utmost professionalism. While on the sales floor and other than when instructed by your supervisor, please refrain from participating in any discussion regarding transactions, customers, other volunteers, customer interactions with any staff person or volunteer, as well as personal information of any kind. Additionally, please limit cell phone usage in public spaces.
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Further, Orange Lutheran prohibits discriminatory, harassing, disrespectful, and unprofessional conduct. In addition, OLu is committed to providing a work environment that is free of unlawful harassment. The school strictly prohibits all forms of unlawful harassment, including harassment on the basis of age (40 or older), ancestry, color, religious creed (including religious dress and grooming practices), disability (mental and physical), including HIV and AIDS, marital status, medical condition (cancer and genetic characteristics), genetic information, military and veteran status, national origin (including language use restrictions), race, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and medical conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding), gender, gender identity and gender expression, sexual orientation, or any other protected status in accordance with all applicable federal, state and local laws.
ELIGIBILITY
This policy prohibits unlawful discrimination and harassment in the workplace and applies to applicants, volunteers, and employees of the school, including supervisors and managers. The school prohibits managers, supervisors, and all employees or volunteers from discriminating against or harassing coworkers as well as students or their families, vendors, suppliers, independent contractors, volunteers, and others doing business with the school. In addition, the school prohibits students or their families, vendors, suppliers, independent contractors, volunteers, and others doing business with the school from discriminating against or harassing the school’s employees.
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PROCEDURES
Examples of prohibited sexual harassment
Sexual harassment includes a broad spectrum of conduct, including harassment based on sex, gender, gender identity or expression, and sexual orientation. Examples of unlawful and unacceptable behavior include:
1. Unwanted sexual advances.
2. Offering an employment benefit (such as a raise, promotion, or career advancement) in exchange for sexual favors, or threatening an employment detriment (such as termination or demotion) for an employee’s failure to engage in sexual activity.
3. Visual conduct, such as leering, making sexual gestures, and displaying or posting sexually suggestive objects or pictures, cartoons, or posters.
4. Verbal sexual advances, propositions, requests, or
5. comments.
6. Sending or posting sexually related messages, videos or messages via text, instant messaging or social media.
7. Verbal abuse of a sexual nature, graphic verbal comments about an individual’s body, sexually degrading words used to describe an individual, and suggestive or obscene letters, notes or invitations.
8. Physical conduct, such as touching, groping, assault or blocking movement.
9. Physical or verbal abuse concerning an individual’s gender, gender identity, or gender expression.
10. Verbal abuse concerning a person’s characteristics such as pitch of voice, facial hair, or the size or shape of a person’s body, including remarks that a male is too feminine or a woman is too masculine.
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Other examples of prohibited harassment or discrimination
In addition to the above-listed conduct, the school strictly prohibits harassment or discrimination concerning any other protected characteristic. Such prohibited harassment includes:
1. Racial or ethnic slurs, epithets, and any other offensive remarks.
2. Jokes, whether written, verbal or electronic.
3. Threats, intimidation, and other menacing behavior.
4. Inappropriate verbal, graphic, or physical conduct.
5. Sending or posting harassing messages, videos or messages via text, instant messaging, or social media.
6. Other harassing or discriminatory conduct based on one or more of the protected categories identified in this policy.
Harassment of the school’s students or their families, or employees of the school or their families, vendors, suppliers, volunteers, or independent contractors by the school’s employees is also strictly prohibited. Any such harassment will subject an employee to disciplinary action, up to and including termination. Employees or volunteers who have any questions about what constitutes harassing or discriminatory conduct should contact their supervisor or Human Resources.
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Reporting harassment or discrimination
If an employee or volunteer feels that he or she is being harassed or discriminated against in violation of this policy by another employee, supervisor, manager, volunteer or third party doing business with the school, the person should immediately contact their supervisor or Human Resources. In addition, if a person observes harassment or discrimination by another employee, supervisor, manager, or non-employee, the employee should immediately report the incident to the individuals identified above. Appropriate action will also be taken in response to violation of this policy by any nonemployee.
All supervisors must report complaints of misconduct under this policy to Human Resources immediately so the school can investigate and try to resolve the claim internally.
All complaints of unlawful harassment or discrimination that are reported to management or to the persons identified above will be investigated as promptly as possible, and corrective action will be taken where warranted. All complaints of unlawful harassment or discrimination that are reported to management or to the persons identified above will be treated with as much confidentiality as possible, consistent with the need to conduct an adequate investigation. Complaints will be investigated by impartial and qualified internal personnel unless external involvement is warranted. The process will be documented and tracked for reasonable progress, and all investigations will be completed timely.
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The California DFEH may also investigate and process complaints of harassment or discrimination. Violators are subject to penalties and remedial measures that may include sanctions, fines, injunctions, reinstatement, back pay, and damages. The toll-free number from the DFEH is (800) 8841684. Employees’ notification to the school is essential to enforcing this policy. Employees may be assured that they will not be penalized in any way for reporting a harassment or discrimination problem. It is unlawful for an employer to retaliate against employees who oppose the practices prohibited by the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), or who file complaints or otherwise participate in an investigation, proceeding, or hearing conducted by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) or the Fair Employment and Housing Commission (FEHC). Similarly, the school prohibits employees from hindering its internal investigations or its internal complaint procedure.
Violations of this policy will result in discipline Violation of this policy will subject an employee to disciplinary action, up to and including immediate termination. In addition, under California law, employees may be held personally liable for harassing conduct that violates the FEHA.
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Retaliation prohibited
OLu prohibits retaliation against those who report, oppose or participate in an investigation of alleged violations of this policy. Participating in an investigation of alleged wrongdoing in the workplace includes:
1. Filing a complaint with a federal or state enforcement or administrative agency.
2. Participating in or cooperating with a federal or state enforcement agency that is conducting an investigation of the company regarding alleged unlawful activity
SAFETY
We are committed to maintaining a safe work environment. Most assignments will include exposure to dust, and you may be exposed to sharp objects for some assignments. We provide masks and gloves, and heavy gloves and goggles for moving and dismantling furniture.
Please report any safety issues to a staff member.
COVID-19
The following information is provided in accordance with OC Health Care Agency Orders, CDPH, and the CDC guidelines.
• If a volunteer feels sick or is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms before coming to the Thrift Shop, please stay home and contact the shift lead to let them know you won’t be able to volunteer.
Volunteers who appear to have symptoms upon arrival at the Thrift Shop or develop symptoms during their shift, should notify the shift lead and leave the premises as soon as possible.
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COVID-19 symptoms include any of the following: Cough, Shortness of Breath or Chest Tightness, Sore Throat, Nasal Congestion/ Runny Nose, Myalgia (Body Aches), New Loss of Taste and/or Smell, Diarrhea, Nausea, Vomiting, Fever/Chills/Sweats.
Volunteers who are diagnosed with COVID-19 may be eligible to return to the Thrift Shop when the following criteria are met, according to CDC and CDPH requirements and in consultation with their healthcare provider:
• They have been away from the Thrift Shop for at least five (5) days, (start counting isolation days with Day 1 being the first full day after symptoms began (or the day after the positive test if they have had no symptoms) and
• Symptoms associated with COVID-19 are not present or symptoms are resolving, and
• They test for COVID-19 again on or after day 5 (or later) from COVID symptom onset and receive a negative antigen result.
Alternatively, an excluded volunteer may discontinue isolation and return to the Thrift Shop after 10 days if:
• They cannot test or choose not to test; and
• Symptoms associated with COVID-19 are not present or are resolving and at least 24 hours have passed since a fever of 100.4 or higher has resolved without the use of fever-reducing medications.
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MERCHANDISE REMOVAL
All donations including items that are being discarded are the property of the Orange Lutheran Thrift Shop. Any items removed from the premises must be approved by a staff member. Please report any unusual activity to a staff member.
EMERGENCY PROCEDURES
If someone is injured, please notify a staff member, and call 911 if appropriate. The staff member will fill out an accident form to include pertinent information and how the accident occurred. Forms are in the drawer at Register #2.
We keep a first aid kit for volunteers’ cuts and scratches. It is in the ladies’ restroom. Do not apply first aid to any customer. If a customer is seriously injured and needs assistance, call 911 and notify a staff member.
Fire extinguishers are located throughout the facility. Please be familiar with these locations in case of an emergency. Please review the map above the sign-in area for extinguisher locations.
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SHOPLIFTING PROTOCOL
Our goal is to prevent shoplifting through customer service, NOT to arrest people. If you suspect someone is shoplifting, please notify a staff member. Do not attempt to follow or chase a customer that has left the store. Nothing in the store is worth being injured over. We can best prevent shoplifting by greeting customers as they walk through the door and keeping a presence on the sales floor straightening and engaging with customers. Additionally, all employees and volunteers should work to ensure items are free of any potentially stolen items. Purses, luggage, and any items with lids should be opened or checked for concealed items before they are rung up for sale.
MISCELLANEOUS
Restrooms for staff and volunteers are in the main store. A public restroom (ADA compliant) is in the furniture store.
Volunteer parking is located behind the main store. If the area is full, you may park in front of the main store facing the street. Lockers and locks are provided to store your personal belongings. Please do not leave handbags, wallets, or other personal items unattended or in an unlocked locker. The Orange Lutheran Thrift Shop cannot assume responsibility for personal property.
If a homeless person comes into our shop requesting assistance, please refer them to a staff member. We are not able to provide food or money, but we are happy to provide a change of clothing.
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Pets are not allowed in the shop except for service dogs and small dogs in carriers. Please contact a staff person if there is a customer with a dog in the shop. Only when the service or work the animal performs is not obvious, the ADA allows the business to ask two – and only two questions:
1. Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability?
2. What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?
