I went into my local CVS today as I do almost every week, store #1903, and found a clerk bagging up all of the remaining Easter items. They'd been marked 75% off. Most seasoned customers were waiting until the stuff hit 90%, but that never happened. There was a lot on the shelf as a consequence.

The clerk said it was all being discarded, and could no longer be sold to a customer. It was all going in the trash. This was hundreds of dollars, retail at least, in candy and small toys.

Why isn't this merchandise, if it's being ragged out, being donated to a local shelter or children's hospital? You can't ship chocolate this time of year to military bases, it would melt, but tossing it is just wrong. The candy is still perfectly fresh, toys don't go bad, and egg dye lasts forever. Marking it down to 90% off tends to have things cleaned out in short order too - the customers do the work and pay you for the privilege. Either is better than simply throwing money away, literally.

Why throw it all in the garbage when you could get credit for a charitable donation instead? I left the store scratching my head and still don't understand it. CVS has done a few things recently that had me confused; this is just the latest.