The act of dumpster diving depends on several factors when you are looking to earn some extra amount. However, the most important thing is your location to dumpster dive.
While you can select from multiple locations, dumpster diving at Rite Aid is a good idea if you know what to pick and leave.
Dumpster diving at Rite Aid
There is a long list of pharmacy chains that you can dumpster dive at, and Rite Aid is among the best ones. This pharmacy chain has more than 1600 stores across the USA, and it has been operational since 1962, with its headquarters in Pennsylvania.
After Walgreens and CVS are on the top, Rite Aid is the biggest pharmacy in the USA, with various drugs, medications, healthcare products, groceries, and some general merchandise.
So, these stores are not restricted to a few medicinal products. There are other items. That makes it an attractive location for your dumpster diving hustle since you can sometimes find items in perfect condition.
These items can be personally used, or you can sell them to make profits. If you are a dumpster diver going through multiple local locations, then Rite Aid is a must-visit since there could be a lot of interesting items inside the dumpsters.
Related article: All you need to know about Dumpster diving
Dumpster diving pros and cons at Rite Aid
Rite Aid is a very attractive location for dumpster diving but with its positive factors, there are some negative factors as well that you must consider before starting.
A. Pros
Some of the best things about dumpster diving here include the following:
1. Free Products
Going to Rite Aid for dumpster diving means getting stuff for free. From medical gadgets to healthcare products and much more. Even if you can get a discount, you will find them for free inside the dumpsters.
2. Large Quantity
The quantity of products and categories at Rite Aid is the second-best thing. You can find items from categories other than medicine and drugs. Additionally, these items are present in huge quantities in the dumpsters.
3. Less Waste
Rite Aid dumpsters include a lot of items that would otherwise go to waste. So, the overall waste will increase. However, your dumpster diving can prevent that from happening.
B. Cons
The worst factors that you may face while dumpster diving here includes the following:
1. Risk of Illness
You never know if something is clean to touch or not. There could be sharp and pointed objects contaminated with germs. So, going through these dumpsters always poses a risk of illness.
2. Legal Hurdles
The second biggest problem is the legal issues that you can face. Sometimes you will find dumpster diving issues at Rite Aid. Additionally, there could be state or local laws prohibiting it.
3. No Cleanliness
Dumpsters are neither clean themselves nor is their location clean. These are home to insects, germs, and even raccoons. So, you need to be very careful about your cleanliness.
How does Rite Aid handle its waste?
The employees at Rite Aid handle the waste by throwing it out inside the dumpsters. So, they technically collect all the waste in the stores, including general waste, damaged products, returned items, etc.
As the day ends and the store closes, they restock the shelves, and the final trash is thrown inside the dumpsters as the store closes.
This waste can include items that are past the expiration date, have damaged packing, or the ones that are not selling anymore. So, if you know what to look for, you can find lots of items that can be used by yourself or ones to sell online.
How do employees at Rite Aid handle returns?
The employees here are instructed to inspect the returned products. They will put the products back for sale if the condition is good enough to return to the shelves.
However, if the backing is broken or the product is used, it will be thrown into the dumpsters. In most cases, the returned products are not pristine in terms of packing. Some are even used, and they are thrown in dumpsters.
Those are good for picking up, but ones with passed expiration dates are not good enough.
Dumpster diving laws at Rite Aid
The dumpster diving laws at Rite Aid depend on the store location. While most of their stores are on private properties, some are inside public malls. So, the laws vary. In the case of public malls, the Rite Aid employees use the mall’s dumpsters, which are often located on public property.
Going through that is not an issue if the local and state laws don’t prohibit you.
On the other hand, if the dumpsters are inside the private property of Rite Aid, you don’t have any right to go inside for dumpster diving, considering the private property rules. It will be illegal to go inside that property, and taking anything, even if it is trash for them, can get you criminally charged if you are caught.
So, watching for private property, no trespassing, and other signs, along with gates or fences that protect the dumpsters, is better.
Is dumpster diving illegal at Rite Aid?
Is dumpster diving illegal at Rite Aid? No, it is only illegal if the state and local laws state it to be illegal, and that is only the case in a few localities. Rite Aid does not prohibit you from dumpster diving if the dumpsters are at a public location.
So, if you want to dumpster dive at those locations, it would be much better to wait as they move the dumpsters to public property. By doing this, they will withdraw that trash’s ownership rights, making it legally accessible for everyone.
If you don’t wait for that and go into their private property without any permission, you may get caught.
Things to look for during Rite Aid dumpster diving
The experience of dumpster diving here solely depends on your mindset. If you devise a plan and strategy to go after specific things, you can have a much better experience. So, start by deciding whether you are looking for products to use or sell. Afterward, you can look for the following things inside the dumpsters:
- Household products
- Personal care products
- Food items
- Electronics and medical gadgets
- Discount Coupons
- Gift cards and vouchers
- Beauty products and cosmetics
How much can you earn by Rite Aid dumpster diving?
The earning from Rite Aid dumpster diving depends on multiple factors, including the time you visit and what you look for.
So, if you are visiting it at the best time and have a clear mindset about finding products you can sell, you can earn around $40 from one trip.
You dumpster dive for7 days a week, and every day, you find items you can sell. It will make $1200.
However, that is not the case, as every day is not a great dumpster diving day. Some days you find things worth more while other days you cannot find anything at all.
Thus, you can still get a total of $1000 in earnings and savings from Rite Aid if you look for things to sell for personal use.
The earnings from Rite Aid can be less if you work part-time since that way other divers may have taken the best things before you. So, visiting at the right time is the key here.
How to increase your earnings while dumpster diving at Rite Aid?
The best way to increase your earnings from Rite Aid dumpster diving is by visiting these dumpsters with other surrounding dumpsters. Select the locations and always visit multiple places.
That way, you can find more items, and selling them will increase your profits by investing more time.
Best time to dumpster dive at Rite Aid
The best time for Rite Aid dumpster diving is right after the store closes. It is when employees finish their shifts and empty the trash into dumpsters outside.
As the store is closed, it also means that there will be no disturbances from any employee or customer whatsoever. So, you will have a good experience.
However, you cannot delay the time since other dumpster divers are also on the run for finding the best stuff inside dumpsters.
Make your dumpster diving trips stylish with this shirt
Dumpster diving can be boring sometimes and considering you need to keep other clothes clean; this Dumpster Diving Olympic Team shirt makes the best choice for all divers.
It keeps you clean, stylish, and comfortable in all seasons. The best part about it is the color variations you can choose from.
Lastly, there are lots of style variations in this shirt as well that make it an even better pick. Wearing this shirt, you can even spread a positive message about dumpster diving’s benefits for the planet.
Check this out: Dumpster Diving Olympic Team T-shirt
Tips for safety dumpster diving at Rite Aid
Considering all the legal issues, cleanliness, and personal safety problems, we have curated this list of safety tips. So, follow this on every dumpster diving trip to Rite Aid.
- Always check updated local rules about dumpster diving before going to Rite Aid.
- When the dumpsters are present on private property, you can ask for any official’s permission to access them. It is a much safer and more efficient way.
- Even if you get permission but another official asks you to leave, immediately leave.
- Never pick up any medicinal product whatsoever since they only throw such things out when they are not good enough.
- Whatever you see, check its expiration date before picking it up since you don’t want anything to create health issues.
- Always sanitize yourself after you get home from Rite Aid dumpster diving since these places are home to germs.
Regularly follow these tips and you will hardly ever face any legal or personal problems from Rite Aid dumpster diving.
Related article: A complete guide on Dumpster Diving Tips that you never knew before
Final Words
Dumpster diving at Rite Aid can be fun and adventurous since you never know what you will discover inside the dumpsters. However, these are not the dumpsters where you should waste a lot of your time since you will also visit other dumpsters in the location.
Lastly, always be careful about legal problems and your health during dumpster diving.
