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What is a "Free Store"?
A free store is a shop where people exchange goods without a pricing system. The Free Store at UCF is a local community based alternative to contemporary consumerism. By providing free clothing, beverages, and other goods, we seek to hinder our reliance on the purchasing of over-priced goods and nourish a community of sharing and trust. Through the free store, SDS seeks to promote a society in which sharing and cooperation replaces selfishness and competition. At the free store we host and distribute: art projects, radical literature, informative speeches and lectures on CD, and we are currently establishing a free store bike collective for repairs and assistance.Is this Charity?
No, "charity" is relief directed toward the poor and relies on the goodwill of people with wealth. This is instead "solidarity." The Free Store is not merely a pick-up center for those in need of an object, but the location for mutual swapping of goods which are no longer desired. This store promotes a sustainable market and culture. It is believed by SDS that society could very well be described as "post-scarcity" if giant corporations were not in control of the allocation of goods and prevalent wasteful tendencies were discouraged as opposed to seen as profitable. The Free Store is an experiment for positive social change directed at equalizing and uniting people as opposed to reinforcing social stratification through hand-me-down charity.Why is this important to a college campus?
A free store is important due to its ability to promote solidarity among the community and the access it presents to free goods. The UCF campus is currently full of divisions amongst its community of students, faculty, and workers. The school is also uninterested in providing adequate recycling services despite continuous demands for improved recycling. Through its policies and prioritization, UCF promotes wasteful behavior and selfish individualism. The entire community of a campus is seen as a market for profit by the campus power structure.When UCF contracts are signed with soda companies, they are not made for the benefit of quenching the thirst of the campus workers or students, they are made for the bottom dollar. A campus based around solidarity would provide a variety of drink manufacturers; it would also provide an outlet for local farmers' and workers' markets. The UCF Free Store most importantly promotes the reuse of commodities and nourishes an attitude of sharing and mutual assistance amongst people. It seeks to promote people over profits.
How do you get free goods?
All goods at the free store are the items which people no longer desire. Once someone is ready to throw a commodity away, the Free Store offers an alternative: a method of giving away that which you do not want and perhaps finding something else of personal use. The Free Store also thrives on the products of grocery stores and local markets which would otherwise be thrown away as they are no longer profitable, but remain useable. To give something to the free store, either bring it in person on a day in which the Free Store is operating, or contact SDS at UCF about it.When and Where can I find the Free Store?
The UCF Free Store is located outside the UCF Student Union and will be visible through signs, tables, and goods. The Free Store operates the first and third Wednesday of every month and the hours of operation are currently 10AM – 2PM.What does UCF think of a "Free Store"?
The UCF administration is uninterested in ethical acts, student compassion, and student networking. When President Hitt was presented with evidence that a UCF donor, Siemens, contributed $180 million to the genocidal Sudanese government who was committing our generation's worst acts, he responded that students were "oversensitive" about the issue, even though over 30 student organizations months earlier had organized a massive event of consciousness raising against the genocide in Darfur.The UCF administration does not respect the opinions of its students! The UCF administration does not respect the growing cost of living! It is up to us to organize against the administration and take back control of our daily lives.
How can I help?
Share and Reuse! It's easy! There is an abundance of goods around the campus and everyone can live at minimal costs when sharing and reuse is promoted.Join the SDS
We will be happy to add you to our contact list, emailing you about upcoming meetings and events.