Curb finds are awesome
There is the sense of opening a present. You don't know what your getting.
I once found a Sears Lady Kenmore canister vac from 1980, in a construction dumpster (skip). The vac was fine. Power head needed work. Wish I still had it.
Years ago, we had "big junk" garbage week, a few times a year. One could put anything at the curb. I used to get dishwashers, vacuums, washers, and a few other things. It was so fun.
These days, you see these cheap plastic vacs at the likes of Goodwill and St. Vincent DePaul, usually for $4 to $10.
I can't help but wonder how many simply need the filters cleaned, possibly a belt, a clog removed from the hose, and good wipe down.
When I worked for a catholic charity, in the warehouse, people were always dropping donations off (in fact there was more stuff coming in the back door than was going out the front). Several times I bought for mere pennies with employee discount, vacs that needed to simply be cleaned.
It's like people buy these, take them out of the box, use them until the filter is so plugged or the bag is full, then go buy a new one.
Is that a sign of progress for a society, or is it a failure?