>> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." i'm tom hansen, and we've got a lot more to tell you about this morning, starting with your holiday shopping and the growing acceptance of previously owned gifts. many of these secondhand items are truly like new. they usually come at a deep discount, and some major retailers are taking notice. janet shamlian has the story from san francisco. >> reporter: some may raise an eyebrow but secondhand gifting has come into its own this holiday season and this warehouse in the san francisco area is proof that brands like rei and patagonia are taking notice. some 50,000 like new or slightly used items up for secondary sale. and holiday demand is

unprecedented. ♪ overflowing with everything from ski boots to winter coats and every sporting good imaginable, yertl is a bargain lover's dream. but you can't shop here. even though many of these customer returns are as good as new. >> usually there's scuffs and scratches. this one's in perfect condition. >> reporter: yeah. seeing a big market opportunity brands like rei and patagonia have gotten into the game of reselling their own used products. on websites like reiused and patagonia's wornwear. but yertl does all the work. >> what's the discount on something like that? >> probably 50% of what somebody would have paid had they found it just like this in the store 37. >> reporter: andy rubin created yertl when he saw the secondary clothing market growing more than 20 times faster than the primary one. >> these are beautiful items. they're made to be worn. they should be out on the town, not sitting in a closet. >> i agree.

>> reporter: everything here is refreshed, then photographed. >> the goal is to make sure the colors are accurate. >> reporter: this whole's fleece pullover was styled for patagon patagonia's worn wear site hours after it came in. it might end up under the tree. that's because a new study finds secondhand gifting gaining broad acceptance. 48% saying they'd consider giving a used item. even more, 56%, said they'd welcome one. ? these stigmas from years ago are changing and they're changing quickly. i think once anyone experiences this you realize that there's just a smarter way to utilize the things we've already made, to get more ute out of these things. >> reporter: the shift in behavior led by millennials, citing affordability, concerns about the environment, and sustainability. >> do you see this? oh, my goodness, oh, my goodness, oh, my goodness. >> reporter: jamie tsai is a social media influencer, known as hellajam, who posts videos on

thrifting at places like goodwill. >> how would you feel about getting a secondhand gift? >> send them all to me. absolutely. i rarely ever buy fast fashion items because of the fact it's so terrible for the environment and it's way more unique to have secondhand items. >> reporter: the struggling retail industry is getting that message. made well has partnered with thread up to sell used jeans for $50 a pair right next to its new denim. >> fast fashion is a broken system. i think it's a way to be much more creative. i think it's a way to get great value. >> reporter: secondhand doesn't necessarily mean inxepsive. the real real, a luxury reseller, has preowned handbags topping $40,000. >> we just saw a chanel bag, the small one over there, which is really nice. my mom really liked it. we'll see. we night get it. >> reporter: no longer unthinkable, a used gift comes with something a new item could never offer.

a bit of history. >> everything we have has a story. you can think of the possible stories that item has and the stories it will have when you give it to somebody else. ♪ >> reporter: almost 20% of what's in here is actually sold the same day it's listed. and the dramatic increase in sales over the past couple of weeks tells them these are holiday purchases destined for under the tree. the "cbs overnight news" will be right back. frustrated that clean clothes you want to wear always seem to need an iron? try bounce wrinkle guard dryer sheets. the bounce wrinkle guard shorts have fewer wrinkles and static, and more softness. it's the world's first mega sheet that does the job of three dryer sheets!

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alice loves the smell of gain so much, she wished it came in a fabric softener too. [throat clears] say hello to your fairy godmother, alice. oh and look they got gain scent beads and dryer sheets too! the latest screen adaptation of louisa may alcott's "little women" hits theaters nationwide on christmas morning and it's already garnering oscar buzz. rita braver paid a visit to the writer-director greta gerwig in the place where it all began. >> reporter: in this house in concord, massachusetts 150 years ago louisa may alcott wrote one of the most beloved books in american literature. >> i don't remember ever not knowing what "little women" was. it was read to me, and then i

read it myself when i was old enough. >> reporter: for two-time oscar nominee greta gerwig the house itself was inspiration for her new movie, "little women," which she wrote and directed. >> being here and actually being in the presence of her room and her books and her things and things she touched, it's incredibly meaningful. and it made me feel like i could make the movie. >> reporter: the movie with an all-star cast including meryl streep -- >> you'll need to marry well. >> but you are not married, aunt -- >> well, that's because i'm rich. >> reporter: did the story of the four march sisters growing up in new england during civil war times. it's based on alcott and her own sisters. amy, the youngest, is an aspiring artist, as was may alcott. shy beth, like lizzie alcott,

loves music. meg is the oldest and the first to marry, as was anna alcott. and then there's jo, the main character. a brash, ambitious, and funny tomboy who like louisa may alcott o'is determined to become a famous writer. >> no one will forget jo march. >> jo march was such a beacon for so many women of so many different generations. everyone from simone de beauvoir to patti smith to j.k. rowling to me. we love jo march because she wanted to be bigger than the world would allow her to be. >> the alcott family was poor, moving 120 times before scraping together enough money to buy their first real home in 1857. alcott's father bronson, a schoolmaster, fixed it up and painted it brown. >> he wanted a brown house because he wanted it to melt into the natural world.

>> filled with warmth and love. >> yes. and also just run by women. and when you're in the house and you see all the paintings on the wall and you see their costumes for their plays and you see everything, you think it was a magical fairy land for them. to think of girls in the 19th century being able to explore all of those artistic pursuits with some amount of seriousness, it takes a special mother and father to create that kind of utopia. >> reporter: imagine yourselves as friends of the family. you've been invited to see a play -- >> reporter: jan turnquist is executive director of louisa may alcott's orchard house. >> when the curtain opens, in front of you will be rodrigo, played by louisa. >> reporter: their neighbors included some of the nation's leading philosophers. >> just down the road was mr. alcott's closest friend, ralph waldo emerson, the poet essay yift, and henry david thoreau,

who would take the girls hiking around walden pond. >> reporter: the house has attracted visitors since they knocked on the door in the 1800s hoping to catch a glimpse of the famous author. >> is this actually the room where louisa may alcott wrote most of "little women"? >> yes. >> in fact, it was right at this desk. a story in itself. >> well, it was considered improper for a woman to have a desk of her own. >> seriously? >> yeah, seriously. first of all, culturally, you should be cooking, you should be cleaning. the alcotts thought that was ridiculous. mr. alcott built louisa this desk which was a tremendous gift to her. >> only two chapters of the original "little women" manuscript remain kept here at the concord free public library. >> why did she keep these two chapters? >> we know because she wrote in her hand on the back of one of these saved by mother's desire. these are apparently were her favorite chapters.

>> reporter: university of new orleans professor ann boyd drew says alcott got her start writing sensational stories to support her family. she published them under a pen name. >> here she found a lucrative market for writing that was full of sex and intrigue and murder and drug use. she was embarrassed. she didn't want people outside of her family to know. she especially didn't want ralph waldo emerson to know. >> louisa may alcott gradually began publishing under her own name. and then "little women" took off. beyond her wildest expectations. >> it wasn't just little girls reading the book. everybody was reading it. so not only women of all ages but men of all anlz too. >> reporter: still she thinks the book has not gotten the respect it deserves. >> unfortunately it's been called a girls' book. and there's no reason why huck finn should be considered an american classic and "little women" is not. >> but it's been the darling of

filmmakers. with everyone playing jo from katharine hepburn. >> when i come in you'll see the horrible look in my eyes and you'll think back trembling. >> go ahead. >> to winona ryder. >> late at night my mind would come along with voices and stories and friends as dear to me as any in the real world. >> reporter: saoirse ronan plays jo in the new version of the film. >> and i'm so thick of people saying that love is -- i'm so sick of it. >> reporter: basing her portrayal in part on louisa may alcott herself. >> it was just like she was going into battle every time she had to write. it was an essential thing she had to do. so understanding that from louisa's point of view just made jo for me all the richer because i had so much more heart to bring to her, you know? >> reporter: alcott chose never to marry. but as the publisher makes clear in the movie, her fictional

characters had to follow a different course. >> and if the main character's a girl, make sure she's married by the end. or dead. either way. >> excuse me? >> right. married or dead. that's how we like our girls. >> reporter: director greta gerwig understands why alcott had to marry jo off. >> because that's what's going to sell books. and i respect that decision, and i respect that louisa may alcott made that decision. >> what do you think viewers in general can get from this movie? >> i think they're going to have the most wonderful time. i'm biased, of course. i made it. i want people to understand to crawl inside it and live in there. i'm very moved by how good all the of the characters are. not perfect. they are kind. it's not chic. it's just wonderful.

when you humble yourself under the mighty hand of god, in due time he will exalt you. hi, i'm joel osteen. i'm excited about being with you every week. i hope you'll tune in. you'll be inspired, you'll be encouraged. i'm looking forward to seeing you right here. you are fully loaded and completely equipped for the race that's been designed for you.

we end this half hour with a story of compassion and healing and a man who knows deep in his heart who to thank for his new beginning. steve hartman found this story on the road. >> reporter: during her 35 years as a nurse laurie wood has been a hero many times over. >> sweetie, i'm going to take your temperature, okay? >> you've saved lives before. >> yes. >> but never quite like this. >> no. >> i wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for her. >> reporter: when jonathan pinkard met laurie, he was homeless. >> i had to stay in my car. >> reporter: jonathan is autistic. >> had nowhere to go. >> reporter: he was raised by his grandma. but she died a few years ago and there was no one else. then, to add illness to injury, doctors here at piedmont noonan hospital in georgia diagnosed jonathan with heart failure.

at the age of 26. it was so bad he actually needed a heart transplant, or else. >> six months. >> six months they gave you? >> there was no hope. >> reporter: part of the problem is you can't get a new heart, can't even get on the transplant list, if you don't have a home or some kind of support system to help you post-surgery. and since jonathan has no family to speak of, his fate was sealed. basically, death by loneliness. >> i mean, that just doesn't seem right. doesn't seem fair. so. >> reporter: so although there was nothing laurie could do for her patient as a nurse, she decided there was something she could do as a mom. >> it was just in my heart that there was no other choice other than to bring him home. >> howdy, howdy, howdy! >> reporter: after knowing jonathan just three days laurie invited him home and became his legal guardian. >> did you have a good day? >> i did. >> good. >> reporter: jonathan now lives here full-time along with

laurie's son austin. and because of her boundless compassion -- >> this looks good. >> reporter: -- jonathan was able to get othe transplant list. and just a few months ago got his new heart. in a few weeks he'll be well enough to live on his own again, although laurie says she has no plans to release him from her care. this isn't over when he gets better? >> no. he's going to go down to my family's house for christmas with us and go to a wetting with me. so yeah, he's a part of the family. >> i call her mama. >> you call her mama? >> i do. she's like a second mama to me. heaven sent. >> she's heaven sent? >> heaven sent. >> reporter: any medical professional can make you healthy. but sometimes only an angel can make you all better. steve hartman, on the road, in noonan, georgia. and that's the overnight news for this thursday. for some of you the news continues. for others check back with us a little later for the morning news and of course "cbs this morning."

from the broadcast center in new york city, i'm tom hansen. it's thursday, december 19th, 2019. this is the "cbs morning news." >> a great day for the constitution of the united states. a sad one for america. >> a historic chapter in the presidency of the u.s. the house of representatives impeaches president trump on charges he abused his office and obstructed congress. mr. trump's reaction as he rallies his base and what to expect in the senate trial. after a union dispute threatened tonight's democratic presidential debate, the show will go on.% why this debate will be different from the others. and pre-winter woes. a deadly pileup on a frozen interstate and a snow squall takes manhattan.