H&M and Wal-Mart destroy and trash unsold goods?

This week the New York Times reported a disheartening story about two of the largest retail chains. You see, instead of taking unsold items to sample sales or donating them to people in need, H&M and Wal-Mart have been throwing them out in giant trash bags. And in the case that someone may stumble on these bags and try to keep or re-sell the items, these companies have gone ahead and slashed up garments, cut off the sleeves of coats, and sliced holes in shoes so they are unwearable. Yahoo.com

Are you thinking what we're thinking? Why in the world would any company do this? It takes time and effort to actually destroy this unsaleable merch. The action alone costs money to execute. It'd be most likely easier to donate the loads of clothes to a number of local charities. Why in one of the riches cities in the world, that's known for a simply embarrassingly high rate of homelessness is this happening?