I have loved secondhand shopping my entire life.
I grew up in a family without a lot of money, and as the fourth daughter, hand-me-downs were a way of life. Around my house, underwear were the only new clothing I could count on getting. I was lucky if a T-shirt had only gone through one sibling before I got it.
At first, I didn’t mind. I looked up to my older siblings, so any clothes they passed down to me felt like they came infused with a certain cool “je ne sais quoi” that my friends’ fresh new Limited Too outfits didn’t have. But, as I got older and started to develop my own sense of style, my enthusiasm waned when I received clothes purchased for my sisters – one an athlete, another a cheerleader and the third a tomboy. I wanted clothes that showed my unique tastes but stayed within my family’s limited budget.
My mom started taking me to thrift stores where I was able to load up my cart with vintage goodies that reflected my style but cost less than one or two new T-shirts at a department store. My closet soon filled with polyester shirts with bold patterns, polka dot and paisley printed dresses, grandpa sweaters and vintage band T-shirts.
If it was unusual and vintage, I wanted it. I loved standing out from my classmates who mostly wore the same ubiquitous Aeropostale T-shirts, layered Hollister polos, Old Navy hoodies and ultra low-rise jeans. I loved knowing no matter what I put on I would not end up being twins with a classmate (the horror).
When moving out on my own, my love of secondhand shopping only grew. I searched thrift shop shelves for unique artwork and posters to plaster all over my walls. I furnished my first apartment with many thrifted items.
Thrift stores were crucial to my budget when money was tight. Even when I had to pinch every penny to make ends meet, I never felt poor or deprived of what I needed in life because I had the option of buying inexpensive, secondhand items.
When the song “Thrift Shop” by Macklemore came out, I blasted it on repeat all summer as my own personal anthem. It was fun to see my favorite hobby portrayed as cool, but at the same time, I was not excited to see the uptick in shoppers hunting for MY treasures in my favorite stores.
Over the years, I’ve used thrift stores to buy Halloween costumes, musical instruments, Christmas decorations, art supplies, books, craft supplies, party goods, you name it.
Now that I’m older and no longer living in poverty, I can afford to buy brand new things, but I still love the adventure of hunting around for just the right used item. I especially love finding vintage toys, like cars, blocks and Tinkertoys, for my son to play with.
Likewise, when I’ve had unwanted items over the years, I’ve regularly donated them to various thrift shops. It’s always made me feel good thinking that someone less fortunate would have the opportunity to buy something nice for cheap and that the items would get a second life, keeping them out of a landfill.
However, in the last few years, I’ve noticed that some thrift stores seem to be less thrifty than they used to be. I’ve seen beat-up, used items priced close to retail cost for new items. I’ve even seen some items priced above retail cost. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a thrift store item with the retail store price sticker next to the tag with the higher thrift store price.
I can’t understand why a thrift store would price their items so high when they often receive them for free as donations. I get that they need to make enough profit to keep the lights on, but sometimes it’s beyond the pale.
Something I recently saw at a thrift store made me so angry it prompted me to write this column. I spotted a Bluey five-piece twin size bed set, containing a comforter, a fitted sheet, a flat sheet and two pillowcases. The items were all priced individually – $20 for the comforter, $6 for the fitted sheet, $6 for the flat sheet and $3 each for the two pillowcases. If you wanted all five pieces, you were looking at spending $38.
“Now, wait a dang minute,” I thought to myself. “Didn’t I just see this exact set at Walmart last week? I don’t remember it being this expensive.” I searched my Walmart app and discovered I was correct. It cost $36. Brand new.
Honestly, it made my blood boil. I thought back to all the times when I depended on low thrift store prices because even buying something at Walmart was out of my price range. I thought of some Bluey-loving little kids who could have had some nice things in their bedrooms, making them feel like other kids whose families could afford to buy them new, and now, because of ridiculous pricing, those kids wouldn’t get the bed set of their dreams.
In the last few years, I’ve changed my donating habits, now giving items only to organizations that either give away their wares for free to those in need or sell their items for low prices. I think it’s important for those of us who can afford to donate items, whether they’re clothing, household goods, food or cash, to give them in a thoughtful, intentional way to the places that can make the biggest impact on those who need help.
Life is hard. It’s even harder when the resources that are supposed to help those in the direst financial situations don’t.