Thrifting in 2011-2012 was indeed the promised land. I moved to the west coast with two suitcases and furnished half my apartment at the Salvation Army thrift shop. Including a set of four made-in-France cobalt blue heavy glass tumblers which are still one of my favourite possessions. And my god, the clothes. Long hooded wool coats. Perfectly tailored pencil skirts that looked like they’d never been worn. The most amazing seafoam-green sweater which I stupidly gave away at some point.
Last time I went to a Salvation Army (a year ago), it was as you’ve described — a rack full of stained H&M tank tops for $10.
I shop a lot of secondhand online because the town I live in now has an abysmal thrift scene, but I do have to be careful about being realistic in my expectations for the item. I agree I don’t mind paying more because someone else has done the work — time is money and all that.
great conversation! I'm not interested in defending Goodwill specifically, which has a pretty gross history of underpaying disabled employees and I agree is less pleasant to shop at than ever, but I do think it's interesting the that the shift to fair market value pricing versus the old bargain basement model is met with such ire from consumers. If we believe secondhand goods are often superior quality (like the motorcycle boots), why do we expect to pay so little for them? I suppose a lot of it is just habit and a memory of cheaper thrift prices, but I do think it's worth considering how much that the influx of donations, particularly low quality fast fashion ones, increases the labor and waste disposal costs for thrift chains, even as it increases the supply of "free" merchandise. If you receive 100 carloads of stuff and a higher percentage of it is basically junk, that's just more labor hours of sorting and more money spent on hauling stuff away. A mint condition 80s leather jacket is literally more rare than it was 20 years ago, so it does make sense to me that prices reflect that
Totally agree that there are great thrifting experiences still to be had outside the major chains! I visited my partner's rural southern hometown and we went to a small shop run by a local animal shelter. We spent $20 total and each left with a gorgeous vintage London Fog coat as well as some books
Like Kiks, I was a big thrifter in the early 2010’s. I was in college and for the most part, it was the only way I could feed my clothing addiction.
Now that thrifting has become so popular, I’m disgusted with the over-inflated prices and the over-consumption of it all. These stores are for people who can’t afford basics at their retail prices and now, we’ve completely gentrified the thrift store model.
I still buy second hand over anything new, but I do so with more intention and care. Online thrifting has made things a little easier, but I’m also wary of the impact secondhand curators have on Goodwill’s intended clientele.
Thrifting in 2011-2012 was indeed the promised land. I moved to the west coast with two suitcases and furnished half my apartment at the Salvation Army thrift shop. Including a set of four made-in-France cobalt blue heavy glass tumblers which are still one of my favourite possessions. And my god, the clothes. Long hooded wool coats. Perfectly tailored pencil skirts that looked like they’d never been worn. The most amazing seafoam-green sweater which I stupidly gave away at some point.
Last time I went to a Salvation Army (a year ago), it was as you’ve described — a rack full of stained H&M tank tops for $10.
I shop a lot of secondhand online because the town I live in now has an abysmal thrift scene, but I do have to be careful about being realistic in my expectations for the item. I agree I don’t mind paying more because someone else has done the work — time is money and all that.
great conversation! I'm not interested in defending Goodwill specifically, which has a pretty gross history of underpaying disabled employees and I agree is less pleasant to shop at than ever, but I do think it's interesting the that the shift to fair market value pricing versus the old bargain basement model is met with such ire from consumers. If we believe secondhand goods are often superior quality (like the motorcycle boots), why do we expect to pay so little for them? I suppose a lot of it is just habit and a memory of cheaper thrift prices, but I do think it's worth considering how much that the influx of donations, particularly low quality fast fashion ones, increases the labor and waste disposal costs for thrift chains, even as it increases the supply of "free" merchandise. If you receive 100 carloads of stuff and a higher percentage of it is basically junk, that's just more labor hours of sorting and more money spent on hauling stuff away. A mint condition 80s leather jacket is literally more rare than it was 20 years ago, so it does make sense to me that prices reflect that
Totally agree that there are great thrifting experiences still to be had outside the major chains! I visited my partner's rural southern hometown and we went to a small shop run by a local animal shelter. We spent $20 total and each left with a gorgeous vintage London Fog coat as well as some books
Like Kiks, I was a big thrifter in the early 2010’s. I was in college and for the most part, it was the only way I could feed my clothing addiction.
Now that thrifting has become so popular, I’m disgusted with the over-inflated prices and the over-consumption of it all. These stores are for people who can’t afford basics at their retail prices and now, we’ve completely gentrified the thrift store model.
I still buy second hand over anything new, but I do so with more intention and care. Online thrifting has made things a little easier, but I’m also wary of the impact secondhand curators have on Goodwill’s intended clientele.