When I was a kid, my mother used to shop for my clothes at a consignment store. I remember feeling embarrassed that my clothes were second-hand. I thought it was lame because while all my friends got their clothing from Limited Too and Juicy Couture, my clothes were so worn out, I couldn't even read the brands on their tags.
Life really does come full-circle, though, because now, as a 20-year-old adult I buy practically all of my clothes from thrift stores.
Goodwill, Buffalo Exchange, Flashbacks...you name it, I've probably shopped there many times. I fell in love with thrifting a few years ago when I fell down a hole of "thrift hauls" on YouTube. Seeing girls pick up high-end brand names for a fraction of their original price, and pieces too unique for the average Forever 21, sparked an enormous curiosity to see if I could do the same.
I've heard that thrifting can actually be considered a skill, and after trying it out, I completely agree. The first few times I went thrift-shopping, I couldn't seem to find anything worthwhile. But after a few more trips I feel like I developed a sixth sense for rare and unique pieces of clothing you'd never find at a mall.
Over the years I've become so passionate about thrifting that I can't imagine buying my clothes from any other store. Although digging through bins of used clothes for a good deal is not the most glamorous thing in the world, there are many benefits of thrift-shopping I would want others to keep in mind before shaking their heads at the idea. Here are five reasons why thrifting can be beneficial.
1.Thrifting is an easy way to make small improvements to the environment.
Shopping second-hand and donating clothes provides less damage to the environment. According to a 2018 Remake news story, only about 20% of discarded clothes are reused or recycled. The other 80% of textiles are dumped in landfills or incinerated. Incineration releases carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere, which obviously does not help the global warming epidemic.
By donating our old clothes to second-hand shops, they won't end up directly in a landfill. And by shopping at thrift stores, we are essentially reusing clothing that still has some life left in it. Thrifting supports the three R's of a better environment: Reducing the amount of textiles in landfills and that are being burned, reusing clothing so it lasts for a longer period of time, and recycling our old garments for others to enjoy.
2. You get a bang for your buck every time.
Another pro of thrifting is the prices of clothes. Compared to regular retail shopping, thrifting is a great example of getting a bang for your buck. I've picked up some amazing finds over the years for a fraction of the cost. Some of these favorite finds include a pair of Doc Marten boots for only $7 (Thanks, Goodwill!) and an authentic Jack Skellington jacket straight from an early 2000's Disneyland store. I searched up the jacket online and saw that people were reselling theirs for $54 - but I got mine for an easy $13. What a steal!
3. You can change your style more frequently without guilt.
In addition to keeping our wallets happy, the reduced prices of second-hand clothing make it much easier for us to change up our styles if the urge arises. I'm constantly looking for new styles and trends to try out, and I'd much rather spend $10 on something out of my comfort zone at Goodwill than $50 at an Urban Outfitters. If I'm not feeling the new look I was going for, at least I didn't break the bank in the process of attaining it!
4. If you look hard enough, you can find designer clothes at most thrift stores.
You can find some amazing pieces of clothing at any thrift store. I've picked up Zara jeans in mint condition, Adriano Goldschmied pants for a tenth of the price, and oodles of band merch. Thrift shopping is a lot of fun because you never know what you're going to find.
5. If you go thrifting, your style is guaranteed to be unique.
A tip I'd give anyone looking to go thrift-shopping is to not have any expectations. No piece of clothing is the same in a thrift store, and the odds that they have exactly what you're looking for are slim. But if you buy something at a thrift store, the odds that someone else has the same thing are equally as slim! The only time I'd go to a Target or Forever 21 is if I needed something very specific and no thrift stores in my area had it at the time.
For my fellow ASU students, I recommend checking out Buffalo Exchange if you want to give second-hand shopping a try. It's right off of Mill Ave., and being in the middle of a college town, it has lots of trendy fashion pieces.
Thrift shopping, if you couldn't already tell from Macklemore's iconic 2012 smash hit, is a lot of fun and you can cop a lot of cool things you'd never expect to find. I encourage anyone out there who hasn't given it a try to go to the nearest Goodwill and just have a look around. I know it can seem gross and like a hit-or-miss experience, but just like with everything else in the world, don't knock it 'till you try it.
