I have to admit, I used to be fairly skeptical about thrift shopping. I thought it was more fun to go shopping at the mall with friends and the idea of buying and wearing people's old and worn clothes did not sound too appealing to me. In the past few years, I have become a big fan of thrift shopping and most of my recent purchases have been from thrift shops. I have learned that thrift shopping can be a very fun activity and in my opinion it is almost always more economical, ethical, and enjoyable than shopping in a department store.
It is not too difficult to see why thrift shopping is a more economical option than shopping in a department store. Since the items in thrift stores have usually already been used, they are typically sold at only a fraction of the original selling price. Sometimes you can even find clothes with the tags still on them being sold for much cheaper than the original price. Some thrift shops have rewards programs where if you spend a certain amount, you get a certain amount back in store credit. Some thrift shops also will pay you for clothes you donate or offer you some store credit for clothes you donate. For college kids or anyone on a budget, thrift shopping is a great way to save money while still maintaining style and getting to go shopping.
It wasn't until I traveled to the Dominican Republic two years ago that I learned that thrift shopping is often a lot more ethical than shopping in department stores. In the Dominican Republic, I was able to see the outside of a zone of sweat shops and I learned about the horrible conditions sweat shop workers face. Many sweatshops in third world countries are for big name companies such as Nike, H&M, and Lululemon among many others. Upon returning to the United States, I learned that it is really hard to find big name stores that don't use sweat shop labor in the making of their products. I have made an effort to not purchase clothing where the proceeds will go to further encourage sweat shop labor. A really easy way to do this is by purchasing clothing from thrift shops. I know that when I buy something from a thrift shop, none of my money will go to support large corporations that use sweat shop labor to keep their businesses running. My only Nike purchase since returning from the Dominican Republic has been a pair of leggings from a thrift shop and I can rest assured that none of my money from that purchase even went to Nike.
If the economical and ethical benefits of thrift shopping aren't enough for you, thrift shopping can also be very fun! (Just watch Macklemore's "Thrift Shop" music video.) I love going through thrift stores with family and friends because it can be like a treasure hunt. You can find things in thrift stores that you would never find anywhere else and I love finding ridiculous articles of clothing and laughing about them (or trying them on) with friends or family. With racks and racks of all kinds of clothing, it's hard to not find something you'll love. My favorite pair of jeans is from a thrift shop and when I tried them on they had already been tailored and fit my short legs perfectly! That's another great thing about thrift shops, sometimes clothing has already been altered to fit you perfectly or with the money you save on a thrift shop purchase, you can alter it to your pleasing.
Once a year my mom and her cousins and some of their kids have a girl's weekend and spend time shopping, eating, and hanging out. Over the years one of our favorite activities has become thrift shopping. From the Hawthorne District in Portland to the University District in Seattle, thrift shopping followed by lunch is always a super fun outing that always results in a lot of laughing and usually some great purchases.
If you've never gone thrift shopping or have negative ideas about it, I highly recommend you give it a try. Try to find an area that has multiple thrift shops, grab some friends, and make an afternoon out of it! At the very least you'll have a fun afternoon that isn't spent supporting sweat shop labor and you will likely also save some money and find some great new pieces to add to your wardrobe as well!
