Recession watch: Suddenly, thrifting is OK for the hoi-polloi
Filed under: Bargains, Shopping, Recession
This post is part of a series about real-life signs we're in a recession. Picture this, thrift store brethren: A woman in a late model Mercedes parks next to you and wanders into your favorite thrift store. Once inside, you notice her picking through the clothes, the bags, the belts, and eyeballing one of several interesting pieces of furniture.
What's going on, you wonder, not a little put out by the sight of an apparently well-off member of society making use of "your" affordable consumer items.
What's going on here is an over-all belt-tightening. As the economy loses steam, people fear for the jobs, and the house-ATM machine dries up, people are looking at all the ways they can save. Frugality has suddenly become "in."Ironically, it's been our large-livin', disposable, over-consumptive society that has made thrift store shopping the rich vein that it is. We thrifters have always known that you can find new or practically new clothes, for example, among the racks next to the stained polyester. We have long been the beneficiaries of our economic betters' retail therapy. They buy the outfit, outfit sits in closet for a year, they give the outfit to the Goodwill. We snap it up for pennies on the dollar.
But this is going to get trickier now that they're onto us. "With the economy in its current condition, I think people will begin turning to more thrifty ways of shopping," Sheena Massie told the New York Times in a recent article. The woman is opening her own thrift store soon with her mother. "We want everyone that shops with us to enjoy the same thrill we do when we go thrifting."
Great. And I mean that from both sides of my heart. Great, more people will choose to spend their dollar wisely, supporting hand-to-mouth thrift stores in the process; and also great, now-I-have-more-competition when I go thrifting myself. But hey, just as I've always been ready with a meal or a couch to a hard-up friend, I suppose I can extend my hand in welcome to my longtime frugal living secret as well.
Hey lady in the Mercedes, welcome to the thrift store. (mind the gum on the floor...)
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-08-2008 @ 10:21AM
NightOwl said...
There is one other thing that you forgot to mention about the rich lady who is on to the commoner's money saving thrift shopping. Any high end outfit or items SHE bought went right into the consignment store in her high end neighborhood so she will still reap some of her investment. Then she takes that money and shops at the thrift. These people aren't riding around in BMW's and Lincolns because they don't know how to squeeze every cent of value from what they own. One other case in point, you can go through rich neighborhoods and the items the people of "old money" toss in the trash such as furniture and such are so used up you think they came out of the slums.
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5-09-2008 @ 8:48AM
alysse said...
I agree with the comment. This is not new, they are have always done it. People just didn't notice.
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5-26-2008 @ 7:25PM
James Dome said...
Thrift stores will be shopped dry. Because of the bad economy,people won't have the excess to get rid of that ends up in these stores. I have already noticed the price increase which can easily be double what the item sold for just months ago.
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5-30-2008 @ 11:41AM
Zara said...
Well it is a sad day though that media broadcasts to resale owners because all that makes them do is jack the price up. Goodwill is out of their minds on pricing....They get donations from Target on mostly broken or missing piece items that Target couldn't or wouldn't sell and they are actually charging MORE than Target did (look at the little red tags) thatsa pathetic. Garage Sales where you spend 5.00 on a shirt ......FROM WALMART....are people out of their minds...I think that many people in the resale industry are forgetting WHY people shop resale...its not always for the thrill of the bargin...to some people the so called "bargain" IS THE BUDGET and the indulgence....I hope that all the mercedes driving soccer moms and the escaldade drivers park around back so not to make themselves out the be gluttons while dropping 95.00 (in Nevada where gas is cheap) for a tank of gas and trying to pay 5.00 for an outfit for their kids is sooooo sad. Trade the truck in for a prius and the mercedes for a focus.....that will be humbling enough to make you want to shop at Nordstrom again.....now shoo lol
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