In recent years, thrifting has become widely popular. The thrifting experience has been popularized thanks to an influx of posts on Instagram and TikTok and it has become a huge hit among Generation Z and Millenials alike. No matter who you are or where you come from, we’ve all taken a trip to our local thrift stores at some point. Thrifting takes the phrase “one person’s trash is another person’s treasure” to a whole new level. From giving items a second life to being much more sustainable, shopping at your local thrift store has a host of benefits. In fact, there are so many pros that it’s hard to imagine that there any cons. Unfortunately, thrifting does have a downside.
As fashion trends shifted and younger generations turned their attention to thrift stores, resellers have too! Similar to Ticketmaster, Jordan sneakers, and Ivy Park, the thrifting industry has a really bad reseller problem right now. Reselling seems fine at first glance as it’s an easy way to make money especially for college students. However, cleaning out your local thrift stores and reselling the items on Depop for 10x the going rate is almost as unethical as fast fashion.
Please note that the main demographic that thrift stores cater to is those of low income backgrounds. Thrift stores are highly accessible to low income households because they are affordable and they sell a variety of clothing items. When you buy coats from thrift stores and resell them for more than you bought them, you are doing a great disservice to the families who rely on those low cost coats to survive the winter.. When you buy up the cute slacks and blouses there, you are dis-servicing the people who have only $15 to spare on a job interview outfit. When you buy every pair of jeans in your size, leaving none for the next person, you are being extremely inconsiderate to the people who rely on these stores for their entire livelihood.
If you still aren’t convinced, replace the thrifting scenarios with a wealthy/affluent person who shows up to a soup kitchen or a school supply drive. This person saves money, yes, but they also take resources away from the people who need them the most. Take it from me, I know what it’s like to thrift out of necessity and I know what it’s like to be stuck with the unwanted leftovers after well off people come in and buy out the store only to resell. We haven’t even touched on the shortage of sizes over L in thrift stores due to people buying them, turning them into two piece outfits and then reselling. Class privilege (& size privilege too) is an important thing to recognize when it comes to thrifting because while many of us have the option to shop at other stores and just thrift for “fun”, many do not have that privilege because the thrift store is all they can afford.
Be considerate of those who rely on thrift stores the most. Their experiences are real and they are 100% valid. I’m not saying you can’t go thrift shopping at all, but I ask that when you visit thrift stores, keep in mind that there are some people who rely on these stores because they cannot afford to shop anywhere else. Be considerate of your fellow shoppers, acknowledge your privilege by limiting your trips and don’t abuse the opportunity. Remember that some people’s livelihood depends on us all being good people and not overabusing the opportunities and the privilege we have.