Re-duce, Re-use, Re-Style: Five Reasons to Shop at Thrift Stores

Many people consciously avoid non-recyclable plastics, use refillable cups/straws, and sort out their recyclables in order to limit their contribution to America’s landfills.  Most people do not realize that their clothes contribute as well!  Unfortunately, clothes are difficult to recycle. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, only 14% of all textiles generated can be recycled, and only 5% can be composted.  So, 85% of all clothes sit in giant landfills.  This is due to our clothes being on average 60% plastic material!  So, consignment shops provide the option of letting another person utilize the outfits someone else would just throw away.

With revolutionized technology and the invention of the internet, this has brought on increased consumerism in the United States!  Many major clothing brands in order to meet the rising demands of their customers, have resorted to “fast fashion”.  Companies utilize cheap materials, cheap labor, and factories in other countries in order to make loads of clothing for little cost.  These clothes can be sold at much lower prices than those made by smaller companies within the U.S.  There are many human-rights violations involved with major brands outsourcing their labor.  The Washington Post wrote an article on how a factory in China (a factory that Ivanka Trump’s clothing line utilizes) was making its employees work fifty-seven hours a week for only sixty-two dollars.  By shopping at a thrift store, you are not supporting these brands.  You can wear the clothes you like without contributing to these inhumane practices. 

It is much more affordable to purchase clothing second-hand rather than buying new pieces.  Not only can you get basically new jeans for ten dollars, but also some rather high-end pieces.  I have found designer outfits (Calvin Klein, Free People, etc.) that were originally priced at over eighty dollars, for less than twenty!  

I thrift most of my clothes, and I treat it like a sport.  It is so exciting to find something that perfectly matches your style and aesthetic while rummaging through a rack of different clothes.  To me, it feels like treasure hunting!  The things you can find at a consignment shop, are things you will never see at a department store.  Going to local stores yields the best finds, in my opinion. 

Now, in this article I focused on presenting why people should buy from thrift stores.  However, you can also earn money selling your clothes that do not fit anymore, or you just do not wear enough.  As long as your items are in good condition, many stores will give you store credit or even reimburse you monetarily!  So, why let that pile of clothes sitting in the corner of your closet (or stuffed into a miscellaneous drawer you dubbed “the void”) when you can earn something with it!