‘I’m gonna pop some tags’: thrifting is where it’s at

Looking for some new clothes? Instead of buying brand new, why not try thrifting? If you’ve never heard the term “thrifting,” Goodwill defines it as “going shopping at a [second hand] store, garage sale, or flea market where you’ll find gently used items at discounted prices. Thrifted items have been loved by a previous owner, but are usually in good shape with enough life left to be useful to a new owner.”

I am an enthusiastic and experienced thrifter. Coming from a family with limited money, I started getting into secondhand clothes when doing back-to-school shopping. Places like Goodwill, Salvation Army, and other random clothes donation spots were the best. Thrifting allowed me to obtain great clothes in good condition for cheap.

For example. whenever I’d shop with my mom, I’d usually land a few shirts, a couple of pairs of pants, and a hoodie or jacket for under 50 dollars. If I had gone to an Old Navy, Nike, Van, or Adidas store, I would pay ten times the price for the same amount of clothes.

Thrifting is also good because you can still find higher quality brands that everyone likes that have been handed down once or twice, then to the store, and the price will have dropped dramatically.

Some of the best things I’ve found thrifting include a fuzzy Northface winter jacket that was $25 when I got it but most likely $80-90 when it first came out. I’ve also found some nice dress shirts, some Carhartt pants, and some brand-name jeans.

An increase in people who like vintage clothing and older classics of higher-end brands that you can’t buy in their stores anymore also draws the masses to thrift stores. 

And then there’s the influence of social media. Influencers take videos or pictures and post them on Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat, showing what they’ve found or posting pictures of them wearing the clothes. The main rise here is in the younger generations who don’t just want boring clothes; they want to wear things that help them stand out more, to show they are individualized and have a unique style. 

There’s a big Instagram user by the name of EDJ Vintage who has their own vintage mystery boxes. I bought a five-piece mystery box that includes a Northface puffer jacket. The box was $120 which I think is worth it because the Northface jackets alone can cost upwards of $100.

I know that these thrift stores cater greatly to this due to the number of random shirts, pants, jackets, and hoodies, so there’s something for everybody.

Before I go, I will share one thing that concerns me about thrifting—the way that people have turned an earth-friendly, budget-conscious practice into a reselling business that can take away that cheap aspect. 

To turn that around, everyday people like us need to invest in our local thrifting culture, donating our used clothes to thrift stores near us and buying clothes at local stores instead of online.

If you’ve never tried thrifting, give it a try. You’d be surprised at the treasures you can find!