I’ve been sorta keeping tabs on the rise of the Thrift Store in the stream of consciousness of middle (and now often upper) class Americans over the past few years. It’s certainly way, WAY up. Every so often, online news outfits run stories and features on how sales at thrift stores, both charitable and privately owned, have gone through the roof.
It’s a great time to own a thrift shop.
But it’s not such a great time to be a thrifter, especially if you were one of the “hip” kids who’ve always frequented those second hand shops. Now, I don’t really fall into that category, having only gotten into serious thrifting about 5-6 years ago. Still, I can’t help feeling like the secret is out - and the once common “goodies” are becoming more scarce.
Lately, the thrift stores are so crowded that you can hardly move between the aisles (I especially hate it when thrift stores allow shopping carts - they completely block the aisles). Parking is non-existent, especially for those shops that don’t have a dedicated lot. I’ve parked more than 5 blocks away to get to several thrifts.
The clientele often comes in wearing fur coats and diamond rings. Well, ok, it’s not really that bad. But there are definitely more people looking for a bargain. Increasingly, I also see serious looking yuppies greedily snatching up Mid Century Modern furniture before they even hit the showroom floor, or clutching large baskets full of doodads that they obviously are going to peddle for high prices on Ebay or Etsy. And don’t get me started on all the new “vintage clothing” experts.
You can’t fault them I guess - especially with this Eeekconomy. I’m thinking of doing it myself to earn a little extra income. However, you have to wonder about the inevitable end result of all of this sudden pressure on charitable organizations like The Salvation Army and Goodwill who rely on donations. At some point, if everyone’s going to try and sell what they find at the thrift, there won’t be anything good left. I’ve already seen several “fights” break out over valuable items at stores. No punches were thrown, but there were plenty of words said…
Update 11/08: By the way, in case you are one of the newcomers to thrifting, I’ve written up a helpful article on what you should know about thrift stores.
Source: Various news outlets
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October 7th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
Seems that Goodwill is getting more expensive though (at least the ones around here). Still cheaper than buying new, which is great for people like me who are under/unemployed.
Speaking of Goodwill, there’s an “Outlet” here that is nicknamed “the Bins” where people pretty much spend everyday in to get clothes and other items by the pound. People make their livings getting things from there and it’s crazy how passionate people are there.
October 7th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
@jg - I have to agree about Goodwill. It seems like they’re all raising prices, but some of the Goodwills near me are insane. The only thing to do is wait for the tag’s color to go on sale. “The Bins” sounds interesting! Uh, is that related to dumpster diving?
October 7th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
I wonder if there’s going to be a trickle-down effect with consumers “moving down” from malls and major retail to thrift stores to afford presents during the holiday season. Recently the 99 Cents Only franchise raised prices to 99.99 cents. Everybody is getting squeezed.
October 20th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
Thrift stores used to be a nice place to find a bargain for yourself, or to sell on Ebay. Now the stores are Ebay savvy and price their merchandise as if they looked it up on Ebay to see how much they can gouge the consumer. I see brand new stuff with the price tag still on and the thrift store attempts to sell it for more than the original price. If it wasn’t wanted at that price then, it sure isn’t now.
October 20th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
@ken - egads. I better get going with my plans to buy every single gift this year at the thrift store… =)
@simone - they sure do look things up on Ebay. Many of the larger thrifts (goodwill is one) will sell their choice items online because they can get more. I’m almost ready to start calling them “Badwill”. And I understand if a worker makes a mistake, or just simply doesn’t know, so they price new merchandise for higher. But it’s sad that this is becoming more and more prevalent.
November 6th, 2008 at 5:43 pm
Hi,
I’m a features writer and I’m really interested in putting together a piece about middle-class thrift. Is anyone who is a serious thrift buyer interested in participating? I’m looking for people around the world.
Cheers,
Carmela Ferraro
November 19th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
@carmela - hm… well, I’d participate I guess, depending on what you’re looking for. Not to hijack your comment, but I also just wrote up a long article on thrift store tips.