Comments on: Six Reasons Why People Don’t Thrift

By: Andrew

Andrew — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 22:37:37 +0000

I’ve tried many a time to find good clothes at thrift stores, but don’t seem to have the luck with men’s clothes to mirror the absolute bargains that my wife finds in the women’s section. Seems that every time I accompany her to Goodwill or Salvation Army, the men’s section is full of stained and frayed choices. I have better luck on Ebay and one particular consignment store.

By: Rose DeShaw

Rose DeShaw — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 11:26:40 +0000

Oh my, Henry’s world of hookers & cynicism seems to pinch like a new pair of shoes. Our ‘soup kitchen’ is called ‘Martha’s Table’ and is located downtown in Kingston, Ontario. We raised enough funds to buy the building so they do not have to pay rent. Many now clean & sober individuals actually are employed there, cooking & serving. And yes, (duh) I DO know the Sally Ann is a religion. How this comment made my day! I’m talking about what I see in practice with them – if every church was so directly connected with the ‘poor’ and troubled, did so much good in the community. I don’t notice them pushing their ‘religion’ on anyone either. Still not far from the way they’re depicted in ‘Guys & Dolls.’ Nope, they truly help without demeaning anyone as does Goodwill. I don’t want to imagine a world without such helping hands and what I know, I know from first hand experience, being one of the ‘helped,’ when I was young and needy.

By: Anna

Anna — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 02:00:28 +0000

@ #63 Rose DeShaw
“though I’m uncomfortable when they haggle at the cash at the Salvation Army Thrifts when everyone knows every cent these dear folks make goes to help the poor.”

better check up on that dear old Salvation Army you are so proud to support, they are actually a religion and only a portion of their donations help the poor, the rest of it goes directly to their church, something they DO NOT advertise!!

By: Jessica

Jessica — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 02:29:42 +0000

By shopping thrift stores, I have many name brand items in very good condition. I can dress in nicer clothes, even as a broke law student.

For instance, this week I purchased a Banana Republic button-down for $4, Gap jeans for $3, Steve Madden Shoes for $10, and an Old Navy shirt for $2, with the original price tag attached. The used items all look like new too. The great deals I found were definitely worth sifting through a few racks of clothing!

By: Andrea

Andrea — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 21:33:49 +0000

Rose DeShaw, your community’s “Soup Kitchen” restaurant sounds so amazing. Where’s it located and what is it called? Do they have a website?

By: Claire

Claire — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:31:29 +0000

My only complaint about thrift stores is that most of them do not organize their clothing by size, but by color. That’s what makes shopping there so time-consuming.

By: cyd

cyd — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:58:27 +0000

when i was at a bus stop one day, i was talking w/ a guy, telling him about a thrift store shirt i had bought for only $2, after watching that same shirt in a catalogue drop in price from $24 down to $18. he actually thought that Palais Royal (an upscale designer clothing discounter here in houston) was a thrift store. LOL. i then had to explain to him the difference btwn palais royal, tj maxx, marshalls, and the like and what an actual thrift store was. he actually had no idea what a thrift store was and this is a guy obviously from a low-income background. i couldnt believe it! he sure had been wasting massive amounts of $$$ I’m sure he didnt have on his wardrobe(and getting himself deeper and deeper in debt). i told him if he started shopping at thrift stores, he could save a whole lot of $$$ and buy himself a car w/ the $$$ he saved.

By: Evita

Evita — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:51:38 +0000

Well….. I frequently deposits items to charity stores but I rarely buy there. They are for poor people and I don’t want to deprive them of anything of value since I can pay for my own stuff. The rare times I have bought anything, I also gave a donation to the store (Salvation Army).
And I honestly don’t want to wear clothing that unknown people have worn! squeamish, I know…

By: Lily

Lily — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:34:41 +0000

A good friend told me he disliked going into thrift stores because to him they are “depressing.” Sounds like there might be some deeper psych issue going on in his head.

My husband needed 2 thermal undershirts to wear under his clothing because he’s riding a motorcycle to work and it’s getting cold here in the Southwest. My daughter talked me into checking out some thrift stores. We had several errands to run yesterday so along our destinations we stopped at 3 thrift shops and found two fantastic, perfect undershirts (each $3) and a brand new potato masher that I needed for $1.

Hubby is often snooty about wearing used clothing, but I washed them and they smelled fresh and felt soft. And since we are on the tightest budget ever, he praised my efforts because he really needed those shirts and he seemed to really like them.

By: Henry

Henry — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:09:44 +0000

My main problem with the local Goodwill is the prices. I don’t go there for clothes, but I will buy old china and ‘salvage’ items. The problem with that is the staff has no idea what new items cost at the Wal-Mart right across the street. They’ll actually price a broken candle at .50 when a new one goes for .33. That cocktail shaker with a dent and missing lid that is $9 at Wal-Mart? $15 at the Goodwill. It would be okay if it was a starting point to haggle, but it’s not. The only way I’ve found to haggle at Goodwill is to find the Manager, ask how much and when he tells you, act really put off by the price, and say “I’d only give xx amount.” Usually he will say okay, especially if you’re buying multiple items or a set where the items are priced individually.

Good god, they get this broken crap for free and think they should get high-end retail prices for it. Because of their attitudes, my yard sale leftovers wind up in dumpsters before I will give to them.

The pricing problem is a direct result of Goodwill using people sentenced to community service by the courts that have no idea what household goods are worth since their whole economy revolves around drugs and cigarettes, or just don’t care.

@#7 I used to go to the Salvation Army for free lunch every other day. Then my neighbor took a spell of volunteering there and I had to stop after they’d see me down there getting free lunch at noon and then toting cases of beer into my house in the evening.

@#45 The reason there are so many bedbugs in 5 star hotels is because those wealthy travelers are picking up hookers that spend every other night in a 5 star with their clients and every other night in a flophouse.

By: Alexandra

Alexandra — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:00:21 +0000

Just a little correction/clarification to my post. I wasn’t jumping all over Trent for not knowing how to spell cachet. In fact I wouldn’t have noticed at all (I skim read a lot on blogs)
I was more annoyed at the commenter correcting Trent and not even giving the correct spelling ;)

By: deRuiter

deRuiter — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:03:02 +0000

Thrifts are great, resale shops are a step higher and generally smell better and have a better quality of stock. Buying used is great for the American economy. Why give your money to the Chinese government for slave labor made new things? Buy used, keep the money in America, give it directly to an American. Helps our balance of trade, keeps the landfills emptier, keeps the environment cleaner. Energy is required to make new things, resale stuff is energy neutral. Read the book “The Millionaire Next Door” again and learn how many rich families are very thrifty!

By: Jeroen

Jeroen — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:45:48 +0000

Thanks all for pointing it out to me: if the thrift store is indeed a non-profit organisation, I don’t have to feel like I’m robbing the poor.

By: Chris Cruz

Chris Cruz — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:43:21 +0000

Thifting is a very niche thing and not many people have the patience or time to search and dig for something they need at a thrift store.

I think the real issue is buying used. I know tons of people that refuse to buy used and will go down in overall quality just to buy Brand New. With search tools like Craigslist and Ebay you can find Exactly the things you want for fractions of the price without having to dig through thrift stores or spend 1/2 day at garage sales. I bought a Macbook for $300 that most of my friends bought for over $1000 and still paying it off. Most of my electronics and gadgets are used but nobody can tell because “used” doesn’t affect the performance. I got a PS3 slim for $200 off Craigslist. If you buy high quality used stuff it will last you longer than a lesser quality brand new item.

By: Rose DeShaw

Rose DeShaw — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:20:55 +0000

Read through the comments again and can’t help but add that the ‘soup’ kitchens in our town ask that members of the community come when they can so it isn’t SEEN as a ‘soup’ kitchen, a humiliating experience, but as a restaurant where the community drops in. They charge a buck for a meal so it is easy to slip them a tenner for yours, thereby increasing their revenues and making the needy folks around you feel 100% better that you’re eating what they’re eating. Plus it gives a face to this ‘poor’ we all seem to feel charitable about. Folks like you and I. Rose DeShaw

By: Rose DeShaw

Rose DeShaw — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:16:33 +0000

Having read these insightful comments, I can say, ‘thrift stores are for e-bayers. It’s a fact. These well-dressed ‘pickers’ are easy to spot in their designer outfits, scooping up the good jewelry, all the hand-knitted shawls and so forth. I don’t resent people just trying to make a living (though I’m uncomfortable when they haggle at the cash at the Salvation Army Thrifts when everyone knows every cent these dear folks make goes to help the poor. It isn’t the STORE that’s for the poor half as much as the PROFITS. So these e-bayers, whose numbers are multiple, really do a lot of good. I was raised with thrift stores and never buy anything new unless I’ve checked it out secondhand for several days first. All my appliances especially kitchenware. We’ve always bought used mattresses and not ever even once encountered ‘bugs.’ Of course your ‘wash it first’ is key to thrift shop stuff. I’m always being asked where I get my one-of-a-kind outfits and I’m happy to tell them about the ’boutiques’ I frequent. We could do with a little less of this, ‘for the poor’ stuff and more of ‘for the economy.’ Rose DeShaw

By: BD

BD — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 08:19:19 +0000

Thrift stores are pretty awesome, and I’ve made some great finds in there. But for those of you complaining about that icky thrift store smell and tons of time spent browsing, just use eBay. You can quickly search for whatever brand and size you want, and often get great deals on almost new, non-smelly clothing. I’ve bought many a pair of practically new Gap Jeans for around $12.00 (that’s including shipping) off of eBay. Slightly more expensive than a thrift store but so much quicker and convenient.

By: Bill

Bill — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 02:24:55 +0000

I think all the people complaining about the spelling are clearly “Concern Trolls” Trent warned us of. Possibly all of them AND the people “misspelling” in the comments are actually one clever “Concern Troll” don’t be fooled!

I couldn’t care less about clothing. I wear it till my wife throws it out and “new” clothes appear. Most of it is used which is fine with me. My wife and daughter look at it more like a sport, they can shop for deals for hours on end.

By: kristine

kristine — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:42:48 +0000

#44 Dan- Ha! There are several typos, actually. It is clear from all my comments that I never proof-read in informal settings. Life is too short!

I shop at a Goodwill on Long Island’s gold coast. Gorgeous designer and name brand clothes. I love my 2 dollar Banana Republic skirt, and Anne Klein blazer. I build in the price of dry-cleaning wool items to see if it is still worth. Got a terrific new leather jacket at a Salvation Army in a poor neighborhood.

I am almost always looking for a specific item, and the thrill of the hunt is fun!

By: kat

kat — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:16:12 +0000

I work Ren fairs in the summer and have found great stuff to rework at local thrift stores, I will pay more for a used high quality item than a new cheaply made one at a department store. I am convinced however, that all clothing for women is size 2. (too big, too small, too long or too short. I do sew, so I can change too big or too long to something that does fit. As long as I can score real silk tee shirts for $1.00 each, I will continue to hit the thrift stores in my area.