Comments on: An Argument for Secondhand Store Clothes, Even If You Must Dress Nicely

By: Leslie

Leslie — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 12:49:06 +0000

I’d say about 90% of my clothing comes from consignment stores, with the obvious exceptions of underwear and hosiery. My closet is hung with Ann Taylor, Talbots, Anthropologie, Coldwater Creek, Chicos, Black Market White House, Tahari, etc. and all bought new or gently used at about 85-95% savings. Two rules I have about shopping – at consignment stores or anywhere else – is that the item must coordinate with items I already possess and it has to immediately absolutely knock my socks off and make me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world when I put it on. If I’m hemming and hawing and hesitating it goes back on the rack even if it’s the deal of the century. This does take more time for shopping but I don’t view shopping as a thrift event as do many people here, so it’s not as important to me. I LIKE shopping and only do it when I know I have a fair amount of time to commit to it. Obviously, not everyone has that ability; I remember trying to shop with small kids! :-) I’m past that stage in my life now – my nest is almost empty – so I have the time to commit. And, of course, my resources are now more plentiful for it, but the number one reason I love consignment shopping is hands down price. I have a fantastic, head turning wardrobe that reflects not only my own unique style but my values around money and consuming.

By: gail gibson

gail gibson — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 03:04:55 +0000

I am a manager for a non-profit located in N.C. While i understand a person being leery of shopping in a thrift store,i also know that they should give it a try before saying no, never! I am the wife of a wonderful man who has had numerous surgeries. Due to tha amount of money that we spend on medical supplies, I do not get to spend a lot on our clothes and such. I can tell you that we dress very well from thrift stores. I am very proud of the one that I run. Our prices are very reasonable,and our clothes at not out of date or torn. I have several volunteers that helped us to insure our store is clean and bright and welcoming to shop at.You can wear a fashionable outfit for $3.00 or less. Our mission statment is “Christians lending a helping hand:.

By: Jenny

Jenny — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 22:10:33 +0000

I started a new job last month, and realized that I was going from a web publication job (read: jeans most days) to an outward-facing role (read: NOT jeans… ever). I only had two pairs of dress pants, and there was no way I could afford to go to the the mall to buy more.

I went to a Goodwill down the street from my new job two evenings in a row, and in the course of the two trips I picked up SEVEN new pairs of dress pants, including Express, Ann Taylor and Banana Republic labels. The entire purchase cost me around $50. I wouldn’t have been able to get TWO pairs at that price, even at TJ Maxx or similar.

The people who give clothes to places like Goodwill are often not getting rid of their 6-year-old throwaways — sometimes they just find that the clothes they’ve bought don’t fit right and don’t care to return them. I’ve even picked up clothes with the tags still on!

I absolutely agree with Trent’s logic of starting at thrift stores and moving up from there, rather than the other way around. I’m starting to think I might try buying all the clothes I need at Goodwill for a year, and see how my finances benefit.

By: Jean

Jean — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 22:54:19 +0000

Like many otherswho have posted, love the thrift stores. There is a huge variance in quality, but you get to know the places you’ll usually be lucky. If your town has a Junior League Resale Shop, check it out. A little higher, maybe, but usually gorgeous name brand clothes! (And to those who don’t want to give up retail, thanks–more bargains for the rest of us!)

By: Shauna

Shauna — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 21:32:16 +0000

sometimes I am so late in responding to these, but I just wanna say that when I score at a second hand store it makes me feel good. People complimant my cloting all the time, and I love telling them I shop second hand.

By: Ruby Leigh

Ruby Leigh — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 14:45:52 +0000

I would say that 99% of my closet was purchased at less than retail prices.

I like to dress nice – and “relatively” in fashion. I also love to shop, but part of the game for me is finding the best price… and I have managed to find some great stuff.
Polo Ralph Lauren Sweater : $9.00
Polo Fleece Hoodie: $3.00
Both of these items were barely worn looking.

Also, if for some unknown reason GoodWill is not your taste… look into other consignment Turn Style is a chain that is out there. I just bought my husband a Calvin Klein suit (tags still on) for a fraction of the original cost. There is also a lot mileage that can be had at JCPenny and Kohl’s clearance racks.

By: Cathie

Cathie — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:25:50 +0000

Just yesterday I spent a portion of my lunch hour browsing Goodwill. This time was “free” and I netted 2 blouses suitable for work for $5.98 (one was color-coded 1/2 off.) I feel sorry for the commenters who live near sub-par thrift stores-I have 3 amazing Goodwill stores all within a 10 mile radius of my home. Also near my place of employment is a Habitat Re-Store. Color me thrifty, well-dressed, and happy!

By: Dawn

Dawn — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 10:24:29 +0000

I am a self employed consultant catering to primarily small businesses, landscapers, contractors, etc. Needless to say business has been very slow this past year.

Every year we attend a charity auction. Despite the decrease in income we thought it important to attend – we put aside a little money every week to have enough to bid, but I didn’t want to spend a mint on something to wear. I made the decision to check out a consignment shop – I had never been before.

Were my eyes opened!! I got a beautiful DESIGNER dress for $10.00!! It was like brand new. I love it and received many compliments on it. The dress was one of the lowest priced items in the shop but the quality was outstanding, many items still had tags and were marked at least 50% or 75% off of those prices – many items that I tried on were in the $20.00 range.

I will be going back. I am also going to look into a couple other consignment shops that carry clothing for my kids.

By: teresa

teresa — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 04:06:04 +0000

I am the chairperson of our local non-profit Thrift Store and find all these comments interesting. We are all volunteers and put many hours into this endevour. Our population is 500 and in the middle of nowhere so there is no other options for clothing or household items here. We have been pleasantly surprised by the success of this store, just like any other business it’s hard to know how well the community will receive it. It is amazing how wasteful people can be, people will donate bag fulls of name brand clothing, some with tags still on them. I always wonder when a person can have enough!! It is great for the store but this but crazy to think how our society has become obsessed with “stuff”.
I think cost should be the last reason to buy 2nd hand. When you buy from Thrift Stores you are not using any “new” materials, you are keeping items out of the landfill, you are supporting a US business, not a clothing manufacturer that is paying their employees next to nothing and you are supporting a business that helps the less fortunate(most of the time).
I always try to find things “used” before I go out and just randomly purchase new things(with all the packaging that goes to the landfill). Sometimes you have to wait a little while to find what you want, but at least you are thinking about the purchase and saving money in the process.
I’ve heard people complain that they don’t want to buy something that someone has already worn. But at least it has been washed before you get it, think of all the nasty chemicals and who knows what is on clothing when it comes from the manufacturer, especially if it was made oversees.
I’m sure every store has diffrent costs and quality but I would encourage everyone to consider shopping 2nd hand not only to save money but to change the attitude about “stuff”.

By: Nicole

Nicole — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 21:51:44 +0000

Oddly… reading through all these comments I think, “Man! I should go thrifting! I could get so much clothing!”

Except I don’t NEED any more clothing right now. There’s no point in me spending money (and time) on things I don’t need. Again, not shopping saves more money than searching for bargains.

By: Monroe on a Budget

Monroe on a Budget — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:18:12 +0000

Well, now, where do you work?

My husband works at a factory and has to buy steel-toed shoes. Those shoes have to be purchased retail, brand new. But he’s got a favorite t-shirt collection that he bought SECOND HAND.

And I work in an office. I don’t like the blouses I’ve seen in my size at the second-hand stores. Therefore I buy my dressy tops retail. But I get black dress pants SECOND HAND.

By: Johanna

Johanna — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 04:30:45 +0000

@Caroline: Well, for me, the biggest part of the time investment is getting to the thrift store in the first place. I don’t have a car, and all the thrift stores in my area (that I know about) are a hassle for me to get to on public transportation – and there are none in the neighborhoods I go to anyway for other reasons. It could take me an hour to get there, and another hour to get home, just for one store, which is not an enjoyable shopping destination (for me) and probably won’t have anything I want to buy anyway. Alternatively, I could go to the mall – a 3-minute train ride away – and go to Target, JC Penney, Macy’s Marshall’s, Ross, and the Gap all in one trip.

I realize that not everyone is in a situation like mine – in fact, most people aren’t. But my point is that whether thrifting makes sense for you depends hugely on your situation, and it would be nice to see Trent acknowledge that.

By: Todd

Todd — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 02:29:36 +0000

Someone should start a clothing exchange site like Paperbackswap.com. (Trent praises that site all the time–and it has saved me a fortune.) When someone changes sizes, they could send in their old clothes and get one credit for each item of clothing. Then they could use those credits to select “new-to-them” items of clothing from others.

By: Caroline

Caroline — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 13:11:31 +0000

I don’t understand the time cost that people are so worried about. I spend just as much time in regular stores trying to find stuff I like as I do in thrift stores. I can even spend hours online trying to figure out what to buy – probably because you can’t touch it or try it on, and should you decide to return it it’s a huge hassle!

By: Caroline

Caroline — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 13:04:28 +0000

My friends and I regularly find lots of great barely used (or totally awesomely vintage) stuff in thrift stores. It doesn’t even take long too do it. I think some people just think this type of shopping is beneath them, but I’ve received many compliments from people AT WORK about my thrift store finds. I even bought my prom dress for $4, and I didn’t have to worry about anyone having the same one as me. And for people who really only wear stuff once or twice – you’ll save a bundle if you start at the thrift store, instead of just ending there.

By: Diane

Diane — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 05:55:45 +0000

@#12 Kelly. Bless you for speaking the truth! Very astute comment. Nice to know I’m not alone.

@#7 Josh and #50 Claudia: I sold men’s clothing for ten years at Nordstrom. I had the same response to the mention of MW as you did, Josh.
I also understand Claudia’s response. In the men’s clothing arena, there is a huge difference in construction and quality. There is also a more direct correlation between price and quality. A man can buy a good quality pair of shoes and have them re-soled and re-heeled for years, even decades. A woman can spend the same amount of money on shoes that will go out of style in a couple of seasons!
So, I understand Claudia’s response, but I do think it unnecessarily harsh. If one can afford to, one should shop anywhere they like without risk of criticism from others.

By: lynne

lynne — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 01:37:03 +0000

About 10 years ago my husband needed a sports coat for an upcoming event. We went to 5 different stores & were unsuccessful. Finally I suggested a thrift store. He got 2 jackets, one a top name brand, the other was custom tailored in England. We paid $5 for both of them! We started buying his polo shirts there, some for as low as $1 each. When he passed away a few years ago, I gave his clothes to the thrift store. We had recently bought him a new suit, 3 dress shirts & 3 ties for a trip we were taking. He wore the suit once, and only used one of the shirts & one tie! Someone obviously was going to get a suit that was as good as new. Don’t knock something til you’ve tried it.

By: SLCCOM

SLCCOM — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 00:38:05 +0000

Claudia, how about approaching other women your height and size and proposing a clothing swap? They might not only agree, but you’ll get some new friends out of it.

By: Teri Davis Newman

Teri Davis Newman — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 22:37:20 +0000

I’ve found a lot of things at thrift stores that were still new with the tags. I used to get jeans for the kids and since the ripped, ragged jeans are now in style (and cost $80 and up per pair WTF??)you can chop up thrift jeans for $2 a pair. I found a designer suit (the halves were separated) that I’m still wearing 3 years later and they look great as they are 100% wool, lined and beautiful. It wasn’t a new suit but I’m getting a lot of use out of it. Look around–it’s amazing how many things you will find that have never been worn and still have the tags. The better the neighborhood the nicer the clothes–I bought a dozen gorgeous sweaters at a thrift store in a nice neighborhood in Florida that I wear all the time in Illinois!

By: Sam

Sam — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 20:30:47 +0000

I agree with Trent, sounds like Monica has a firm opinion on the subject.

I haven’t read all the comments so I don’t know if anyone mentioned these points.
I love to get used clothing because I know it’s already survived a few washings & isn’t going to fall apart, shrink or change colors when I get it home & run it through the wash before wearing it.

One other thing too – is you’ll find things that aren’t available in your area. I’m in Nebraska & I’ve found stuff from Neiman Marcus and Nordstroms there. I love that I can find things that other people brought with them from other parts of the country.

Yes, there’s a lot of damaged goods on the racks – no ever said you have to buy those (I always wonder who does). And somethings are easily fixed – like missing buttons.

I just started to have the means to buy new clothes a few years ago. However, the quality disappointed me – many things would be great until the first wash & then shrink or whatever during washing. I discovered a lot of my clothes from the thrift store are actually really expensive when new & there is no way I could afford them on my salary. So I’ve evolved back to thrift where I can find high quality durable things. I love my 100% angora designer coat – it’s soft, really warm, classic black and very sturdy but, there’s no way I could have driven to the east coast to get it and there’s no way I could have ever gotten it new – so thank you to who ever donated it 4 years ago!

As far as out of date goes – yes, if you want to go retro it’s easier at a thrift store. I go for classic things & do fine with what I find. I’m not a teenage so I don’t care about the latest styles & I prefer to dress conservative for work anyway. The latest styles usually look silly too – like the recent trend with ruffles, Yuck!
No ruffles on me thank you.