I always had this idea in my mind that thrift stores are full of old, worn out, smelly clothes and that they may be useful for when you need a costume for Halloween or school plays, but other than that… no, thanks.
It all changed one day, when I decided to give it a try, mostly because I needed to build my wardrobe and couldn’t afford to buy all the pieces in regular stores. And from that moment on I have changed my mind about second hand shopping completely, and now a lot of my favorite pieces are indeed from thrift stores.
So, if you still have doubts about how it works or want to give it a try but is not sure if thrift shopping is for you, I am here to help you by breaking some myths. Here we go!
- Thrift stores are dirty: well, yes. There is a bunch of dirty thrift stores out there, but also a lot of very well organized and clean ones. And I personally LOOOOVE those. There is no smells, bugs, dirt or anything like that. Also a lot of them organize the clothes by color, sizing, materials, occasions and many other categories to help you out with that you are looking for. Exactly like regular retail.
- All the clothes are worn out and old: this one was stuck in my brain my whole life. But the truth is that I personally find a lot of brand new clothes, most of time with tags still on the piece. I do have to admit that I love to find those because I can compare the actual price in retail with the price I am paying at the thrift stores. For example, I already bought a blouse that was around 170$ for 9$. Yes. It is possible, and it happens to me often.
- Thrifting is a competition: it is understandable why people think like that. We know that sometimes there is that rare find that we don’t want other people to find before us, and this can create a small anxiety while we are shopping. But the truth is that there is enough good finds for everyone and every day a bunch of new good pieces arrive in the stores. So don’t worry, you will find your dream leather jacket for a good price!
- The styles are outdated: I can tell from my personal experience, that this is not true. First because there is always brand new pieces in thrift stores like Crossroads and Buffalo Exchange and second, because the past decades are always coming back in trend somehow. Right now, for example, the 90’s and early 2000’s are back and influencing a lot the younger crowd as we can see all over the social media, like I mentioned in this article.
I hope you can challenge yourself to thrift shopping once if you have never done that before, like I did to myself a while ago. Go with someone that knows good stores and can help you out with what and where to buy.
