Since I was in high school, there have been many days that I spent in thrift stores. I grab my headphones and put on a playlist that I lovingly and originally titled “ thrift store”. I would poke and prod my way through the men’s section first, then the women’s, and finish off by looking through the random “other” category of the thrift. If you aren’t aware, the “other” category essentially is anything that isn’t clothing within a thrift store. It’s anything from a plate set, to a dark oak vintage table, or even a Hello Kitty CD player. Thrifting is almost like treasure hunting. It’s about poking through people’s secondhand belongings and clothing and attempting to find that “treasure”. The first time I ever went to a thrift store, I was in middle school. I found the entire process extraordinarily dull, like any middle school boy would have. Thrifting is something that takes patience. Sifting through every individual item on a rack or on a shelf takes time, and this initial phase of overcoming impatience is when most people quit. If you aren’t one of those quitters though, it’s a fantastic way to spend an afternoon. The best places to go to start thrifting are any local thrift shops that you can find. Whether that be a larger corporate secondhand store like Goodwill or Salvation Army, or if it’s a more local shop like the Thrifty Shopper. You can even thrift online on places like Facebook Marketplace or Ebay. Anywhere you can thrift is a good place, and that thrifting can save the Earth.
If you’ve been on this Earth for the past couple of years, you’ve probably heard of SHEIN. SHEIN is a fast fashion brand notorious for its insanely cheap prices, but also for its poor quality. It’s all poorly made clothing intended to be used a singular time and then discarded. SHEIN and similar fast fashion brands cause massive environmental issues. Water pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, toxic chemical exposure, excessive textile waste and production, as well as massive carbon dioxide emissions are all linked to SHEIN. Companies that promote this “fast fashion” idea are quite literally selling our planet for profit. Thrifting avoids all of these issues. If you are looking for a particular clothing piece for extremely cheap, there is absolutely no reason you shouldn’t choose a thrift store. Sure, there’s a possibility you can’t find what you are looking for but thrift stores change their products every single week and they don’t cause any of these environmental issues!
My entire closet is thrifted clothes. Nearly every single thing that I wear on a daily basis is entirely thrifted. I’ve been thrifting for years at this point, so much so that I know “gold” when I see it. However, I have made some bad purchases. Anyone who consistently thrifts knows of a term called “thrift blindness”, which essentially means buying an item you believe is worth it due to its low price and ideal that it is bought secondhand. I, like anyone else, have been a victim of thrift blindness. There was one time of note that I bought a sweater that I believed would be really cool looking, only to get home and realize that the entire back half of the sweater was completely open. How I didn’t realize this before buying it, I genuinely have no idea. But how does one avoid this “thrift blindness”? I have a couple tips and tricks.
Firstly, whenever you are going to the thrift, BRING A FRIEND. If you can’t bring someone else, friend, family, whoever, really, then make sure to send a photo of some of your finds. Secondhand opinions are important to avoid thrift blindness, and sometimes you might be saved a couple extra dollars on something you would’ve never worn or used. Secondly, I would recommend avoiding certain brands of clothing you might run across. For instance, anything SHEIN or anything that feels like it’s made from poor material or clearly a fast fashion piece is instantly a no-go. Other brands that are typically lower quality and super common include: Gildan, Eddie Bauer, Old Navy, and so many more. You’ll quickly learn what brands you end up liking the most, and which ones don’t suit your tastes. Brands can only really tell you a base level of quality, and if you find a really cool Gildan tee for example, then buy it! Don’t feel constricted by this, but do keep it in mind. Certain brands produce lower quality goods, whether that be material or base craftsmanship. It’s far more sustainable to buy a very nice quality brand and use it for a long time, than using it once and never again. A poor quality brand is bound to last you less time than a good quality one! The final and most important tip that I can give anyone who is starting to thrift is to be patient. There are times where I have spent an entire day going to multiple thrift stores and didn’t find a single piece worth buying. That’s okay! If you keep at it, keep going to the thrift week after week, you will find things you like or even love. It’s going to happen. Spend that extra 20 or so minutes and look through every rack. It really does add up. Simply having patience will increase the chances of you finding the best items, and it’s also where most people give up. The convenience of being able to have anything you want at your fingertips is too alluring, especially with the internet. But secondhand will forever remain superior.
Thrifting really is an art form. It takes skill, patience, and most importantly good luck, but it is so engrossing. It’s an absolutely lovely hobby to indulge in, and more than anything, it is so good for the environment. Overconsumption is at an all-time high in the world for everything. Clothing is just one example, but our Earth is hurting from this continual overconsumption. Buying secondhand is more important than ever before, and I couldn’t recommend or praise it enough. So I urge you, no matter what you are looking for or for what purpose, please go to your local thrift store this weekend. It really can save the Earth, one thrift at a time.