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Three Reasons Why Thrifting is Better for the Environment

Three Reasons Why Thrifting is Better for the Environment

Thrifting or shopping secondhand is a great way to reduce your environmental footprint while finding some really cool and unique items that you wouldn’t be able to get elsewhere.

Buying items brand new might not seem like it has a very big impact on the environment, but every small action counts. By shopping for things second hand, you are voting with your dollar as a consumer to not support the industries that cause pollution and tons of waste.

Here are some of the many reasons why thrifting is better than buying new items. 

1) Less Resource Consumption

The creation of new things takes a lot of resources, especially in today’s world of fast fashion and hyper-consumerism. Some of these natural resources are being used at a rate that is faster than they can be produced and are non-renewable.

When it comes to clothing, electronics, and other home goods, it takes a lot of water and energy to make these items. When you thrift something, you are not directly supporting the demand for new things to be made, and this has a positive impact since resources and energy were already used to create that item.

Specific to clothing and textiles, less fabric is wasted, and the water footprint of an item becomes less since the life of the item is extended. 

2) Fewer Things are Thrown Away

Not only are we using fewer resources when we thrift something, but overall, less things are thrown away as well. Shopping second hand is a great way to give a new home to some awesome items that would otherwise end up in the trash. 

In today’s society of consumerism, people often buy things without realizing they don’t really need them, and with items that are cheap and accessible people tend to throw them away.

To help lessen the impact that this has on the environment, you can choose to donate things instead of tossing them and consider looking for an item secondhand next time you need something.

 One thing might not serve the person that originally bought the item, but maybe it’s an item you’ve been looking to have or something that goes great in your home. With thrifting, you keep these items from going to waste by giving them a new life. 

3) Less Chemical Pollution

It takes a lot of manufacturing and processing to be able to create new things. When it comes to clothing, textiles need to be grown using pesticides, and then those fabrics are treated with harsh chemicals and dyes that can be not only harmful to the environment but also to our health.

When we create synthetic fabrics, greenhouse gases are released which contribute to climate change. These chemicals contaminate our water, soil, and air, and this can impact wildlife and the quality of many resources we use to survive.

Toxins can also disrupt our hormones and gut microbiome, and there’s still research to be uncovered as to how these chemicals can impact our bodies.

By choosing to buy secondhand, you aren’t supporting the demand for new products to be made using these chemicals, and the negative impact the item has on your health can also be much less compared to buying the item brand new.

These are just a few of the reasons why shopping second hand is beneficial for the environment. Whether you find something new with the tags on it still or a preloved vintage item, you are choosing an option that didn’t involve new resource and energy consumption, potentially saving something from being thrown into a landfill, and lessening the burden of pollutants on the environment that come from consumerism. 

Shopping at the thrift stores in Lebanon, TN are a great way to find some pre-loved pieces that still have a lot of life in them. The beauty of thrifting is that you never know what you are going to find!

Whether you are donating your unwanted items, looking for something specific, or just seeing what is out there, thrift stores are a great resource to find cool items while saving money and the planet.  

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Is Shopping Second Hand Sustainable?

Is Shopping Second Hand Sustainable?

The number of items purchased every year has doubled in the last 15 years. They’re buying more and more clothing, and they’re also throwing away a lot of these purchases, with 84% of clothing ending up in landfills or incinerators.

It’s a shocking number, and it’s not sustainable. They can’t go on buying new items at this rate, and finding ways to get more use out of each piece in our wardrobes is crucial if they want to reduce the impact of our fashion choices on the planet.

Brands need to change the ways clothes are made so they are more durable or recyclable, but they, consumers and citizens, also have an essential role to play. By changing the way they consume, voting with our dollar, and choosing better brands and practices, they can push the whole industry forward.

Shopping second hand is said to be one of the things they can do to reduce the footprint of our wardrobes. But is shopping second hand sustainable? Today, they look at the rise, impact, and issues linked to shopping pre-owned clothing.

The rise of second hand shopping

Many people saw secondhand clothing as dirty, old, dull, and frankly unattractive for a long time. People thought that going to the thrift shops in Lebanon, TN, op shop, or flea market meant you had to spend hours, even days, dutifully digging through piles of discarded clothes in the hopes of finding one good piece that would hopefully be the correct size.

But things have changed. Shopping second hand is becoming easier and more accessible than ever, and as a result, the resale market is booming. Resale platform thredUP predicts online thrifting will grow 69% between 2019 and 2021, and some even believe that the resale sector will be bigger than fast fashion within ten years.

Today, with people being more worried about the planet and their finances than ever, they will likely turn to their local second hand shops or resale websites. These sites like Depop, The Real Real, or Vestiaire Collective have truly revolutionised the way they think about second hand.

While some experts worried the pandemic would negatively impact the resale sector due to consumers being worried about hygiene, the contrary happened. 

People found more time to clean out their wardrobes! Retailers are noticing this growing trend, and many are seizing the second hand opportunity, which began to sell second hand clothes in its supermarkets just a couple of weeks ago.

Is shopping second hand sustainable?

Wherever you are in the world, if you go to a mall or shopping centre, you’ll likely find a Zara, or an H&M, or a Forever 21. Society is dominated by these fast fashion giants, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and confused about which brands are worth supporting.

Buying vintage and second hand provides a refreshing and, yes, more sustainable way to shop.

Better for people, the planet, and animals

Buying pre-owned clothes allows to add items to our wardrobe without using additional resources in the manufacturing process. The fashion industry is responsible for 8-10%of global carbon emissions, uses massive amounts of water, and exploits workers and animals worldwide.

Buying clothes that already exist slows down the fast fashion cycle and the relentless demands on low-paid workers in the supply chain.

You’re also keeping clothes out of landfills by giving them a new life and discovering unique and special pieces along the way. Gone are the days of arriving at a party wearing the same dress or t-shirt as your friend.

More accessible

Finally, shopping second hand is cheaper and more accessible! Many people are worried about the cost of sustainable fashion, but honestly, building an ethical wardrobe doesn’t have to be expensive, and buying second hand is a great first step.

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5 Best Online Thrift Stores for Sustainable Shopping

5 Best Online Thrift Stores for Sustainable Shopping

Following trends and buying new clothes tends to break the budget pretty fast. Shopping from fast fashion retailers helps to save cash while still buying new things, but at what cost? Clothes waste keeps rising as trends change. Fast fashion brands keep overproducing to feed into buyers’ overconsumption, and it’s a vicious cycle.

Shopping at thrift stores is a great way to shop sustainably while still getting trendy pieces at a low cost.

Why Is Thrifting the Way to Go?

Thrifting saves you money. You not only give pre-owned clothes a new home, but they often sell for a fraction of their old price. Besides the money-saving perk, though, thrifting is a great way to avoid supporting fast fashion and buy clothes in a more sustainable way.

Though there are many sustainability-forward clothes shops available currently, and more and more coming up each day, they tend to come with a hefty price tag attached. So most people simply can’t afford to shop there. But that shouldn’t deter your sustainability journey.

Advantages To Shopping For Clothes Online

This is where thrift shops shine. They offer all sorts of pieces from every category, from high-end brands to fast fashion and vintage pieces, it’s all there. And if you love a certain H&M top or Shein dress, it’s better to look into buying it secondhand rather than supporting the companies directly.

Online shopping has always been appealing, and online thrift stores make the thrifting experience even easier and simpler. Instead of spending hours on your feet rummaging through racks and clothes bins trying to find your next garment, you can type in a quick search, mark the proper filters, and scroll in the comfort of your couch.

1. ThredUp

ThredUp offers “Secondhand Clothes, Firsthand Fun”. It’s among the most recognizable places people go to online thrift. The store hosts millions of items, ranging from lower to higher-end brands.

You can find everything there, and the best part is it has many handy filters. Like, ones for petite and plus-size thrifting, which can be a huge time-saver and ease the whole shopping experience.

Apart from buying clothes from ThredUp, you can also sell your own items, all from the comfort of your home. If you order a Clean Out Kit, you get sent a giant polka dot bag that you can fill up with your clothes and ship it back to the company for free!

ThredUp does all the staging and photographing for you, and when your items sell, you earn money either as store credit or cash. Anything they don’t accept, you can either get sent back to you or get recycled. Isn’t that just the easiest way to get rid of unwanted clothes sustainably and make money off them with minimum effort?

If you want to save a few extra bucks when shopping on ThredUp, look for YouTuber discount codes. ThredUp often sponsors creators, so take advantage of that.

2. Depop

Depop lets you buy and sell fashion items and strives to create a global community that prizes diversity, inclusivity, and sustainability. When you shop at Depop, you help reduce waste.

The platform is right for you if you’re looking for more edgy, creative pieces. The entire platform takes great inspiration from Instagram in its setup and aesthetic, and it shows. You can spend hours browsing through its different feeds.

Like ThredUp, Depop lets you sell your items. It encourages people to display both what they’ve sold and what they’ve bought on their feed. Due to its edginess and social media presence, Depop tends to attract a younger crowd.

3. Poshmark

Poshmark is a great place to look for high-end designer brands and get them for a fraction of their original price.

The online thrift store offers items for women, men, kids, pets, and even the home. When you join Poshmark as a seller or buyer, you become a part of a global community. The platform boasts an impressive 70 million registered users with over 200 million items for sale.

You can find new or gently used secondhand, or as Poshmark puts it, “pre-loved” items. Every brand you can think of is likely to be featured on the thrift store, and there’s an incredible selection you can browse.

If you find something you like, but it’s out of your price range, Poshmark encourages haggling and even has an “offer/counter-offer” feature. There’s also a “like” feature that helps you track if an item has a price drop, so you can snag it.

4. ASOS Marketplace

As the name lets on, ASOS Marketplace derives from the popular ASOS fashion site. But since ASOS falls under the fast fashion umbrella, it’s better to support the online thrift store instead.

ASOS Marketplace is full of vintage boutiques and independent designers, and the platform is so easy to navigate. You can use the separate tabs or the search bar to browse for items and click away until you find them.

There’s also a separate Boutiques tab that takes you to a whole slew of boutiques waiting for you to explore them. There’s they Are Curves that caters to curvier individuals, Cuteryko that sells quirky handmade jewelry, and so on.

The online thrift store displays items modeled by real people and prizes inclusion and diversity. So, you’ll see plenty of different body types and skin tones while thrifting, helping you select the fit and shade that’s right for you.

5. Vinted

Vinted is an online marketplace that helps grant old clothes new life. The online thrift store lets its users buy, sell, and even swap new and secondhand items. It mainly deals with clothing and accessories.

It hosts a community of people who’d prefer to get rid of the items they no longer want sustainably, by finding a new owner. The platform is easy to use, and once you land on it, you’re dropped right in the thick of it, among the listed items for sale.

If you want to sell rather than buy, there’s a button you click, and it takes you to sign up. It only takes a few easy steps, and you’re good to go. Vinted is a mixed bag thrifting experience, as you can find a little bit of everything on it.

Is Thrifting Even Worth It?

In recent years, people have begun turning to thrifting spaces and using them to turn a profit, buying items for cheap and then re-selling them with a markup.

Sometimes they get their stock from other sellers, other times from physical thrift stores, and often they even turn to fast fashion stores, completely ruining the purpose of secondhand thrift stores in Lebanon, TN.

But these people are only a fraction and don’t represent the whole, so don’t overlook thrift shops just yet. Find an online thrift store that works for you, and get into it. Find a community, buy and sell sustainably, and do your best to reduce your clothes waste and not support fast fashion shops.

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Why we need to be mindful when thrifting

Why we need to be mindful when thrifting

The trend of thrifting has been growing since last year, and has recently escalated thanks to TikTok. 

With youths’ videos of their “thrift hauls” or “thrifted fits” getting thousands of views on the app, many have been flocking to thrift stores selling second-hand things for significantly lower prices. 

Benefits of thrifting culture

One such youth who has been thrifting for the past 10 years is Nicole Chin, 25.

She said: “Thrifting is good, because you’re buying things that have been used before and have not been manufactured. If there are more people going thrifting, there will be less demand for clothes to be produced.”

One of the benefits of thrifting is that it helps to reduce the demand for fast fashion, which is cheap and trendy clothing that retailers mass-produce, often by underpaying garment workers and making them work in inhumane conditions.

Thrifting is also more sustainable. According to the National Environment Agency, 168 tonnes of textile and leather waste was generated in 2019, of which only six tonnes were recycled. The clothing that ends up in our landfill is normally made of synthetic fabric fibres, and will never decompose.

Thrifting has many benefits, but the influx of youths onto the trend has also raised some concerns.

Over-consumption of clothing

Because the clothes are so cheap, some people have the tendency to impulse-buy anything that catches their eye at the thrift shops in Santa Rosa Beach, FL. 

But how environmentally-friendly can thrifting really be if people are buying so many clothes, just to wear them once?

To prevent over-thrifting, Nicole is quick to caution against buying more clothes than you need, even if those clothes happen to be cheap and “better for the environment”.

The social media marketer said: “It’s very important to understand why you’re even going [thrifting] and being very conscious of what you’re purchasing, because it’s very easy to get caught up in over-consumption and over-thrifting.

“How many times are you going to wear this? Is what you’re doing at the end of the day still good for the environment?”

Increased prices for people who actually rely on thrift stores

Some of us may also have forgotten the original purpose of thrift stores: to provide things for people who cannot afford them in regular stores.

The thrift shops used to be frequented by domestic workers. As they do not have credit cards to buy cheaper clothes online, they usually rely on these stores. 

If more youths start thrifting at Lucky Plaza and buying loads of cheap clothes, prices at the shops may increase, taking away cheap clothes from people who need them more.

But this doesn’t mean that we youths should stop thrifting altogether. In fact, having more people thrifting can benefit the people who rely on thrift shops, provided we can spread out the demand by thrifting at different stores.

By buying from these lesser-known thrift stores, we can help to refresh their stock and, in turn, allow people who rely on those stores to have access to a greater variety of newer clothing at low prices.

Thrifting just because it’s trendy and not because you have to is certainly a privilege, but that does not make thrifting bad.

At the end of the day, responsible thrifting culture is good for more youths to be a part of, as it encourages us to shop more sustainably.  

A representative at SSVP Shop aptly said: “Thrifting is for everyone, regardless of socio-economic background. 

“Most of the time, these donated items would have ended up in the trash or neglected in the wardrobe, and it is better to see these items with new owners or in new homes.”

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THRIFTING SMART IS A LIFESTYLE

THRIFTING SMART IS A LIFESTYLE

When you think about thrifting, you may assume that in order to “do it right” you need to ditch all of your regular shopping habits to do so. The truth is, you can weave thrifting into your normal habits naturally and easily. And you can save money, find fantastic treasures, and save the planet while you do it.

Ready to reap the wonderful benefits of thrifting? Keep on reading to find out what you can expect when you start to incorporate thrifting into your normal shopping habits.

1. Find Designer Items At A Fraction Of The Price

All kinds of clothing, accessories, home decor and more make it to thrift stores—and that includes designer duds. Part of the allure of thrifting is the hunt, and every time you shop there’s always the possibility of coming across a designer dress or bag originally ticketed for $100 that’s selling for $5.

Even household names like Fendi and Gucci have been known to appear in a purse bin here or a sunglass rack there. If you dig through the racks, you may just be surprised by what quality brands you can find at steep discount.

2. Save Money

The average American spends between $1,000-$2,000 each year on clothing, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. The kicker? They only wear about 20% of what’s in their closet. When you thrift, you have the option to save hundreds of dollars on new additions you purchase for your closet.

While exact savings will vary based on location and item, you can expect to save anywhere from 50-80% on thrifted items. Plus, when you’re ready to let them go, it’s easier to say goodbye and donate or resell if you didn’t pay full price for them.

3. Furnish Your Home On A Budget

One of the great things about thrift stores is that you can also shop for homewares, furniture, art, and more. While many people thrift for clothing, there’s an entire other world to shop from.

With sky-high prices floating around for most home decor pieces online and in traditional stores, thrift stores offer affordable pieces that still have plenty of life left in them.

The next time you’re thinking about buying a new dining table or need a piece of artwork for your office, stop by your local thrift store first—you never know what you might find!

4. Help The Planet

It’s no secret that the textile industry requires a massive amount of water and energy in order to function. Fast fashion alone accounts for 10% of all carbon emissions in the world, putting out a massive 150 billion clothing items per year, according to Business Insider. Thrifting, on the other hand, is an environmentally conscious choice.

Not only do clothes get recycled into a new home, but you can also donate the clothes you no longer need yourself. The EPA estimates that textile waste occupies nearly 5% of all landfill space—and these materials take years to break down. Thrifting is the perfect opportunity to reduce, reuse, recycle!

5. Embark On A Treasure Hunt

Nothing beats the feeling of entering a thrift store not knowing what you’ll find. Each shopping trip can yield something completely different, adding to the excitement of the hunt.

In contrast to neatly organized department stores or fancy boutiques, the thrift stores in Santa Rosa Beach, FL offer “one-of-a-kind” gems to dig for as you search each rack. As new items are added during certain days or times, the hunt can begin all over again.

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10 BENEFITS OF THRIFT SHOPPING FOR YOU AND FOR THE PLANET

10 BENEFITS OF THRIFT SHOPPING FOR YOU AND FOR THE PLANET

Thrift shopping, or “thrifting”, is the act of patronizing pre-loved or second hand items at a discounted price. Most items at thrift stores or consignment shops are second hand or “pre-loved”, if you will, by a previous owner but still remain in good enough condition to be loved by another owner.

Meanwhile, charity shops are thrift shops but for a cause. A charity shop, such as stores like Goodwill and Salvation Army is usually spearheaded by a charitable organization in order to raise funds for a cause. 

There are so many reasons to love thrifting and many more reasons to start to shop at consignment stores. Here are only several reasons out of many, many more:

1. CHEAP BUT QUALITY THRIFT STORE FINDS

One of the best things with thrifting is the low prices for good quality clothing and other items. They get to save money and get good deals too? Wow. 

In thrift shops, you have many options in shopping clothing that would cost you multiple times at department stores. And mind you, these are high quality clothes, branded items. Many thrift finds come from popular brand names and with some clothes, bags, and shoes still with price tags on it! Sometimes there are also new items in many thrift stores too, all for low prices still.

2. UNIQUE AND DIVERSE STYLES

Aside from saving us a lot of money and finding us good deals, they love thrift stores for the plethora of clothes, bags, shirts, furniture, and whatnots that come in various styles.

This allows us the freedom of curating own original style with the vast options a thrift store has for us. Whether your style demands a quirky pop t-shirt or a simple plaid cotton skirt, your local thrift stores have it all for you.

3. ELEMENT OF SURPRISE

Most times, thrifting is a lot like going on some treasure hunt. You never know what you will find after digging through each pile or rack of clothes, but finding a unique piece for a cheap deal is definitely a treasure find.

There is so much sense of fulfillment walking out of a thrift store with something you didn’t expect you’d find, but something you very much love. And that’s what makes thrifting most exciting too!

4. VINTAGE STEALS

Because fashion is cyclical, it is also timeless. What people wore back in the 50’s, kids these days are bringing back into style and turning it into trendy, fashionable looks. And why, of course, your local thrift store is abundant with these vintage clothing!

Want a Pinterest-worthy, trendy vintage look? Go thank your friendly neighborhood thrift shop for making your vintage #ootd possible at very friendly prices.

5. WEEKLY VARIATION

Since there are a ton of preloved items waiting to find a new home, thrift stores frequently receive donations. This makes thrifting even more fun, as there are new clothes, bags, shoes, and other products to check out every week! Fast fashion, who? 

6. AN ITEM FOR EVERYONE

Whether it’s kids clothing, wardrobe for students, a quirky gift for your writer friend, or a Christmas present for your parents, there is always something for everyone at a consignment store or at the flea markets near your neighborhood. Instead of having to hop around shops, a trip to the thrift store makes the family shopping so much more convenient!

7. REDUCE WASTE

Someone else’s trash is another man’s treasure. 

Every time you go thrift shopping at your local thrift store instead of the mall, you’re giving a new home to someone else’s clothes that would have otherwise gone to fill up landfills.

With the advent of fast fashion in the 1990s, the throw-away culture that people have developed has led to a toxic amount of clothing waste that adds up to pollution. Because of the overwhelming options they have, shopping habits have become linear and thoughtless.

8. SUPPORTING LOCAL

When you choose to shop at thrift stores or resale shops, you are choosing to support a local business. There are also some thrift stores that are social enterprises, so the proceeds of the clothing and products they sell go to a charitable cause to help in your community.

This makes shoppers leave the store feeling double better with their purchase! It’s both shopping and helping out at the same time.

9. LESSER CARBON FOOTPRINT

Would you believe that it took around 1,800 gallons of water to produce that pair of jeans you’re wearing now? And that’s only one aspect of the production process that all goes into the clothing industry. What about the manufacturing and the distributing of these clothing items?

Each part of the production for a single item has a corresponding amount of energy, carbon footprint and greenhouse gases being generated, all adding further damage to the planet. 

But each time you thrift an item instead of buying something new from the mall, you are maximizing all the resources spent on each item when you extend its life to the fullest. Plus, making a detour to the thrift store benefits both your wallet and the planet.

10. SUSTAINABLE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

The fashion industry is one of the biggest industries existing, and understandably so, as it is something very personal to each of us. Unfortunately, this makes it also one of the largest pollutants in the environment. This is why thrifting is the best middle ground between the two situations. It’s a win-win for everyone, really.

WHY IS THRIFT SHOPPING GOOD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT?

Shopping at the thrift shops in Panama City Beach, FL diverts what would otherwise be waste lying around useless at the landfill. With every piece of second-hand clothing that you give a new life to, you are also extending the planet’s life as much.

The mass production of clothing and all other fashion products multiplied supply over demand, leading people to replace items easily just because they can acquire them easily.

Just look at the United States, which is among the top polluters when it comes to textile waste, the average American produces around 60 up to 80 pounds of clothing waste annually. Let’s not forget that these materials take months and even years to fully break down in the landfills.

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Why you should rethink thrifting ?

Why you should rethink thrifting ?

For people that have been thrifting for a long time, it’s no secret that there are some amazing gems to be found. High quality denim, truly vintage silhouettes, and unique pieces that have the potential to completely transform your look. But, what’s often forgotten about is that for many people, thrifting isn’t a choice, it’s a necessity.

New clothes bought in malls and retails stores are generally not an option for a large percentage of low-income and working class people in communities, thus thrift stores were and are one of the few resources available to remedy that socio-economic disparity.

Before it was mainstream, many people carried quite negative or elitist attitudes about thrifting. Often considering new clothes as “cleaner” and undoubtedly superior with regard to fashion trends.

We’ll interject here just to clear something up

They’re not saying thrifting for your clothing is a bad thing. In fact, thrifting is one of the most sustainable ways to consume fashion and textiles — it keeps clothing in the cycle of use and consumption much longer than fast fashion, and it puts less money into producing more and new clothing.

The point of this article is to highlight the other side of thrifting culture, the one that’s often ignored or forgotten. It is to highlight the complexity of the situation at hand so that they may make the most educated and considerate consumption choices possible.

So, what does Gentrification even mean?

Gentrification is primarily used to refer to the development and alteration of lower-income neighborhoods through the process of moving wealth and affluence into them through businesses and non-native residents.

This process changes the character of the neighborhoods and often displaces its historical residents. They’ve seen this occur in Brooklyn, NY, Regent Park and Cabbage Town in Toronto, San Francisco, CA, and many other urban cities and neighborhoods across the US and Canada.

Gentrification is harmful and has an insidious potential to push people out of their neighborhoods by means of wealth disparity and making things like housing and food security inaccessible for those who cannot afford the favored standard of living purported by the wealthier constituents.

Another angle that should be examined within the thrifting paradigm is the world of online resale — let’s chat about it

For a lot of entrepreneurial-minded young people, sites like Depop and Poshmark have become very lucrative platforms. Dually, they’ve created a rich resale market of second-hand goods, specifically clothing and shoes, that rely heavily on second-hand and thrift stores such as Salvation Army, Goodwill, Value Village, and Talize.

Where these stores were once one of the few low-cost shopping options for lower-income people, they are now a competitive arena for resellers to find the best resealable clothing and turn a profit.

As Zhu and Josic (2019) point out, “thrift stores were initially designed as charities for low-income communities to have access to affordable clothing, yet they’ve increasingly become an outlet for small businesses and resellers to turn a profit.”

It’s important to tap into the fact that charities themselves are getting involved in the profit game

This increased demand, and high volume shopping from thrift stores has created an opportunity for stores like Value Village and Goodwill to capitalize by increasing their prices.

Anyone who has shopped second-hand over the last 5–7 years can tell you that $3 t-shirts have become $7 t-shirts and the cumulative effect of this kind of inflation “makes thrifting less cost-effective for those who rely on thrifting for their sole source of clothing” (Hooper 2019).

Like most things related to money and consumption, this kind of phenomenon creates a cycle. If you’re reading this article, and thinking “well, I shop at thrift stores as a conscious environmental choice”, you should factor in this consideration.

The concept of a mass and incessant ‘thrift haul’ is antithetical to the whole idea of sustainability, because you’re still consuming more clothing and textiles with the added duality of limiting options for those members of your community that rely on secondhand shopping. People can’t and shouldn’t shop thrift stores the same way they’ve been shopping fast fashion.

So where IS the best place to shop for clothing, and how do you go about it?

Alternatively, they could do shopping at ethical and sustainable brands. However, they have to acknowledge the evident inaccessibility of these garments.

Take this from a thick-thighed previous serial buyer of American Eagle jeans: invest in staple pieces that will last you for a long time, as opposed to looking at clothing as something disposable and seasonal. Even more so, treat each garment like an investment.

Whether it be a garment you purchased at an expensive sustainable shop or something you picked up at the thrift stores in Panama City Beach, FL, all garments should be treated as equally valuable and not purchased without intention or forethought.

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Student run thrift shop creates a less is more solution

Student-run thrift shop creates a less-is-more solution

As each spring semester comes to an end, most college students are eager to move on to summer internships, jobs and activities. Packing and moving items collected throughout the year can become a burden as most students would rather leave with less – including appliances, clothing, furniture and even school supplies.

Leaving these items behind, however, can create copious amounts of waste. According to Boston College, the average college student produces 640 pounds of solid waste each year.

One University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill student organization is ready to provide a sustainable solution to this challenge: Thrift. As Carolina’s first student-run thrift shop, the Thrift works to reduce senseless waste that accumulates at the end of each school year, ultimately reducing waste and saving money.

“They saw a need to address the waste generated each year by developing a better system for collection,” said sophomore Carlyann Edwards, the shop’s co-founder and co-director. “As student entrepreneurs, they want to encourage socially responsible consumerism and provide the UNC-Chapel Hill area with financial relief.

Although there is a current system in place by Carolina Housing for on-campus collections, nothing exists for students living off campus. The four student founders, Kent Andrews, Carlyann Edwards, Stephen Lapp and Duncan Richey, saw the need for an off-campus collection process and created a sustainable solution – a collection process combined with an annual Carolina Thrift sale.

To get their solution off the ground, they relied on Innovate Carolina’s Dreamers-Who-Do sponsorship, which helps students move their ideas forward and turn novel concepts into concrete solutions. 

Dreamers-Who-Do sponsorships provide financial support for student projects and programs that help UNC-Chapel Hill students learn what it means to be innovators and entrepreneurs. It gives them opportunities to put their insights into practice.

“They are so excited to be recipients of Innovate Carolina’s Dreamers-Who-Do sponsorship,” Edwards said. “Without it, they would not have been able to take those first steps to create Carolina Thrift.”

A team of 14 Carolina students oversee the organization, with each member bringing a specific area of expertise, including business, collection, event management, marketing, operations and sustainability. Carol Hee, clinical associate professor of strategy and entrepreneurship in the Kenan-Flagler Business School, serves as the group’s advisor.

Carolina Thrift’s collection efforts began April 23. Its first annual sale will be held Aug. 18 during Carolina’s Week of Welcome, when freshman arrive for the fall semester.

“Ultimately, they’d like for the annual shopping event to become self-sustaining,” Edwards said. “Eventually, they’d also like to create a sustainability fund for on-campus organizations to explore their own environmental endeavors.”

Carolina Thrift also hopes to eventually develop a partnership with Carolina Housing to combine efforts. It has also discussed the potential efforts of holding more than one sale each year and setting up a permanent thrift store in Panama City Beach, FL.

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thrift shop thrifting

The Five Best Thrift Stores Around the New School

The Five Best Thrift Stores Around the New School

After fashion week, college students across the city can breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that they can now scroll through their Instagram and Facebook feeds without being bombarded with pictures of runway looks that they would sacrifice their entire year’s earnings for.

These looks are just a credit card swipe away for the super-rich, but college students drowning in debt and earning $7.25 an hour can’t quite live that dream. So rather than sacrificing a month’s worth of grocery money for those Doc Martens you’ve been yearning for, hit up the thrift shops in Panama City Beach, FL.

We all know thrift shopping is not an easy task; one must be committed and dedicated to the goal of finding a diamond in the rough. You may have to search for ages, pin-balling your way through the racks of 90s dresses that will never be in style, or the nightmarish “mom jeans” section. But, oh baby, when you find that jean jacket with the perfect amount of wear and tear for $12, it’s all worth it.

This ranking of thrift stores is based on a number of factors – the first being the quality and quantity of the goods you can find. Nobody likes a thrift store that feels like everything being sold was donated by your dad.

The second factor is price. Let’s be real; nobody wants to buy a pair of used Levi’s for $75. The third factor contributing to the ranking is hipster level.

1. No Relation Vintage

Why: This place is hands down the coolest spot in the area for cheap, vintage garb. The style is definitely more of a jean jacket, tight pants, vintage shirt kind of place as opposed to the flower child looks you’d find at Stella Dallas.

The first things you see when you walk in are perfectly shredded, high waist jean shorts for the beautiful price of $15. And, oh, the sweaters! Racks on rack

2. Beacon’s Closet

Why: Beacon really knows what’s up. From the color-coordinated racks to the wall-to-ceiling shelf of shoes, Beacon’s Closet is a thrift store for the ages. It carries a whole variety of styles from 90s schoolgirl to 70s dancing queen. Price wise, you can find stuff for anywhere between $10 to $40, depending on the style and quality of the piece.

3. Monk Thrift Shop

Why: You’ve entered hipster heaven. Monk Thrift Shop is a dark, musky abyss of rock n’ roll tees and acid jean cutoffs. The store goes on forever and is packed from floor to ceiling with stuff.

The amount of clothes is a little intimidating but once you get in the groove, it’s worth it. Plus, it’s all pretty cheap and just a couple blocks away from campus.

4. Stella Dallas

Why: This place is a gem! They carry some of the coolest, trendiest vintage pieces and while the average price range is between $50 and $80, you can really find some awesome stuff. It’s small, so not too much to dig through, but everything there is worth the time to find.

Since it is pretty pricey, it’s most likely a one-and-done kind of place but it’s definitely worth it. It’s also just on the other side of Washington Square Park – an easy walk from campus for an in-between class excursion.

5. Buffalo Exchange

Why: BE is a staple in any ranking of thrift stores. They’re located all over the country and aren’t too picky with the stuff they buy, which is great if you want to sell an item and even better if you just want to get lost in all the stuff.

Their selection is large and prices are low, but the place can sometimes be a hit or miss on quality. Definitely less hipster than other places you may find, but again, low prices.

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thrift shop

10 BENEFITS OF THRIFT SHOPPING FOR YOU AND FOR THE PLANET

Thrift Shopping: An Eco-Friendly Alternative to Buy Clothes – Waste4Change
10 BENEFITS OF THRIFT SHOPPING FOR YOU AND FOR THE PLANET

What’s the best way to don that #ootd, you ask? Sustainably! 

Throughout the decades, fashion has been a perennial impermanence. In the history of style and glamor, fashion has been constantly evolving and aging and adapting alongside most of us. 

Just take a look back at your wardrobe over the years and you’d see for yourself.

WHY IS THRIFTING THE BEST?

Thrift shopping, or “thrifting”, is the act of patronizing pre-loved or second hand items at a discounted price. Most items at thrift stores or consignment shops are second hand or “pre-loved”, if you will, by a previous owner but still remain in good enough condition to be loved by another owner. Meanwhile, charity shops are thrift shops but for a cause.

To put it plainly, thrifting is a gift that keeps on giving for everyone — for beneficiaries, for you, for the planet, and for your wallet too. 

There are so many reasons to love thrifting and many more reasons to start to shop at consignment stores. Here are only several reasons out of many, many more:

1. CHEAP BUT QUALITY THRIFT STORE FINDS

One of the best things with thrifting is the low prices for good quality clothing and other items. We get to save money and get good deals too? Wow. 

In thrift shops, you have many options in shopping clothing that would cost you multiple times at department stores. And mind you, these are high quality clothes, branded items.

Many thrift finds come from popular brand names and with some clothes, bags, and shoes still with price tags on it! Sometimes there are also new items in many thrift stores too, all for low prices still.

Why get it for more at the department store when you can get it for way less at the thrift shop and save a lot of money?

2. UNIQUE AND DIVERSE STYLES

Aside from saving us a lot of money and finding us good deals, we love thrift stores for the plethora of clothes, bags, shirts, furniture, and whatnots that come in various styles.

This allows us the freedom of curating our own original style with the vast options a thrift store has for us. Whether your style demands a quirky pop t-shirt or a simple plaid cotton skirt, your local thrift stores have it all for you.

3. ELEMENT OF SURPRISE

Most times, thrifting is a lot like going on some treasure hunt. You never know what you will find after digging through each pile or rack of clothes, but finding a unique piece for a cheap deal is definitely a treasure find.

There is so much sense of fulfillment walking out of a thrift store with something you didn’t expect you’d find, but something you very much love. And that’s what makes thrifting most exciting too!

4. VINTAGE STEALS

Because fashion is cyclical, it is also timeless. What people wore back in the 50’s, kids these days are bringing back into style and turning it into trendy, fashionable looks. And why, of course, your local thrift store is abundant with these vintage clothing!

Want a Pinterest-worthy, trendy vintage look? Go thank your friendly neighborhood thrift shop for making your vintage #ootd possible at very friendly prices.

5. WEEKLY VARIATION

Since there are a ton of preloved items waiting to find a new home, thrift stores frequently receive donations. This makes thrifting even more fun, as there are new clothes, bags, shoes, and other products to check out every week! Fast fashion, who? 

6. AN ITEM FOR EVERYONE

Whether it’s kids clothing, wardrobe for students, a quirky gift for your writer friend, or a Christmas present for your parents, there is always something for everyone at a consignment store or at the flea markets near your neighborhood. Instead of having to hop around shops, a trip to the thrift store makes the family shopping so much more convenient!

7. REDUCE WASTE

Someone else’s trash is another man’s treasure. 

Every time you go thrift shopping at your local thrift store instead of the mall, you’re giving a new home to someone else’s clothes that would have otherwise gone to fill up our landfills.

With the advent of fast fashion in the 1990s, the throw-away culture that people have developed has led to a toxic amount of clothing waste that adds up to pollution. Because of the overwhelming options we have, our shopping habits have become linear and thoughtless.

8. SUPPORTING LOCAL

When you choose to shop at thrift stores or resale shops, you are choosing to support a local business. There are also some thrift stores that are social enterprises, so the proceeds of the clothing and products they sell go to a charitable cause to help in your community.

This makes shoppers leave the store feeling double better with their purchase! It’s both shopping and helping out at the same time.

Meanwhile, all fast fashion brands are led by capitalist corporations that prioritize profit over human lives and the planet’s life. 

9. LESSER CARBON FOOTPRINT

Would you believe that it took around 1,800 gallons of water to produce that pair of jeans you’re wearing now? And that’s only one aspect of the production process that all goes into the clothing industry. What about the manufacturing and the distributing of these clothing items?

Each part of the production for a single item has a corresponding amount of energy, carbon footprint and greenhouse gases being generated, all adding further damage to the planet. 

But each time you thrift an item instead of buying something new from the mall, you are maximizing all the resources spent on each item when you extend its life to the fullest. Plus, making a detour to the thrift store benefits both your wallet and the planet.

10. SUSTAINABLE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

The fashion industry is one of the biggest industries existing, and understandably so, as it is something very personal to each of us. Unfortunately, this makes it also one of the largest pollutants in the environment. This is why thrifting is the best middle ground between the two situations. It’s a win-win for everyone, really.

HOW DO THRIFT STORES HELP THE COMMUNITY?

The thrift shops in Panama City Beach, FL that are run by charitable organizations for certain causes are a way to give back to the community by raising funds for the community’s needs. People running these stores are often volunteers giving back to their community in these little ways.

A charity store falls under the category of a social enterprise. In this way, your shopping experience becomes more meaningful because it is no longer merely self-serving for the shopper alone but also for the life of the community that would benefit from the proceeds of the store. 

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