No doubt, thrift shopping is one of my favorite things to do. Savers, Goodwill, Clothes Mentor, etc. I absolutely love it. You can find really random things, you can find really cheap clothes in really good condition, you can find decorations for various holidays- my point is, thrift stores are amazing.
Of course I also love stores like Target and stores in the mall, but thrift shopping is just different.
First and foremost, the thing I go to every time I go to a thrift store is the clothes. I LIVE for the inexpensiveness of everything. Plus, I can usually find clothes that I like that are half the price that they would be in the store. It’s also fun because it feels super exciting when you find something really cool or something that you were specifically looking for. Sometimes you can even find clothes by brands like Lululemon or Patagonia! It feels like a treasure hunt.
Secondly, I always find books that I want to read in thrift stores. Right after I look at clothes I go to the book section. Not only are the books typically less that $2 (!) but they also have such a wide selection that I think it would be difficult not to find a book you like. Just recently, I found a book that had been on my reading list for a while, and I knew it was at Target (because I have looked at it multiple times), but I just couldn’t get myself to spend the $17 that it was. When I found it for $1.49 you can bet I got excited. They also have a really great selection for kids, so if you are a mentor (which I am-- you can read about it in my last article) or a parent, this would be a really great place to go because kids are most likely going to grow out of those books pretty quickly so buying inexpensive copies can be really beneficial both to your child and your own wallet.
Another thing that I love about thrift stores is the randomness of them. I personally love mugs and every time I go to any thrift store I look at the mug collection. I don’t think anyone who shops at thrifts stores would disagree with me if I said that every thrift store has verrry specific and random mugs and if you find one you like, you better get it because there’s practically zero chance it will be there next time.
Lastly, I think thrift stores are incredibly important because when you think about how much clothing is created and products are created every day, I think it makes sense to reuse old things rather than buy a bunch of new stuff. Also, a lot of thrift stores support their local food shelves or have clothing drives or have proceeds go to various causes. By shopping at a thrift store, you are probably helping out a lot of other people and the environment as well.
Obviously, regular stores are just as important, especially for the people who have problems with germs and things that have already been used (which is totally okay). But I suggest going thrift shopping sometime if you want to find really cool pieces, or even just consider donating old things to thrift stores!
