Someone asked me a bit ago whether I feel guilty for shopping at thrift stores, since I could feasibly afford to buy things new and many thrift shoppers could not. I've gotten this question a few times, and I figured I might as well give a go at answering it.
To be totally honest, it did not even occur to me until someone asked that I would have anything to feel guilty about with thrift shopping. It just never entered my mind. What kind of person that makes me is questionable, I guess, but there it is.
After giving it some thought, though, I still don't feel guilty about my thrift shopping. While I can see an argument against people who can afford to do otherwise taking advantage of low-cost resources meant for the poor (for example, I wouldn't take my pet to the low-cost spay and neuter clinic for this reason), I think that, on balance, thrift shopping is still a good thing.
There are a few reasons for this. The biggest one is environmental sustainability. Put simply, every time you buy something used rather than new, you do aren't increasing demand for the manufacture of that product, and you are also increasing its life span and often keeping it out of a landfill. A connected second reason thrift shopping is good is that buying an item in a thrift store does not add to the demand of that product, which I generally consider good, given that so much of what we buy is made by unorganized and exploited labor and under questionable environmental regulations.
Another reason I think thrift shopping is more good than bad is that many thrift stores (and nearly all of the ones I personally frequent) are non-profit enterprises that support jobs programs, homeless shelters, etc., so by shopping at a thrift store, you are contributing to these programs. Clearly this is not true of for-profit thrift stores, but it is true of your local Goodwill.
Another reason I personally feel fine about thrifting is that I give more to thrift stores than I take away from them. On balance, my presence increases, rather than reduces, their stock. Again, that maybe says something about me and my consumerism and collection of stuff that I wouldn't be proud of, but it does alleviate any guilt I may have felt about snatching up all the good thrift finds.
I could just be rationalizing, because I love love love to thrift shop (I found two Alice Waters cookbooks for Mark this weekend for $2 each), but that's my rationale. In case you were wondering.
Comments (11)
where did "on balance" suddenly come from. I saw it on the chicken too-- a lot for 1 day.
Posted by alice | February 5, 2007 4:30 PM
right now i have the "po' student" thing going on, but i can't imagine ever not doing the bulk of my shopping in second hand stores. first, i've been doing it for so long it's ingrained. second, i hate the whole experience of the mall and the vast majority of clothing stores. third, i am a second-generation swamp yankee who balks at paying more than ten bucks for almost any clothing item. fourth, where's the challenge in normal retail stores? i like buying pants based on what might happen to fit! and finally, there're the very important social and environmental aspects that you pointed out. why shop any other way?
Posted by melinda | February 5, 2007 6:58 PM
Great post! I couldn't have said it better myself.
Posted by Kristin | February 5, 2007 9:47 PM
I have no idea about "on balance." My guess is that I read it somewhere and it stuck in my head and I started (over)using it.
Kristen, your blog is fantastic. I am going to add you to my blog roll. Hope that's OK.
Posted by grace | February 6, 2007 8:38 AM
I don't feel guilty about it, either.
Posted by frog | February 6, 2007 10:15 AM
The fantastic-ness is mutual!
Posted by Kristin | February 6, 2007 11:55 AM
That question is the most bizarre thing I've ever heard. It's like asking why you'd buy something on sale instead of at full retail price. And it's not like there's any shortage of thrift goods to go around [though just imagine if more people started participating in the donating/thrifting circle of life instead of just throwing everything out].
[arrived here via Kristin's blog]
Posted by gwen
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February 6, 2007 2:36 PM
It isn't something I've ever really thought about or have been asked. However, I've wondered many times how people who are truely low income could even afford the prices at the thrift stores. Frequently I find things used at thrift stores that are only slightly below what they'd cost on sale at Target or Walmart. My opinion is that the pricers are not in touch with what items cost new in the retail stores. At least that is what I see in my area.
Posted by Colleen | February 6, 2007 4:33 PM
I think that is sometimes true, but there is a quality difference. For example, I bought a sweater at a thrift store this weekend for $5.99. Could I have gotten something on Target's clearance rack for a similar price? Maybe, but the sweater I got was 100% wool, not polyesther, and will last years, not a couple of months. It was also an expensive brand name (Banana Republic). So there's that aspect.
There is also the concern that some of us have about shopping at places like Target and Wal-Mart, given environmental issues, labor issues, etc.
Posted by grace | February 6, 2007 4:51 PM
What an incredible post. I agree with all that you've said. My first time to your blog and it is awesome. I'm going to add you to my blog links. :0)
Posted by Betty Jo | February 7, 2007 8:51 AM
Very interesting. I agree with all you wrote. A similar line of questioning has crossed my mind before, but the stuff I buy no one else ever seems to want! And there's pretty much an endless supply of goods going into most thrift-stores ("op-shops" in Australia) anyway, isn't there. I love that buying an item secondhand doesn't increase demand for the items that are made using exploitive labour.
Posted by VictoriaE | February 10, 2007 4:51 AM