Is Thrifting Gross? 10 Myths about Thrift Shopping Debunked
When I tell people that I thrift shop, I get lots of questions and comments about it. Sometimes they even mention stinky stores and dirty clothes.
Although thrift shopping has grown in popularity in recent years, these negative ideas about it remain. So today I want to dispel some of these ideas by discussing commons myths and facts about thrift shopping.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. This means that I may receive compensation when you click on a product link or purchase an item linked on this site. Click here for details.
** If you don’t have a Poshmark account, you can receive a free $10 bonus when you sign up with my code SFGIRL2015.
** On Mercari, you can get $10 when you sign up with the code JENMHM. The amount may vary by promotion.
Myth #1: Thrift stores exist to help poor people acquire goods at low cost.
Fact: Thrift stores exist to raise money for their charities or organizations, not to cater to a certain economic class, so anyone can shop at them no matter their income.
If you think about it more, there’s no specific income that classifies a person as poor enough or too rich to shop at a thrift store. We could use the poverty line, but a store couldn’t check that before letting you shop there.
As long as you are a respectful shopper, the organization and its employees don’t care about your income.
Myth #2: Shopping at thrift stores takes away from people who need the goods more.
Fact: I’ve heard this told to resellers, but thrift shopping is not a zero-sum enterprise. There’s no shortage of clothes and items for sale.
If you’ve seen Goodwill outlets and donation sites, they’re full of items waiting to be sorted and placed up for sale. There are enough goods for everyone.
You might notice times when thrift stores have fewer goods on the racks. This is usually due to seasonal variations, location, and logistics.
During COVID, the thrift stores in my area had stockrooms full of donations. They had to wait three days before placing them on the floor, and they didn’t have enough workers to sort through them quickly.
It’s normal for many businesses to have variations in their amount of inventory. They’re not empty though. There are still goods to buy for those who want them.
Myth #3: Thrift stores are smelly and dirty.
Fact: This may be partly true. Thrift stores can look rundown or outdated due to the nature of the business.
They don’t always rent the nicest spaces. They may look like warehouses with bad lighting. Some hire people to arrange fancy window displays and some don’t.
Thrift stores can be dusty and smell of old clothes. That’s a reflection of how the individual store is run.
The well-run stores are like any other business. They try to keep their stores clean and their items presentable.
I used to visit a store where I saw the workers dusting and vacuuming every day at closing time. The racks were messy after have been picked through throughout the day. They put items back on hangers and organized the racks so they looked good for the next day.
As for the goods themselves, thrift stores are filled with second-hand items. You don’t know where they’ve been and how they’ve been handled.
The clothes are not washed before being placed on the racks. Your hands might feel dirty after touching tens or hundreds of items.
I recommend keeping your hands away from your face and washing your hands or using hand sanitizer after shopping. You can wear disposable gloves if preferred.
Then wash your purchases before you wear or use them. That will remove dust, germs, and most odors.
Myth #4: Only thrift stores in nice neighborhoods have good items.
Fact: This may be true for smaller independent thrift stores. It’s different for large ones.
Goodwill has distribution centers that send items to the stores in their designated area. Did you know that Goodwill also shuffles items around between their stores?
The location of the store doesn’t matter. Any of their stores can have high-end and new items.
I used to thrift shop at a few Goodwills in rougher neighborhoods because they were convenient to me. One had a great vintage clothing section where I found a vintage Krizia Maglia fox sweater in excellent condition.
Based on the items I saw people buy there, the other customers weren’t looking for the same things I was. I once pointed out a pair of Lululemon leggings to another customer and she said no thanks. She already had enough leggings.
Myth #5: Thrift stores have only low-end brands.
Fact: Thrift stores have name-brand, designer, and even luxury goods! If you shop frequently and look through all the racks, shelves, and baskets, you’ll eventually spot them.
I’ve found new items from Anthropologie, Free People, Madewell, and Lululemon.
Some other brands I’ve found or heard of people finding: Supreme, Coach, Reformation, Lilly Pulitzer, Spell & The Gypsy Collective, Jimmy Choo, Rothy’s, and Tory Burch.
The thrift stores I go to place some high-end items on display. That’s if they recognize the name. You have to ask to view the items.
A Madewell sweater tank new with tags from the thrift store
Myth #6: Thrift store items are in bad shape.
Fact: This is partly true. Thrift stores get donations in every condition.
Think about the clothes that you wear. Your most frequently worn clothes might have stains, holes, and general wear. Thrift stores do get those items.
Then think about the clothes in your closet that you barely wear. Maybe they don’t fit or they were gifts that aren’t your taste. Or you have children who outgrew their barely-worn clothes. Those get donated too.
I find clothes with tags still on them all the time. My local Goodwill gets new items donated from Target or other companies after their selling seasons are over or when they’ve gone out of business.
Most recently the thrift stores in my area received hundreds (maybe thousands) of items from Levi’s. They had jeans, t-shirts, blouses, sweaters, dresses, shoes, underwear, socks, and more.
They were probably production samples that looked like new finished products, hardly in bad shape!
Myth #7: Thrift shopping is only for people of average height and average size.
Fact: Thrift stores sell all sizes. Big people, petite people, short people, and tall people donate clothes. People with lumps and bumps of all sorts donate clothes. Thrift stores turn those around and sell them to you.
In my past few shopping trips for women’s clothes, I’ve found from size 00 to 24, petite items, and pants and dresses for tall people.
One thing to note is that you might not find every size at one thrift store. Some of the stores I visit don’t carry children’s clothing or have limited men’s clothing available.
Some stores carry furniture and other large household goods while others don’t. In general, the larger the store space, the more variety of items they carry.
Myth #8: Thrifted clothes are out of style.
Fact: This is partly true too. A lot of people donate their old clothes. These have become out of style over time. That’s not always the case though.
We live in a time of fast fashion. People buy clothes and wear them a few times for a season or two before moving on to buy more clothes. Those sort-of old clothes get donated too.
It’s common for me to find clothes by Madewell, J. Crew, Banana Republic, and Forever 21. They’re usually from a few months to a few years old.
They’re not the latest season, but they’re hardly out of style. Some things like t-shirts aren’t as sensitive to trends and styles either.
And some people want clothes that are out of style because they’re coming back in style. Vintage clothes like cottage core dresses and Jessica McClintock dresses are popular now.
Myth #9: Thrift store prices are about the same as retail store prices.
Fact: This is partly true depending on where you live and what you buy.
You might find the same used t-shirt at the thrift store at Target both for $5. Thrift stores always have some items where the pricing doesn’t make sense.
Skip those items. That’s not why you’re shopping there.
One reason you might be shopping there is to find a good deal, meaning items that are being sold for less than their value, whether that’s their monetary value or their value to you.
The thrift stores in my area high-priced compared to other parts of the country. Dresses are $10-$15. Pants are $7-15. It’s steep, but not so if you find high-end brands or items new with tags.
I’ve found a new Free People top that retails for $128 for about $7. I’ve found used Lululemon leggings that retail for $98 for about $10.
There are plenty of good deals to be found at thrift stores if you’re willing to search for them.
A Joie wool blend moto jacket in excellent condition found at the thrift store
Myth #10: Thrift shopping takes too much time.
Fact: Thrift shopping does take time. You have to sift through racks of clothing and baskets of random items that are not always accurately categorized and arranged.
With time and experience, you’ll know the layout of stores you visit regularly and the departments to prioritize when you shop there.
You’ll be able to work through a thrift store quickly and distinguish quality items from junk within a few seconds of looking at or touching them.
Thrifting should be enjoyable to some extent too. If you don’t find it enjoyable, then any amount of time you spend doing it is going to feel like a chore.
If time is a concern, allot a certain amount of time for shopping and work as quickly through a store as you can.
Now that you’ve read myths and facts about thrift shopping, what do you think about it? If you’re interested in it, why not give it a try?
Go shopping when you have the best chance of an enjoyable and successful experience. I like to go in the mornings when they first open. Stores are more organized and have less people.
Lastly, try to go with an open mind for what you’ll find. You might find things you like and that you enjoy thrift shopping!
Related posts:
