Are thrift store clothes really that bad? (Plus fun poll)
By , Local CorrespondentThu, Jul 16 2009 at 12:10 AM EST
If you haven't shopped at a thrift store lately, I think it's time you give it a try. There are plenty of good reasons to start. You can feel good knowing that with each purchase you are:
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Buying clothes that would otherwise be trashed. You're keeping clothes out of landfills!
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Buying clothes used, instead of from a department store, where clothing is often from sweatshops. It can be time consuming to sift through all the stores and brands known to run sweat shops and use child labor, but when you go to the thrift store, you already know that none of the money you spend goes back to these companies.
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Shopping at a store that employs handicapped and otherwise disadvantaged people (Goodwill).
And by donating to Goodwill, you'll know that your clothes will be put to good use, even if they aren't sold:
"As for items that can't be sold in our stores, we've found other creative uses for them. For instance, some member Goodwills recycle old clothing scraps into industrial wipes (cleaning cloths) for industrial buyers. Other items that are too damaged for retail sales are sold to salvage brokers." --Goodwill.org
Still not sold on the idea of buying second-hand? See if you can tell the difference between these department store clothes and the thrift store finds...
(No, not all of them are from a thrift store.)
Answers in a few days!
Update:
From L to R: store, thrift, thrift, store, thrift
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Comments
Sal Gal
08/02/2009 22:28 PM
I agree with your main points, and I think it is just the people that wont buy items at thrift stores. If someone got you a present from a thrift store, and didn't tell you, you may never know. I also like your voting polls, very eye opening
