Hello Readers,
The following post is an article I wrote that outlines the benefits and overall culture of the art of thrifting. Be sure to take a look at this fascinating read that reveals the true amount in dollars saved when one thrifts rather than shops in traditional stores.
THE SUBCULTURE
of
THRIFTING
The idea of shopping out of your grandmother’s closet has been long since been dismissed as being a negative thing- if anything it is positive in our day and age.
“Thrifting” is the act of shopping at second hand shops such as Goodwill, Salvation Army and Community Thrift. The oncoming of this phenomenon was sparked by the great economic deficit that is still mildly plaguing us today. With Americans clinging to their last cent during these times a great amount of innovative thinking, and a certain appreciation for things that generally are labelled to be social taboos has come to light. Thrifting is fostered out of this new thinking and may be rivaling traditional department stores and retailers in the near future.
The number of second- hand stores has grown by seven percent annually to more than 25,000 nationwide, according to the Association of Resale Professionals. Thrift stores now attract 22 percent of consumers, up from 14 percent before the stock-market crash in 2008, according to retail polling firm America’s Research Group.
In terms of the college population when University of Florida female students were asked if they were regular thirfters it was found that one out of five girls take to thrifting rather than shopping in the malls and department stores. There also seems to be a great shift in the numbers due to cultural differences. Public Relations majors that are involved in the greek life are more likely to buy from traditional stores compared to those with a fine art major that are not pledged to sororities.
In spite of the thrifting culture of our people traditional department stores are still the leading salesmen in apparel. Interestingly enough the thrift and department store cultures have managed to coexists, and the convergence of both techniques of shopping have converged. The appreciation for both thrifted and traditionally purchased pieces have also emerged. Through a survey that was conducted with 20 UF female students when asked if they were currently wearing both thrifted and traditionally purchased clothing. Six students out of the 20 surveyed had at least one item of clothing on from a thrift store along with traditionally bought items. Three out of six girls that had both thrifted and traditionally bought pieces cited that the thrifted piece were pants, whereas the remaining three had thrifted jewelry incorporated into their outfit.
In terms of why thrifting is so popular the financial status of the individual is not singular reasoning behind the interest in second-hand shops. The never ending cycle of the markups of clothing in the traditional retailer’s sphere is a motivating factor behind the reasoning of the change. On average it cost 22 cents in Bangladesh for labor to create a blouse according to reports from Emerging Textiles.com. That same blouse is then sent to the United States from Bangladesh which on average is $169.00 for 10 kg of clothing according to clothing manufacture company Amarisa. Once it makes it’s way to the United States markups are added to make profit for retailers. The general markup formula is fundamentally along the lines of this:
Cost of Manufacturing X 2.4 = 58.3% Margin (Cost $50 X 2.4 = $120 Retail)
or
Cost of Manufacturing X 3.0 = 66.7% Margin (Cost $50 X 3 = $150 Retail) according to the Emerging Textiles.com:
With this significant increase in the traditional store’s clothing consumers are in a continuous search for something that is more justly priced and affordable.
When asked what the downfall’s of thrifting were in the female survey groups at UF these were said to be the “con’s of thrifting”
-Thrift stores sell used or worn clothes
-Thrift stores are cluttered and dirty
-The good stuff is only in small and irregular sizes/ only high-end communities have quality merchandise.
On the contrary the are also many positive aspects to thrifting such as:
– The recycling factor ( the reusing of clothes)
– The funding of charitable organizations through thrift stores such as Goodwill and Salvation Army
All in all it can be rightfully said that thrifting has become a cultural aspect of our society, and a mode of self-preservation and expression as well. This can be said because through thrifting is the ability to choose were your clothing comes from rather than fully surrendering to hungry retailers.
TLFR 