Could Shopping At Thrift Stores - Save The Environment?

I do shop at thrift stores and have found some nice things.

I can't think off hand of one item we got really cheap, but I know there have been a few times that we lucked out.

We also aim to get Halloween Costumes at thrift shops. Gideon's costume this year was from the thrift shop looked brand new and was a lot nicer than the ones Walmart was selling for $17. We paid just $8 for it.

What a great idea for an article...you are definitley a really global thinker. Thanks for another thing to give consideration to...

Ten years ago, I wouldn't have been caught dead in a thrift store! Now, I look forward to going all of the time.

You are right, it is a great way to recycle!

In the past few months I have been able to find Gap jeans that fit my hard to fit body for less than $5 a piece, (they were sizes that I even have a hard time finding in the store!) two rolling under bed baskets that I know I have seen for at least $20 a piece for $5, a cape for a Halloween costume, and so much more!

I love thrift stores - I think your post here is going to inspire me to shop at them more. :-) I agree buying used/previously owned saves a lot of resources. :-)

Connie, you have hit on a topic that is near and dear to my heart. A woman in our community started a thrift store that has been so successful, it has funded a food pantry and will soon help subsidize a child care center. The store serves thousands of families by providing affordable merchandise -- in fact, it's the busiest retail store in town! The store has been run entirely by volunteers and the $70,000 mortgage was paid off in full in 5 years. I'm heading there this weekend to stock up on "dress up" clothes, costume jewelry and high heels for my two-and-a-half-year-old granddaughter. Who knows what else I might spot!

I love thrift stores or as many are called around here "Consignment or Used Stores". I've found items for literally pennies on the dollar, like you. I bought nearly ALL of my kids' clothing as they were growing up at the thrift stores. Special holidays and outfits we bought new but play clothes and some of the "nice" clothes were especially "thrifty" at the used stores. Face it, it's pretty rare to wear out dress clothes on a kid!!!! So my kids often looked well dressed and I spent only a few bucks per kid! I've found some wonderful household items at the used stores too, including a "foreman grill" made way before "foreman" ever made them that is truly like a God send to me! I've bought silverware (we evidently have drawers that eat our silverware because I'm constantly looking for enough to use at dinner time! LOL) and tons of other household things, including like new comforters and afghans. Of course there's some places I would never buy used bedding at but there are two local used stores that I feel very comfortable buying them at. So I'm with you in making purchases at local thrift stores. Not only does it help your pocketbook but it often does benefit less well off members of the community when the stores are run by local charities.

The nice Goodwill store that we found was at Exit 17 (I think) going north from Columbia South Carolina toward Charlette North Carolina. It was just out of Columbia.

I was raised on going to thrift stores! Every Saturday after we cleaned the house Mom would give each of us either a dime or a quarter depending on the weekly finances and we would go to a thrift store. The man who worked there was so nice. He came to know what each of us liked. I'll never forget the time he pulled out from under counter the game Operation! I was excited! Then he pulled out a book that he knew I would love. I looked at them both and asked what each cost. He asked how much I had. I told him a quarter and he told me there was a special...the game and the book for a quarter! I think I was the happiest kid in Independence, Missouri!



Our entire family loves to go to thrift stores. We love to call one another to brag on our bargains. My sister got me a brand-new pasta machine for $5 and she got for herself a brand-new sewing machine for $5!

I went to a Goodwill store looking for wool to recycle and found sweaters I wanted for myself. Also, we found the same unit surround sound piece that we needed for $5. Electricity outages took ours out.

Have you heard of Goodwill by the pound? There are certain Goodwill stores where everything is so much a pound! What a blast that would be.

Hey Connie! My first time online in 2 days, we have all had some nasty virus that has now dwindled to a nagging hacking cough-Wahoo! Anyhoo, today was Matt's day off where we go pick up his paycheck and run errands and we went to a Thrift store call The Hope Chest run by The Hope Center where all the clothing items are 99 cents and Matt picked up several Ralph Lauren brand Polo and dress shirts, and I got Miss Mara a denim jumper, a really pretty Chenille Sweater and several long sleeve shirts...the stinker had a growth spurt after Fall School shopping and now most of her shirts are to short to cover her belly...and I got something I would NEVER in a million years have bought if it had not been $5 which was the really big George Foreman Grill. I also got my bread machine, stand mixer and food processor at Goodwill. A lot of this stuff would end up in Landfills if they did not have these places to donate them to, because many people do not have anyway who wants them or will take the time to ask all their friends if anyone is interested.

I love thrift stores I buy a lot of fabric there

I guess shopping at thriftstores is a bit like freecycling except that money is involved, so yes it is an environmentally friendly way of shopping in my book.

My best deals ever has been at a government run thriftstore in Denmark. You would get a huge garbage bag sized plastic bag (probably around 40 gallons or so), and you would fill it up for 150 kr, which is about 30 dollars (now that the dollar is at its lowest ever). Well, let me tell you that it was worth the 30 dollars. In one bag I was able to fit 300 different items or more including, clothes of all kinds for me and the boys, winter coats for all of us, boots, belts, halloween outfits etc. Everything. After I came home I would maybe find one or two stains on all of it, but I have really gotten so much great stuff for both me and the boys. I actually ended up cleaning out my own wardrobe, getting rid of stuff I had not worn in years. I was also able to get some great stuff for my friend who studied at the university in England, and my little niece....for 30 dollars. I have never found a deal like this in the U.S. I went back three times while I was living in Denmark, and most of the clothes I wear nowadays are from that thriftstore, clothes I would never afford to buy at the store.

I love thrift stores! Since I wear large size clothes, I haven't really been able to find clothes at them for myself but I have found so many other wonderful things! Plus, most of the kids' clothes come from thrift stores, even their school uniforms! I have bought books and decorations and bedding at thrift stores for years and years! I just love looking through them because you just never know what you will find. It's almost like treasure hunting!

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I love thrift stores, estate sales, garage sales and flea markets.

Because they are still are great places to find antiques at less than antique store prices.
My game in recent years is to find things made in the U.S.A......this is getting very hard!
Today at Goodwill I saw a Ralph Lauren dress that still had all the tags.

I didn't buy it because it was a cotton/silk blend and I only use all silk fabric in my crazy quilt projects.

Connie....I've never shopped thrift stores..but it sounds good.

I don't mind shopping at thrift stores. I hardly ever buy anything new anymore.

Do you consider shopping at thrift stores a way to save the environment? I had never thought of it this way, but it does make sense.

Do you shop at thrift stores? Yes. I love to shop at thrift stores because you just never know what you might find.

Do you find wonderful bargains? I have found many great bargains.

Are you one of those people who would never be caught dead in a thrift store? Nope. The way I see it, I can't afford those high dollar department stores unless they are having a clearance sale on their clearance racks, so off to the thrift store I go.

What are some of the bargains that you have found? Fabric, teacups, Tupperware, books, a bread machine and a sewing machine, both in perfect working order with no manuals. Even craft items and lots of shelving.

Yes, Yes, Yes, No. I buy all my purses in thrift stores and they are always terrific bargains. I love to look around in good thrift stores. Sometimes I buy pants and blouses but more often dishes, cups, vases, and sometimes washable bedding to make into beds for my cats.

I don't know so much that I think about the environment when I'm shopping at thrift stores but I know my wallet appreciates it. :D I love second hand clothes for me and for the kids and for furniture and art and movies and oh just everything. Work clothes especially.

I love Thrift stores. I think you get nicer clothes when you go to the thrift shops in the better part of town.

I absolutely LOVE thrift stores! I have also found brand new sweaters with the tag still on for 3 - 5 dollars. Last Christmas I found a beautiful red dressy Christmas sweater that would cost at least $90 in the mall for only $3. I have bought Nine West handbags as well with the tag still on them for only $2 a piece. Those are deals you won't ever find on a Black Friday...:)

I do enjoy thrift stores and Goodwills. I have a Goodwill close to me in our area, just went in there a couple of weeks ago and got some Door decorations, one for Thanksgiving and one for Christmas. $2.00 each. Loved it and was proud.

My one sister alternates each week between two Goodwills.

Hey, I am a Goodwill Store junkie! I love this store. WHen I am looking for clothing for the grankids or for my hubby, I will shop there. Kids grow out of their clothes so quickly and the price of new is outrageous. When the grandkids go shopping with me I treat them to a toy from the Goodwill. The toys are in good shape and the prices are dirt cheap.

In fact, I am going to the Goodwill store today to find some shirts for my hubby and grandson. I have to bring a bag or two of used clothes to them as well.

I also find they have a great selection of household items. I have been looking for some heavy drapes. I found most of them at the Salvation Army. That is another one of my favorite second-hand stores.

We have a local store that is run by a non-profit organization that sells donated items and consignments too. They are really reasonable. I have found some great fabric, coats, pocketbooks, books, etc. at this store. I usually end up spending about $20 or less when I visit one of these stores and leave with many items.

I shop at thrift stores. I love going to our goodwill to get used books. At one of them they have paperbacks and you get 6 books for a buck. Who can resist that? Its cheaper than garage sales.

I shop there at lot for my hubby's work clothes. There is no sense in paying a lot of money for a pair of jeans that will be ruined within a week or two. That way when they get ruined I'm not yelling that I just spent $50 on a pair of jeans for him to wear for two weeks.

I also shop the resale shops for my daughters church dresses. She's growing so fast I hate to pay 40 - 50 (these are the prices at sears) for one dress that she will outgrow in a couple of month.

I forgot to add that out by my brothers house they have a goodwill that you pay per pound. The more pounds that you buy the cheaper the price is. Of course you have to dig but I went home one day with 4 huge garbage bags full of clothes (name brand stuff like Tommy Hilfiger, Gap, Etc.) for about $25. I was so excited. I wished I lived closer to him so that I could go more often.

I buy at thrift shops often. Or ebay. I just realized when I bought new coats for dds the other day that I hadn't bought an actual NEW coat for her since she was 1 or 2 yrs old! She is 10!

To add to what Dani B said, I'm 19 and I really haven't gotten a pair of shoes over 10 bucks until this year. You can get really nice shoes for 5 or 6 bucks. Sometimes its hard not to spend too much because it's hard to believe you can get certain brand names for so cheap. With these stores you tend to look for quality not brand name and its so refreshing not to be thinking, "oh I'm wearing such and such a brand because its the best". A lot of the time you have a greater chance of choosing clothes that will last when you go to the thrift store. I really love stuff from MEC, all of their stuff that I have is from garage sales or my favourite Value Village. My mom has a whole bunch of stores she goes to, but her favourite is called the Up Shoppe. It raises money for Women in need and a lot of the clothes is for women. They also have a lot of bag sales so my mom goes there a lot. Whenever I buy clothes for full price at a real store they never last as long as the clothes my mom gets from the thrift stores.

Wow, I think I have to look for a Goodwill by the pounds store. I know Goodwill have a new superstore opening in December in my time, thank you all for reminding me that I have to go check if it is open on Monday.

Not in Alabama it can't. The stores stock junk (I've been through everyone I can find) and without fail, they price things at far above new, in store prices. One example was some ratty towels that cost more than I pay for new towels and another was a 10 pack of spiral notebooks that sell for less than 50 cents in the store going for $10. The sad thing is that people were buying the stuff.

Well, I just checked and it seems like the closest outlet store is about four hours from us, so that won't work too well:(

Thanks for the article... I've actually never been to a thrift store! My partner and I were talking about them the other day... I think it's a great way to use the resources we have already! There is that saying... one person's trash is another person's treasure!

Connie- from the environmental viewpoint, the mantra is "reduce, re-use, recyle". In other words, recycling is not actually the first thing to do, it is the last! Before we recyle, we should first use the least amount of resources we can, then we should do our best to re-use resources BEFORE we recycle them. Re-use is where thrift stores come in. They are a good concept.

Great article! You scored big on the sweaters. I'm in a thrift store twice a week, between errands. I have outfitted my band in Scandinavian sweaters I've found. My kids all shop there. My middle son buys jean jackets and then alters them into high punk fashion with studs, logos and stencils. I buy lots of books and send them for Christmas presents; Media Mail is cheap shipping.

Wow! What finds on those sweaters!

I am not much for shopping at thrift stores, but I am happy to drop stuff off there!

I do! I crochet a lot, and once found a 30(?) gallon clear bag full of different yarns for $10. Some of my other finds are old plate at $1 a piece, and Tupperware, like new and some not so new, for mere pennies.

I love thrift shops! At one on post shop, I found a complete set of red leather suitcases, all 5 pieces for $25.00. And a Fisher Turntable, I still have records, for $25 with the speakers. It is a AM-Fm radio and duel cassette player too.

I've been a thrift store shopper for more than 30 years and have reaped untold treasures. When we bought our cottage, I furnished it almost entirely from resale shops and ebay: furniture, pictures, linens, wallpaper, etc., Many stores donate brand new items to charity shops. My children were fashionably dressed in expensive label clothing for a pittance and I resold their outgrown clothes at Moms-to-moms sales and yard sales.
I'm not sure if we have the environment, but I like the idea that useful things get recycled and used several times before they're discarded.

I do shop at thrift stores and I have found great bargins. I rarely go to any other stores for clothes, kitchen items and househould items. I also look for cookbooks and other items as well. I love thrift stores and have been called a thrift store queen. I do hope it's good for the enviroment as well. Great article Connie and congrats on your finds.

If it weren't for thrift shops, second-hand stores, Goodwill, the Salvation Army, the SPCA shop, St. Vincent du Paul, The Last Chance Mercantile, and the Discovery Store (American Cancer Society's thrift shop), I'd be walking around nude and sitting on the floor.

Do you consider shopping at thrift stores a way to save the environment? Absolutely! The items that are not sold once, twice, three times or more eventually end up in a land fill.
Do you shop at thrift stores? Before I even consider going into a retail store, I hit the thrift shops first.
Do you find wonderful bargains? Yes, yes, yes!
Are you one of those people who would never be caught dead in a thrift store? Not me. But I have a close friend that is almost ready to give it a try. (We've barely convinced her to try yard sales!)
What are some of the bargains that you have found? You'll be sorry you asked:
1. Solid oak butcher block dining room table, 6' long ~ $250 at the Discovery shop.
2. Antique, hand hewn, wooden child's cradle. Primitive and beautiful $8. I roll up the towels and it's in the bathroom.
3. 5' x 7' custom bound burgundy area carpet ~ $18 Goodwill
4. Picture frames ~ 50 cents to $3.50 each Goodwill
5. Stuffed toys ~ same price as picture frames. I use them when crafting holiday wreaths. Goodwill and Last Chance.
6. 10 yards raw linen on the bolt, 60 inches wide ~ $10 Discovery shop
7. A porch swing (from which I later removed the hanging chains and added legs) $5 Last Chance
8. Wicker étagère $12 at Yellow Brick Road
9. Home décor ~ everything imaginable. Mirrors, paintings, knick knacks, door knobs, ornamental hangers
10. Jeans, jean, jeans and sweaters, T-shirts. None of them over $5 at Goodwill
11. Baskets ~ everywhere, all shapes and sizes; great for Easter decorating, Christmas packaging, floral arrangements. 25 cents at Last Chance, more everywhere else. Add a coat of spray paint and a bow, fill with goodies!
12. Books galore! Pennies for used, compared to big bucks new. Hard bound or paperback, fabulous savings on books.
13. Cooking utensils. This morning I purchased a 4-piece set of Circulon cookware for $5. Yard sale. A woman I met there purchased a Cuisinart bread maker still in the box, still cushioned by the original packaging $75. The host of the yard sale threw in a pasta maker.
14. Christmas décor and ornaments. Candle holders. Beads and other trinkets for crafting. (And super Hallowe'en costumes!)
15. Jewelry and other accessories (scarves, belts, straw hats, shoes and boots, handbags, neckties) children's toys, baby clothing, bedding, shower curtains, towels, place mats and table cloths, lamps, furniture, flat goods, golf clubs, kids movies on VHS, some DVD sets, radios, TV's, microwaves and blenders. Three-piece men's suits, sports jackets, evening wear and wedding gowns. (Our Discovery shop usually has at least one Bob Mackey evening gown, probably worn once, for about a hundred bucks.)

One of my most cherished items is a life-sized swan. She's seated as if nesting. She's hand-carved, mahogany. She was a piece offered in the bi-monthly silent auction at our local Goodwill. She had been painted white and the paint was peeling badly. I was the victor in the auction at $125. Once home, the horrible white paint was removed to reveal the beautiful wood underneath. I restained her with a color called Norwegian teak; a dark red-brown.

Last week's silent auction contained an Ethan Allen side or sofa table. Immaculate condition. Marble top. Hand-carved skirt and legs. Opening bid $45. Sold at $385; probably less than 1/3 or its original retail price.

Well, I guess I got a little carried away. Why am I such an avid 2nd hand shopper? Budget, of course. Sensibility, too. I get a bad case of "sticker shock" every time I walk into a department store. But we've become such wasteful people. Is it broken? Fix it. Is it the wrong color? Paint it. Is it dirty? Wash it.

Somebody (maybe even you) paid a full retail price for an item that still has good life and use. Take advantage of someone else's failure to get their money's worth.

Sounds like some great deals are found at Goodwill/Thrift stores! Wish I knew where there were some around here. I would definitely shop there to see what good stuff I can find. Guess I will have to make an effort to see if there are any around here.

I shop at thrift stores all the time. They're a lifesaver for my kids clothing - at the infant and toddler stage kids outgrow the clothing long long long before the clothing is worn out - even with regular spitups and baby food spills! In fact, I just flipped my daughter's wardrobe from 3-6 months into 6-9 months. There were about 4 or 5 outfits that I received as gifts that she never wore. Someone on freecycle in the next week or two is going to be a very happy camper!

Great article Connie. I like going to second-hand stores, but I have never given anything as a gift from there. But for myself, I think it's great. It's also a great source for crafters. My sister redesigns glasses and silverware, and these shops have produced some great old finds that she has recycled into beautiful new tableware.

I started going to our local version of a thrift store when they were housed under an old abandoned church, to buy books at 10 cents each. I'd haul boxes of them home and haul them back again so they can re-sell them after I was done reading them. It was a good way to avoid the waiting lists for books I wanted to read at the library.

The local church women are the volunteers that run the place. The store has since moved twice, each time to larger buildings. They are now in a building that is set up like a regular department store where one can buy men's suits for $7 and children's bedsets or kitchen sets for as little as $25. One can even find antiques, jewelry and appliances there.

This store is also where people who are so poor they can not afford even those low prices can get the items they need for nothing. I've seen a lot of people re-furnish burned out homes and possessions with stuff from the store. I've also helped people newly arrived in town to get supplies of clothes and beddings there. Katrina refugees and the like. I have seen the store send semi-truck loads of supplies to the areas hit by natural disasters.

Inspite of all the items that the store give away for free and inspite of its low pricing, after all expences and overhead, it still makes enough of a profit to support the other charities in town (PADS, Food Pantry, Meals On Wheels, Emergency Needs, Habitat For Humanity) with regular monthly donations. There is every reason to support it!

I shop at thrift stores as a political statement also.
I feel that the money is going to the charity rather than the owner of the sweat shop.
It's always a treasure hunt!
My best buy - a beaded jacket originally from Talbots - $1.99 - special tag color sale day.

I love thrift stores,and yard sales.To me a bargain is a bargain,no matter where you find it.

thanks for sharing :)

whoo!! good for you! i love thrift stores. we've been to them in all the countries we've traveled to, as wlel!

you found nice sweaters

Everyone knows....that I am second hand Rose... I sing this song all the time! I wouldn't own a home if it weren't for thrift shops. Practically everything in it comes from a thrift shop or an estate sale. I am using stuff that was already once manufactured and therefore, yes, I am making a difference by using what some people discard or can not use anymore.

thanks for sharing

Do you consider shopping at thrift stores a way to save the environment?

I hadn't really thought about it, but now that you mention it I'm sure it is a good way to help the environment.

Do you shop at thrift stores?

Not really. We buy books there sometimes. I hate the way they smell and don't like to go to them.

Do you find wonderful bargains?

I try to find bargains at stores and online where things are new.

Are you one of those people who would never be caught dead in a thrift store?

Nah. Like I said I mostly just hate the way they smell. All those different people smells add up to form just one stinky smell I think.

What are some of the bargains that you have found?

We found a ton of old Agatha Christie books for dirt cheap at a thrift store one. Ron was thrilled.

You got a good deal, I haven't been to one in a while.

That's some great stuff there. I buy some things at thrift stores, but there are other things I'm not interested in getting at thrift stores, it all depends on what I'm looking for. Those are some fantastic things, though.

We have gone to the thrift stores from time to time but do not usually find anything to buy. The ones in my area are not very good.


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Yes, we enjoy shopping at thrift stores.

I love going to thrift stores with friends and then comparing our good deals. It's a competition to see who can get the best stuff for the least amount of money

Thrift stores are terrific--thanks for the reminder!

what a great deal you got