Over the past couple of months, I’ve come across this question a couple of times. “If you can afford to buy things new, shouldn’t you avoid shopping at thrift stores and leave those for the less fortunate?” It’s something I hadn’t thought much about until people mentioned it. The idea is that you are taking things away from people that can’t afford nicer things new. I guess the people that think this way are more kind than I am.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with shopping at thrift stores. No matter how much money you have/make. I don’t go and grab stuff out of other shoppers’ hands, so I don’t see anything wrong with buying things I see on the shelf.
Where is everyone?
Often, I am either the only shopper, or there are less than 5 people shopping in the thrift stores I go to. I usually stick to the small, local, stores and avoid going to Goodwill. I live in a pretty rural area, so this may not apply to those who live in big cities. Walmart is much more crowded than any of the other stores around me, so I assume this is where the “less fortunate” do most of their shopping.
Most of the stores I shop at have huge piles of junk that would sit there for months if I didn’t go through them. Sometimes, I even feel a little weird for digging through the piles of junk. The thrift store employees look at me like “what is this weirdo doing?” Most people don’t expect a 20 something guy to be buying things to flip, so there’s no telling what they think I’m doing with the stuff I get. Guess I’m building a reputation of the weird guy that buys old hats and radios.
Thrift stores are for everyone
I’ve never seen a sign on a thrift store that said: “only for the poor.” Most of these stores are barely getting by financially, so any time I buy something from them, I’m helping them stay open. They also donate some of their profits to different charities, so in a way, I’m giving to the less fortunate with each purchase.
We have way too much stuff in America. Anytime I buy something from a thrift store and give it new life, I’m eliminating the need for an item to be manufactured. This helps the environment by causing less pollution and keeps things from ending up in landfills. We probably have enough clothes to last an entire generation. If everyone shopped used, we could hold off on buying new clothes for several years.
Stealing from the poor to sell to the rich
I mainly shop at thrift stores only to buy items and sell them for a profit on eBay. While you could say I’m taking things away from the poor, I look at it differently. There’s still plenty of stuff left over when I’m done shopping, and I buy weird things that most people aren’t going to buy anyways. One of my recent flips was a Harley Davidson CB radio. If you are truly poor, you do not need to be buying a CB radio.
The more items I buy and flip, the more money I’m going to make. By making more money, I’m able to shorten the time it takes me to reach financial independence. Once I reach financial independence, there’s no telling what I may end up doing to help the less fortunate. I also give money to my church every time I make money and we help people in need that way. If a few people miss out on buying a vintage denim coat in order for me to become a wealthy philanthropist, I think it’s worth it.
I donate to thrift stores myself
If I have items or clothes that are sitting around the house and aren’t worth listing on eBay, I get them donated to thrift stores as quickly as I can. There’s no telling how many hundreds of dollars worth of stuff I’ve given. My wife and I just went through our closets and filled up 4 trash bags of clothes we’re going to give. Now that I think of it, I’ve probably given more items than I’ve purchased at this point. I’m sure this won’t be the case for much longer though since I’m working to build my eBay store.
What do you think? Do you shop at thrift stores even though you can afford to shop at the retail shops? Am I being greedy? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
Nathan created Millionaire Dojo to document his journey to reaching a million dollar net worth so that others may be inspired to follow the same path. He and his wife reached a net worth of one hundred thousand by the age of 25 and has been featured on Business Insider. His blog focuses on practical advice that can be implemented immediately in the form of saving money, earning more, and investing to create passive income.
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You’re fine shopping there…If there starts to be an inventory shortage and poor people are lined out the door waiting for new inventory to come in, then at that time I’d say maybe well off people shouldn’t shop there…But until that day comes, have at it!
Haha, I don’t think I have anything to worry about if that’s the case! Thanks, I think I’ll keep on shopping happily.
Nathan, you’ve got a really interesting topic this time! Yes, it’s for anyone to buy, not only the poor. Just like you said, there’s a cycle for this…You’re also helping the poor running the thrift stores to keep them open…
Creative thinking!
Thanks Imdad, I feel good about support the small stores, so I’m going to continue doing it!
This is quite a good idea, I am now very tempted to look at thrift stores in my area as well! Maybe not necessarily for flipping items, but for using things myself. Who knows!
Yeah, I’d highly recommend shopping at them even if you aren’t going to flip the items. The amount you can save is huge!
Thrist shops are great I always find my best stuff in there! ‘Stealing from the poor to sell the rich’ haha I never thought of it like that before
I love them because you never know what you’re going to find! I think some people actually think we are stealing from the poor lol.
Who would think this is wrong? Who ARE these people? They’ve clearly never been to a thrift store. It’s not like I’m showing up at a charity that gives away free clothes to anyone in need and taking things that I don’t need…. though I have thought about those a couple of times, I personally draw the line there.
I have shopped thrift stores where I can tell merch hasn’t turned over in YEARS. That, or they are constantly throwing things out or simply giving it away. And if it is being given away rather than thrown away, I’d be down to take that too.
I think most thrift stores probably have a pipeline such that the things that don’t turn over (clothing wise) can be passed onto homeless charities etc. In that regard, the old adage, “beggars can’t be choosers” applies. If they’re getting what the thrift store can’t sell for free, I don’t have any issue in buying the good stuff!
I wonder if the people who question thrift shopping are aware of the industry around it? Some of the bigger thrift chains are making a killing at it as a business, especially now that thrifting has caught on as more popular and less frowned upon. Some, goodwill and salvation army being two, I think, even have pipelines to sell their best stuff online through their own websites or places like ebay. Shoppers aren’t even getting the prime junk anymore.
Yeah, I guess people just think that only the less fortunate people shop at thrift stores but I haven’t found that to be true. I see poorer looking people in Walmart than I do in thrift stores. It takes a special person to want to go digging through all the junk and it looks to me that most people doing it aren’t poor. Most of what I buy aren’t necessities anyways so it isn’t like I’m taking away tools that poor people could use. I’m mostly buying and selling weird vintage items that people collect.
Even if the intent of a thrift store was to sell clothes cheap to those than need it, shopping at a thrift store would help keep its doors open and bring in more cheap clothes!
Exactly. I feel good about shopping at thrift stores because I’m helping them keep their doors open and they help people by donating their profits so it’s a nice cycle.