In recent years, thrifting, the practice of purchasing donated clothing at second-hand stores, has grown in popularity. Teenagers and young adults have taken to thrifting in order to enhance their personal style without spending tons of money.
For senior Miranda Reyes, her love for thrifting has grown so much that she now works at Savers, a popular thrift store in Overland Park.
“I prefer thrifting over other ways of shopping,” Reyes said. “I don’t know, maybe it’s because I work at a thrift store so I see how everything is priced, but when I see people buy a $60 shirt, it makes me ask ‘Why would you do that? Like, why would you spend so much money on one item of clothing when you could go to a thrift store and find it there for $5?’”
For junior Coleman Murray, thrifting creates an environmentally friendly alternative to shopping from fast-fashion stores.
“It helps the economy and environment for reusing goods,” Murray said. “Thrifting is reusing, which means there is less pollution from factories and environmental damage.”
Because thrift stores sell many different types of clothing, senior Kiley Condon relies on pieces from thrift stores to add unique accents to her outfits.
Purchasing stylish and name-brand clothing at inexpensive prices is a win-win for a teenager’s budget.
“Half of my wardrobe is thrifted,” Condon said. “I like to spend my money on staple pieces, and then get more unique, cheap pieces from thrift stores.”
Clothes found at thrift stores can be unique and lead to more diversity in clothing.
“Working at Savers, everyone dresses up,“ Reyes said. “It’s a fashion show. So working there, I have definitely been able to make my own style. There are things you can’t get online that you find at thrift stores.”
Buying clothes second-hand not only adds style to one’s wardrobe, but it is a planet-friendly practice as well. According to freshmen Clare Hansen, thrifting is a great way to help our environment.
“There is this ad that shows the amount of clothes we consume,” Hansen said. “There are so many and we just don’t use them, so thrifting and reusing them is a good way [to repurpose them].”
Purchasing clothes from a thrift store rather than a popular name brand store, opens up more possibilities.
“I thrift because there is such a huge variety to pick from,” Murray said. “It allows you to get nicer clothes for cheaper prices and the people who thrift already have the same style as you.”
Thrifting has become more of a hobby than just a way to shop. According to Condon, thrifting is a go-to activity for her and her friends.
“I go thrifting with all of my friends,” Condon said. “Thrifting has been around forever, but it has recently become something people do for fun. If we don’t have anything to do, our go-to is to thrift.”
According to Hansen, being able to find clothes at thrift stores makes her style more unique and allows her to buy specific pieces that fit her style.
“It helps you develop your style because there are so many different styles and they are all very different from each other,” Hansen said. “I like finding random clothes, and they are really nice.”
Thrift-stores have popped up as thrifting has become more popular amongst teens and other shoppers. Hillcrest, Savers, City Thrift and Buffalo State are among the many lower-priced stores that students shop at often.
“I love when people come in and find a whole bunch of good stuff,” Reyes said.
“It makes me really happy, because I can see them wearing that,”