Americans call charity shops thrift stores or thrift shops, and they can also be known as second-hand shops, though not all thrift stores are strictly for charity, with some being for-profit resale shops like Goodwill or Savers. The term emphasizes buying used goods economically, while "charity shop" highlights the fundraising aspect for a cause, with both terms used for shops selling donated, used items for low prices.
Charity shops may also be referred to as thrift stores in the United States and Canada (a term which also includes some for-profit stores such as Savers), hospice shops, resale shops (a term that in the United States also covers consignment shops), opportunity (or op) shops (in Australia and New Zealand), and second- ...
In the US, second hand clothes shops are called thrift shops which tend to be big warehouse-like spaces on the outskirts of cities with profits not always going to charity. Popular thrift stores include Goodwill, Salvation Army and Savers amongst others.
A thrift store is a retail shop that sells donated, gently used goods at low prices. These stores often carry a wide variety of items, including clothing, furniture, household goods, books, and more.
There is one meaning in OED's entry for the noun thrift shop. See 'Meaning & use' for definition, usage, and quotation evidence. This word is used in U.S. English.
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Does the UK have thrift stores?
Yes, the UK has many places to find thrifted items, but they're typically called "charity shops" (run by charities like Oxfam, British Heart Foundation) or dedicated vintage stores, with popular spots like London's Brick Lane and general high streets filled with these shops offering everything from budget finds to designer pieces, especially in affluent areas.
While thrift shops, antique stores and consignment boutiques are nothing new, they're becoming more popular as shoppers deal with the rising cost of living, want to help the environment, and even in some cases, want to earn a living as a reseller. Secondhand clothing is a multibillion dollar global industry.
A thrift shop (also known as a thrift store, charity shop, hospice shop, second-hand shop, consignment or resale shop) is a retail establishment that sells gently used items.
Goodwill Industries International, Inc., is a network of 183 community-based, independent agencies in the United States, Canada, and 14 other countries.
In the United States, major national thrift shop operators include Goodwill Industries, Salvation Army, St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store, and ReStore (operated by Habitat for Humanity). Value Village/Savers, while looking like a thrift store and selling donated goods, is actually a private, for-profit company.
In American English, this kind of building is usually called a store, and shop is only used to mean a very small store that has just one type of goods.
I've always thought THRIFT STORES were what the North Americans call CHARITY SHOPS (or CHAZZERS as we sometimes call them in the UK). They're run by all kinds of different charities and people donate stuff to them and they sell it - clothes, books, old DVDs, vinyl records, kids' stuff, etc.
More differences in the social attitudes toward these shops are revealed in the descriptors thrift and charity. In the past few years, attitudes toward buying second-hand goods have changed in the US (hence the popularity of eBay), but when I was a kid, thrift stores were understood to be 'for' poor people to shop at.
Depending where you are, a marketplace might be called a bazaar, a palengke, or a souk. A more general meaning is an economic system or market, or simply the everyday world where things get bought and sold.
Generation Z (Gen Z) is often labeled the "unhappiest generation," reporting higher rates of anxiety, depression, and despair than previous generations at the same age, driven by factors like intense social media use, economic instability, academic pressure, and growing up amidst global crises (pandemic, climate change) that have disrupted traditional life paths, challenging the "happiness hump" where midlife was usually the lowest point, with unhappiness now hitting young people earlier, say researchers from Dartmouth College and other universities.
The "333 rule" in clothing refers to two popular minimalist fashion concepts: the viral TikTok trend of using 3 tops, 3 bottoms, and 3 shoes to create numerous outfits (9 items total) for styling practice, and the more extensive Project 333, where you select 33 items (including clothes, shoes, and accessories) to wear for three months, excluding essentials like underwear, workout gear, and sleepwear, to simplify your wardrobe and reduce decision fatigue. Both methods focus on versatility, quality over quantity, and creating a functional capsule wardrobe.
