Thrifting involves purchasing secondhand items from thrift stores, wheras traditional shopping involves buying new items from retail stores. Thrifting is often more eco-friendly and budget-friendly, but may require more time and effort to find desired items.
Thrifting is not only a great way to find good clothes for affordable prices, but it's also very environmentally friendly, as it recycles clothes for people to buy and reuse, rather than sending them to landfills where it can take many years for them to fully decompose.
They are flocking to thrift and vintage stores in search of authentic retro looks. As much as 62% of Gen Z and Millennials say they look for an item secondhand before they buy a new version of it, according to the 2022 annual industry report from secondhand marketplace ThredUP.
While the popularity of second-hand shopping has empowered sustainability, it can simultaneously drive up prices to unaffordable ranges, which can be concerning for lower-income individuals who often look for second-hand shopping out of necessity rather than a trend.
Pre-owned goods have a history to them. You can have fun imagining who previously owned a piece and where it's been. Thrifted clothing comes with a built-in story, unlike generic new items fresh off an assembly line. Finding unique vintage pieces from decades past is like discovering living history.
HOW TO THRIFT LIKE A PRO (*actually useful* thrifting tips)
Why does Gen Z love thrifting?
For Gen Z, thrifting is more than just an affordable practice; it's a form of self-expression. With a wide range of one-of-a-kind items in thrift stores, they're able to find unique pieces that reflect their personal style. Some Gen Zers view thrifting and reselling as a challenge to find the diamond in the rough.
“These days secondhand shopping is becoming the norm and, in many cases, preferred to buying brand new because of the wide variety of clothing available and the affordability compared to buying from a traditional retail store,” she said. Thrifting started to become a fashion trend during the pandemic thanks to TikTok.
Some of the disadvantages of thrifting include the long time it takes to sort through the many, often unorganized, clothing items. Often the clothes have no warranty and no return policy, says the Odyssey. The worlds of fast fashion and thrifting are both equally fun and exciting!
Clothing and textiles that are donated to thrift stores are not laundered before they end up in the store and could contain lots of bacteria or even bedbugs. Some of these clothes are so dirty, a thrift shop will likely immediately throw them away.
'Trendy' sustainable practices like thrifting can be particularly harmful to marginalized and low-income people, as the increase in secondhand shopping by economically advantaged people results in “many thrift stores raising their prices, [which] exacerbat[es] income inequality, and effectively marginaliz[es] the ...
UK consumers most commonly buy Clothing second-hand followed by Books, movies, music & games (excluding downloads), while they are least likely to buy Pet products second-hand. These results are based on our representative online survey conducted in 2023 among 4,029 respondents in the UK.
It's not uncommon to find thrift store flippers making close to $100k every year from thrift store flipping. It, however, still depends on how much you put in. If you're willing to put in enough time to learn about flipping and carefully research the items to sell, you can make a comfortable living.
Thrifting skips multiple checkpoints of sustainability as new material need not be brought in, no additional manufacturing takes place, no labour is required to make the clothes, no carbon is used up in transportation, no money is spent on marketing and so on.
After spreading awareness about the harms of fast fashion, Gen Z has made it a trend to shop second-hand. Many brands, such as Shein, have recently been put on blast for the harmful conditions they force upon their workers.
Things constantly go in and out of style, fast fashion stores are overall just not good for the environment and constantly change. On the other hand, thrift stores not only recycle clothes that could have ended up polluting the Earth even more, but they also help save the environment!
In recent years, thrifting has gained popularity primarily because it is cost-effective and sustainable, but the appeal is different for everyone. As thrifting becomes a more mainstream hobby, there is increasing concern about overconsumption, with people buying items only to participate in the trend.
Thrifting has become a way the younger generation sees a solution to reducing their environmental footprint and contributing to anti-capitalist solutions while still being able to develop a sense of self through expression.
Thrifting offers an alternative to the fast fashion model by promoting the reuse and recycling of clothing and other items. By shopping for secondhand items, you can: Reduce waste: Purchasing pre-owned items helps prevent them from ending up in landfills or being incinerated, thereby reducing overall waste generation.
Financially, thrifting can be a great option since certain clothes are made to last longer than fast fashion produced in a high volume to stay in time with popular trends. Purchasing clothes that are made to last is more sustainable and cost effective since consumers don't need to buy the same item over and over again.
Moreover, the secondhand market is expected to increase 127% by 2026, three times faster than the global apparel market overall. Essentially, the circular market is growing rapidly, encroaching on fast fashion's profits with some estimating the secondhand industry will be worth over $700 billion by 2030.
The rise in thrift store's popularity and presence in social media was most notably seen after 2015 on websites such as Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube.
Instead of skinny jeans, Gen Z shoppers are embracing the low-rise, baggy pants that were all the rage in the early 2000s. Gen Z's love of baggy pants can be partially attributed to the way they think about styling their outfits: Rather than the going-out top, it's all about the fun pants.
With the cost of living on the rise, many people are looking for ways to save money without sacrificing their style. Thrifting offers an affordable alternative to traditional shopping, with many items priced significantly lower than their retail counterparts.
Gen Z spending habits show they care the most about fashion, makeup and beauty products, technology, and their pets. This is perhaps due to their young age and few major bills.
