The truth behind thrifting

Everyone is welcome to shop at thrift stores no matter their income or social status.

There are many different thoughts and stigmas circulating social media surrounding thrifting. Many think that thrift stores are designed only for low income people. However this couldn’t be further from the truth. Yes you are able to find gems for a bargain price, so low income families will often opt to thrift as it is a cost effective way to dress your family.

There is however a lot of misunderstanding about how thrift stores actually work. Generally, the profits that they earn from selling your donated clothing, home goods, books, electronics, and other items will go to a specific organization. Sometimes these organizations help the homeless but sometimes they are for other charities such as diabetes organizations, cancer organizations, or community groups. I would encourage you to research and ask at your favourite thrift spots what type of organization they are supporting (it's usually not a secret and they should be willing to share the information with you).

But this is not the case for all thrift stores as some thrift stores, such as Value Village/Savers actually are for profit organizations and only a small portion of their profits are given to organizations. There is nothing wrong with this, but it is always important to be informed and to know where your money is going.

Everyone is welcome to shop at thrift stores no matter their income or social status.

I challenge you to find out what type of organization your favourite thrift store supports and to leave it below in the comments section!