Frankly, when I find something really cool at a thrift store, I feel like bragging – Woohoo! Look what I found!
I happen to work part-time in a Special Ed. classroom at our local high school, and one of our weekly activities is going to our local ARC thrift store. I help the kids with their volunteer work of sorting and removing items that have been on the racks for a while, which allows for new donations to be offered for sale. It’s a rather tedious job, and the kids are not especially interested in looking at anything but books, but the items we collect are sent to people in need throughout the world, so it’s a useful task.
Every once in a while, as we work, I’ll see something excellent and wish I had brought my purse, vowing to go back that weekend. Maybe I do, maybe I don’t, but the point is that people are donating clothing and other items all the time, helping out others who can’t afford to buy clothing, helping the kids I work with learn to be productive in our society, helping me build a fun wardrobe for less. What I’m taking advantage of when I go thrift store shopping is the fact that someone else, who has excellent taste, by the way, has purchased an item and then decided that they no longer need or want it. Sure, I think there’s stuff, but I do find treasures practically every time I shop.
It’s an interesting thought exercise to consider the history and life cycle of clothing in the world. How long will this shirt last? Who will own it after I do? If I donate it, where will it end up? If I found it at a thrift store, where did it come from? Ultimately the pithy saying “You can’t take it with you” applies to everything we own, and letting go of what no longer works for us can be as invigorating as finding something new. So, can I really brag? For what? I can only be grateful to all those who donate used clothing and enjoy the thrill of the hunt for the good stuff.
