Shopping Thrifty

February 25, 2010  
Filed under Feature

Everyone has heard of Goodwill and the Salvation Army. They are two popular thrift store chains. People can donate old clothes and also find some good deals. They sell common things like clothes, and unique things like chicken lamps. You never know what you will find. Every store is different, which is what seems to excite people most. “You can get things most people do not have, so you can be unique and stand out from the crowd!” said Amanda Thompson, sophomore.”

There are various reasons as to why people shop thrifty. Diversity, price, and unique style are all things that are components of a good thrift store. “The stuff doesn’t look stiff and brand new. It is also cheap. Cost efficiency is important,” said Haley Silva, sophomore, about why she shops thrifty.

There are many different types of thrift stores. You have the generic stores like Goodwill, and Salvation Army, and you have others like Arizona Trading Company, Wild Man, and Plato’s closet in Lawrence. Plato’s Closet is a thrift store that only sells brand name things. “I do not shop thrifty because my favorite store is American Eagle and I only shop there,” said Kylene Howard, Senior. So if you are very specific about the things that you buy and where you shop, then maybe Plato’s closet could be the thrift store for you.

Other people do not care too much about where they buy, but more the quality of clothes they are buying. “I do not like wearing clothes that other people I do not know have,” said senior, Jena Richardson. “I do not shop thrifty because, I am prissy,” said Michelle Wilmes, teacher. So maybe thrift store shopping isn’t for everyone.

People have different opinions on what types of clothes or house supplies they like to purchase, which is fine. Everyone has different standards in which they hold themselves to, so if thrift stores aren’t for some people, then they aren’t for some people.

“I think that when you shop thrifty and go to trading stores you can get a lot of unique things that most people don’t have. I don’t really care if people have worn the clothes previous to my purchase, you can wash them, and it’s really great that you can get stuff that was expensive for cheap. You can find cute vintage for less that’s what I like,” said Jaime Birzer sophomore.

“I think that a lot of people assume that only people of low economic status shop at thrift stores when in all actuality many different types of people shop there. You don’t have to be “poor” to shop thrifty. You find great quality stuff there for less. Who wouldn’t want to shop there?” said Tabitha McPheron sophomore.

“No over the past year I haven’t noticed that we have had more customers than normal. So I don’t think that the economy has affected our customers. I think that we have a very diverse group of people who shop here. It’s a great place to work,” Said manager of Arizona Trading Company.

Massachusetts Street in Lawrence, Kansas has quite a few thrift stores around. Lawrence is primarily a college town. A large percentage of college students don’t have all of their bills paid, so the opportunity of cute clothes for less is appealing to college students. “When I went to KU I loved thrift store shopping. Of course I still loved the typical Gap, and American Eagle, but I could find a lot of great stuff at Arizona Trading Company, Goodwill, and Wildman. It’s cool clothes for less. It’s like heaven for college students,” said Hannah Peterson, KU alumni.

Someone who is seen wear very thrifty things around OHS is Brittny Harms. She is often seen wearing all sorts of knit sweaters. “At thrift store you find stuff you can’t find in any other typical, generic brand name stores. It is also very cheap which is a major benefit. But I don’t shop there just because of the money. Goodwill has the best sweaters. I love them. But I don’t think that anyone has started shopping thrifty more because of the economic downturn. I don’t know many people who shopped thrifty in the past and I still don’t,” said Brittny Harms, senior.

When asked 85% of students at OHS said that they would shopped thrifty. It seems like there are two very different stances on whether or not to shop thrifty. In the end it depends on your over all style, and your mind set on what types of clothes or supplies you would like to buy. Clothes and appearance are how people view others, but that’s not the only factor of a person. So whether people shop thrifty or not, no one can walk around naked because it’s against the law.

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Dana Peterson

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