Shopper Defends Their Right To Browse Thrift Store At Their Own Pace, Leaves Resellers Fuming

Anyone who’s ever shopped at a thrift store knows that at times, it can look a lot like when Monica from Friends was trying to buy a wedding dress on sale (season 7, episode 17, if you were wondering).

Just like Monica, this redditor, too, had someone try to rip clothing out of their hands. The netizen told the online community about how three women at a thrift store, who seemed to be resellers, crowded them and made comments after they took several pieces of their size off the racks. Though they didn’t think they were doing anything wrong, the OP started wondering, nevertheless, if they were a jerk to fellow shoppers.

Seeking to learn more about what drives people’s behavior in similar situations, Bored Panda got in touch with an associate professor in consumer psychology at Anglia Ruskin University, Dr. Cathrine Jansson-Boyd, who was kind enough to answer a few of our questions. Scroll down to find her thoughts in the text below.

Image source: PenNeat5247

Discussing the situation the OP found themselves in, Dr. Cathrine Jansson-Boyd pointed out that what might come across as entitlement can actually be a strong desire to have a certain item; and bearing in mind that there are rarely two pieces of the same kind in such stores, such a desire can make the shopper act against their better judgment.

“If people like to have something unique at a good price, this can make them feel excited and generate strong feelings of wanting it,” the professor suggested.

Another thing that might make shoppers want to buy something even more, according to Dr. Jansson-Boyd, is the sight of resellers. “It depends on the people who shop there,” she told Bored Panda. “[Resellers] may put some regular shoppers off as they feel it is not in keeping with shopping in such an environment. However, for some it can fuel the want further as it makes the items in the store seem more desirable.”

According to the expert, shopping second-hand allows people to be original in a way that’s not as harmful to the environment. And indeed, shopping second-hand can be a great alternative for those seeking to be a bit more environmentally friendly, looking for a golden nugget-like piece of clothing, or simply not wanting to spend too much shopping. (In 2022, for instance, affordability and value were the key drivers of demand for second-hand products; the thrill of the hunt was reportedly quite motivating, too.) So it’s no surprise that this type of shopping has been on the rise in numerous countries in recent years.

Statista revealed that the share of people who have bought a second-hand item has grown quite noticeably between the years 2019 and 2023. In the United Kingdom, for instance, the number of respondents who have purchased a used item went from 50% to 61%; a similar jump was noticed in the US (from 49% to 60%). In France and Germany the increase was 17% and 14% respectively, while in Mexico 8% more of surveyed people showed interest in buying second-hand.

As one could expect, clothing is the thing thrift store visitors tend to hunt for the most (followed by shoes and books or movies), which is arguably great for both their wallet and the environment. Typically sold at an affordable price, second-hand items are given a new life in such stores instead of making their way to the landfills, and goodness knows we don’t need any more clothing—or any other items, for that matter—there.

According to Refact, the global population produces 92 million tons of textile waste every year. The company points out that in the roughly 20-second span you need to read a paragraph about the problem, 20 truckloads of clothes are incinerated or sent to landfill, as only 1% of used textiles are recycled into new garments.

While buying one used item won’t stop the mass production of hundreds of new ones, it will at least stop it from ending up in a landfill, together with millions of truckloads of other clothes. That’s why choosing to buy second-hand can be a great alternative to fast fashion; but what is even better is shopping your own closet.

Unless you have a capsule wardrobe, chances are that you haven’t worn some of your clothing in quite a while. It’s even possible that you don’t remember all of the things you own. Data from 2017 revealed that there are billions of pieces people own but don’t wear, as women in the US alone reportedly owned over 21 billion items, roughly one-quarter of which they kept hidden in their closets.

Data from five years ago show that people own an average of 136 apparel items each, which, hopefully, has decreased since then. And while the number might not be the same with each individual, if you feel that you might have surprisingly many items yourself—especially those you haven’t worn for a while—consider this a reminder to open up your closet and look for something ‘second-hand’ there. At least this way you won’t have to fight anyone over clothing, as the OP did at the second-hand store. Unless you have a sister…