Thrifting, a form of shopping for lightly used items at discounted prices, has become significantly more popular in recent years. Instead of buying a pair of overpriced leggings at Lululemon, you can get the exact same pair for $15 at a thrift store. Thrifting has many benefits—it reduces waste, curates a one-of-a-kind wardrobe, and supports the community. One of the disadvantages of thrifting is the long time it takes to sort through the many—and often disorganized—clothing items. Another disadvantage is that often, the stores have neither a warranty nor a return policy. There are many different viewpoints on thrifting, so here are some Westmont student opinions:
Briana Anderson: “I go thrifting all the time; I think it is better for the environment [and] my bank account, and I can experiment with new, unique styles.”
Diego Aquino: “I don’t go thrifting a lot, but when I do, I think it’s a cool way of recycling fashion.”
Kelen Garcia: “Thrifting is super great if you want to find some cheap clothes while also being sustainable. There’s a wide variety of clothing which can tailor to anyone’s sense of style. However, with this also comes negatives. Such as people who purposefully thrift clothes to resell [them] for insane amounts…I feel [this] ruins the idea of being sustainable. It still is helping the environment by giving old clothes a new home! Overall, thrifting rocks!”
Valerie Garcia-Vallejo: “I think that thrifting is super cool and such a great way of giving clothes a second chance!”
Leidina Kraja: “[Thrifting is] sustainable, you can find unique pieces, and there is lots of variety. A con, however, is you don’t know where the clothes came from.”
Charlize Muyco: “Thrifting in its entirety is a great way of reusing clothes rather than them going to waste. It also makes it a lot easier for those unwilling to pay top dollar to purchase decent clothing. In my personal experience, most of the time I would be unsuccessful, and I would rarely ever get anything good. So for me, I would say it’s a great waste of time, unless I’m not looking hard or long enough.”
Sydney Reese: “I love thrifting! Not only is thrifting a good thing for the environment, but also a fun outing with friends. Finding the cutest clothes for such a low price is also the best thing ever!”
Eric Vallen (alumnus): “It’s absolutely fire. I got some Carhartt the other day for like $6 at Goodwill, looked it up and retail price would have been $185. Call me the thrifting goat.”