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For quite a while, I got the BEST boots at a couple of local thrift shops. This was in California. One often just looked at donations in a box and put a sticker on it saying so much for any item. They randomly put the shoes/boots in a pile. On pair were real leather, in perfect condition, and probably a hundered dollar tall to the knee boots. I paid five. My best find ever.
Did I worry about getting coodies? Naw. And one pair was strange, with pipe sections what you laced it through. It would have been expensive and it was a dollar. I got LOTS of compliments.
I'd have had none of these, or the Mucklucks I also got for some five bucks which I literally wore out.
I don't get people who are afraid of touching anything for fear of germs. You're supposed to get exposed to a variety of microbes so you develop a good immune system. Then all those random 'bugs' do not make you sick.
Yes, you wash clothes from a thrift store. But I used to do a lot of summer clothes shopping at Good Will. They did it by color, not size, which was neat. Where I lived people tossed out nearly new clothes all the time and I got GREAT stuff really cheap. Sadly, where I live now, stuff is worth rags or a small hunk of blue material or the zippers before it goes so the shopping isn't so good.
People should be *encouraged* to donate and buy stuff which is still wearable since its a good way of not wasting so much of our planets precious resources.
For quite a while, I got the BEST boots at a couple of local thrift shops. This was in California. One often just looked at donations in a box and put a sticker on it saying so much for any item. They randomly put the shoes/boots in a pile. On pair were real leather, in perfect condition, and probably a hundered dollar tall to the knee boots. I paid five. My best find ever.
Did I worry about getting coodies? Naw. And one pair was strange, with pipe sections what you laced it through. It would have been expensive and it was a dollar. I got LOTS of compliments.
I'd have had none of these, or the Mucklucks I also got for some five bucks which I literally wore out.
I don't get people who are afraid of touching anything for fear of germs. You're supposed to get exposed to a variety of microbes so you develop a good immune system. Then all those random 'bugs' do not make you sick.
Yes, you wash clothes from a thrift store. But I used to do a lot of summer clothes shopping at Good Will. They did it by color, not size, which was neat. Where I lived people tossed out nearly new clothes all the time and I got GREAT stuff really cheap. Sadly, where I live now, stuff is worth rags or a small hunk of blue material or the zippers before it goes so the shopping isn't so good.
People should be *encouraged* to donate and buy stuff which is still wearable since its a good way of not wasting so much of our planets precious resources.
I totally agree with the idea of trying to re-use and salvage things. I think at least where I am from we waste so much stuff and often just get tired of things. I think it is way better to re-purpose stuff. I have heard of the idea of having swap/ trading parties where groups of people met up and just put stuff they no longer use or need in piles and just trade off each other. Never tried it, but think it is a cool idea.
Ive always loved thrift store clothes even as a teen when I wasn't required to pay for my own stuff. I don't care about the history of a particular garment. If I like it and want it then it works for me.
I rarely buy clothing at thrift stores because I am petite and rarely find anything that fits properly and I don't have the patience to go through racks and racks of clothes to find the one rose among all the thorns. I don't have the patience to even shop at places like TJ Maxx for that reason. The petites are usually thrown in with all the other clothes and I'm not into the hunt. I usually wait for a great sale at my favorite stores where I can find my size without spending hours searching.
That being said I went into a consignment shop one day just browsing and saw a black evening gown that was beautiful and in my size. Although it wasn't petite I figured I could hem it. The gown fit like it was made for me and it cost me under $20. I have had to take it in when I lost 20 pounds but I still have it 10 years later.
I would buy from consignment shops more than I ever would do from Goodwill.
Deceased person's clothing or not, I've never bought USED clothing in my entire life...never have, never will. I'd still rather buy cheap, NEW clothing.
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"I don't understand. But I don't care, so it works out."
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I buy almost all my clothes used.
Upscale consignment resale, all the way down to Savers and Goodwill.
I am SO SICK of paying 50 bucks or so for a top or a pair of jeans and wash them twice and they shrink or lose their shape (especially with shirts).
If you get something that's been gently warn, and washed several times, it's not going to change when you wash it.
Also I hate the gauze thin shirts you can buy right now. Cheap and flimsy.
I buy very expensive purses second hand - right now I'm carrying a beautiful 400 dollar leather purse that I bought for $35. I wonder where all it's been . . .
I think a lot of the clothing found in thrift shops , especially vintage clothing is probably deceased people's clothing, unless it's something current manufacter thats been worn a few times and donated recently.
most people donate deceased person's clothing after a death in the family
so the clothing your wearing could be a dead man's clothes / dead lady clothes
does it bother you? I remember as a kid going into Salvation Army it use to smell so bad I use to gag from the smell of the old clothing and old shoes.
Heh - not only do I BUY it, I literally used to make a living buying and reselling used/vintage clothes! I have no qualms about "germs" - you wash it like anything else. Thrift shopping isn't so good anymore but I still buy from ebay and get great deals. My best find was a fantastic leather bomber jacket in the softest suede in an intricately stitched colorful butterfly design (Michael Hobin North Beach). I paid $15 and it would have cost at least 800 or 900 dollars new!
Upscale consignment resale, all the way down to Savers and Goodwill.
I am SO SICK of paying 50 bucks or so for a top or a pair of jeans and wash them twice and they shrink or lose their shape (especially with shirts).
If you get something that's been gently warn, and washed several times, it's not going to change when you wash it.
Also I hate the gauze thin shirts you can buy right now. Cheap and flimsy.
I buy very expensive purses second hand - right now I'm carrying a beautiful 400 dollar leather purse that I bought for $35. I wonder where all it's been . . .
True, it won't change when you wash it, but I'll know mentally in my mind that someone else had their armpits or crotch in these clothes...well, I'd definitely never buy used pants for sure, I don't care how many times I would have dry cleaned it. Plus, you don't know who had cancer, AIDS, STDs, some weird rash, etc. Their body's been too close to the fabric for me to wear them afterward.
I have a gauze-thin top from H&M. They were on a good sale & came in 3 different colors, so I just bought about 5 or 6 of them, so I have a couple in each color.
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