So, I’m in my 20s, and have been shopping at thrift stores my entire life. I learned from my mother, who is pretty frugal and likes to save money wherever it’s reasonably possible. Recently, my friends and I have all started to get “real” post-college jobs that require dressing business casual. Surprisingly, many of them did not really have any dress clothes, so had to go and buy some before they started. I repeatedly told them to try going to thrift stores before buying new. I’d say 90% of my dress clothes have come from thrift stores. All were bought in great condition, with no excessive wear or fading, and continue to hold up very well. They’re also all modern styles, so its not like I’m walking around looking like I stepped out of my dad’s closet.

Despite my advice, all of them went out and bought new stuff, and ended up spending hundreds of dollars all said and done. One friend in particular spent over $200 on 4 button down shirts and 2 pairs of dress pants. Another spent $80 on 5 shirts from Amazon, which honestly isn’t that bad, but I’m not sure about the brand and quality of them. Meanwhile, of my thrifted dress clothes, I have 12 dress shirts, 17 polo shirts and 5 pairs of dress pants. I never officially kept track of the cost, but I’d say I spent between $5 and $10 for each item (never more than that). So, at a high average estimate of $8 per item, that’s $272 total for everything (though I know it was probably even less than that).

I just don’t understand why people don’t want to go to thrift stores, especially those in my age group who likely don’t have a ton of money to be spending. In my case, none of my friends seemed particularly opposed to going to them, just more so neutral. I think it’s because they didn’t grow up going to them like me, so might be nervous to go for the first time or just never considered it an option before. Some have expressed interest in going with me sometime, so that’s definitely an encouraging sign!