Thrift stores booming in bad times
Sales of used goods are rising as consumers ditch expensive retail stores for more creative and cheaper ways to shop. Why not? Sarah Palin does it. Ashley Milne-Tyte reports on a booming shopping sector.
A Goodwill store in Washington, D.C. (Goodwill DC)
More on The Economy, Retail, America's Financial Crisis
TEXT OF STORY
Kai Ryssdal: A lot of people around the country are following Sarah Palin's lead. Nothing political here, just fashion. Amid the brouhaha over her wardrobe, last month the Alaska governor said she was going back to buying from her favorite consignment store up in Anchorage.
Sales at second-hand stores of all kinds are up about 30 percent over last year, and that's not even counting the last couple of months of economic turmoil. Ashley Milne-Tyte reports on what looks like a recession-proof business.
Ashley Milne-Tyte: More and more shoppers are swapping the new for the gently used. Adele Myer is with the National Association of Resale and Thrift Shops.
Adele Myer: It is a good way for people to save money and to also make some extra money if they have things to sell.
If they take something to a consignment store, she says, people get a percentage when the item sells. Myer says all it takes is one successful buy to get a new second-hand shopper hooked for life. Alison Houtte has been seeing a lot of those lately.
Alison Houtte: I must say every second customer that walks in is a new face.
Houtte runs vintage clothing store Hooti Couture in Brooklyn. She says sales are up 25 to 30 percent over last year. Second-hand, she says, is far from second-rate.
Houtte: People are like "Oh my god, you poor thing, you've gotta wear second-hand!" No honey, I'm wearing second-hand and I'm gonna walk into the cocktail party and I'm gonna be the hit of the party in my Jackie O or my Audrey Hepburn cocktail dress.
Even if you can't afford breakfast -- or anything else -- at Tiffany.
In New York, I'm Ashley Milne-Tyte for Marketplace.
Comments
Comment | Refresh
Post a Comment: Please be civil, brief and relevant.
Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments. All comments are moderated. Marketplace reserves the right to edit any comments on this site and to read them on the air if they are extra-interesting. Please read the Comment Guidelines before posting.
You must be 13 or over to submit information to American Public Media. The information entered into this form will not be used to send unsolicited email and will not be sold to a third party. For more information see Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.