Thrift shopping is one of the most underrated ways to buy new clothes, and not enough people are talking about it. Thrift stores are normally scattered throughout populated areas, and they aren’t very hard to find. Here in Latrobe, you can find both a Goodwill and a Salvation Army not too far from each other. These thrift stores can have a large variety of items including clothing, furniture, art, music, or anything else you can think of. With such a large selection of unique items, there are lots of amazing deals that not a lot of people know about. So why aren’t more people (specifically teens) taking advantage of these stores?

Going thrifting has a variety of advantages over buying new clothes. For starters, it is much cheaper than buying new clothes. On average, clothes at thrift stores are usually less than half the price of new clothes. For example, these Converse shoes retail for around $120, but were picked up for a mere $35. After some cleaning, the shoes look almost new. A pair of Levi jeans that normally sell new for around $80 was found for $23. You could complete the fit by buying a used American Eagle button up long sleeve shirt and look great knowing it all came from your local thrift store. While not all items are in perfect condition, chances are with a little work they can look as good as new. You can find lots of vintage or name brand clothing for much cheaper than their retail price, so what’s stopping you from going and picking some up?

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Another advantage to thrifting is that it is much better for the environment. A lot of people actually just throw away their clothes when they are done with them, which heavily contributes to pollution across the world. By donating your clothes, you may be giving them a much needed new home to someone who really needs them. Clothes at the thrift store are more affordable, so a lot of people actually rely on them for new clothes when money is tight. By donating, you are reducing wasted clothes polluting the environment and helping those who need it. 

When people buy new clothes from brands, most of them don’t know where they are actually from or how they are made. Companies including Nike, Adidas, Gap, H&M, Hollister, American Eagle, and many other popular brands use sweatshops to make their clothing. When buying from these brands, you are indirectly supporting extremely poor working conditions for many people who live in other countries. By buying from a thrift store, no money goes to these brands and instead goes to support local businesses and the local community. So the next time you plan on buying from one of these brands, think about going and supporting your local thrift store instead!