Is it wrong to shop at thrift stores?

Question

I am going off to college in a few months and I am going to need to buy some things... sheets, towels, some clothes, personal care items, and so on.

I do not really have much money so I want to buy the items at some local thrift stores (St. Vincent de Paul's, Volunteers of America, Goodwill, et cetera). I have gotten good clothes and shoes there in the past, and I think it is more reasonable to buy good used things than spend a lot on brand new things.

But my friends say that I should not buy things there because that would be unfair to people who really don't have money. They say that I should buy brand new things, and if I'm actually worried about money instead of being really cheap, then I should make my parents buy the stuff.

Is it really stealing for the poor or something? I don't want to hurt poor people, and I know that it's not just poor people that shop there... I've seen a lot of people with varying degrees of money there.

So, it is wrong? Or can I shop there?

Wow, what a lot of great answers!

Thank you for confirming what I thought... I think it is a good idea to save as much money as I can, especially if I am helping others in the process. And I do not want to make my parents pay for it at all, because they have put a ton of money toward my education and raising me, and I am old enough to be responsible.

Answer 1

It is proper for you to shop at those stores. You are not stealing from the poor. The stores are set to sell to the general public, not all of them poor people.

It is said that only the poor uses second hand clothes, and used stuff. Not true. People from all economic levels buy used. Of course everybody wants to buy new, but in the real world, everybody sees that expenses matches income. It is better to buy used in one area and use the money saved in some other area.

There is social snobbery. As you go up in the economic ladder, you see less of a will to admit to buy used. It is too complicated to explain why, but such exist. Depending on the people involved, you may not want to tell you buy used. But you should not stop buying used. Some people believe that having money is a matter of hitting the lottery, or of getting the lucky breaks. In reality, it is many small sacrifices, and one of them is to buy used at times. That is why, for me, it is nor a negative to buy from used stores, but a positive.

Answer 2

Thrift stores are for everybody!! I'm not rich by any means, but I'm not hurting either, and I shop at thrift stores all the time. A lot of thrift stores are made NOT to specifically help the poor people, but to help the charity or charities that they choose.

If you feel a little guilty about it, then why not just donate some of the things you have that you no longer use? That way you are bartering, in a way. Or offer to volunteer there every so often, but personally, the thrift stores are fair game.

My friend once told me to 'take advantage of a disadvantaged world.' I do that, you should too ;)

Answer 3

No it is not wrong at all. Where I live (Alaska) the thrift stores use the profits to help the needy. Sure some people buy there because they have absolutely no other choice but many of us do it to save money. I both donate to these stores and buy from there. I am helping by buying there. One of the thrift stores is affiliated with the largest agency in the state for helping mentally and physically disabled children. I always buy my books at a thrift store. I have bought purses there. I have also given many new clothes that I ordered, didn't fit and never returned to the thrift store to sell.

As my dearly departed mother would say: "your friends could not be any more wrong if they tried." Yes, I know it is a lame saying but it is hard to forget something you have heard most of your life.

Answer 4

Good Heaven's, no. Is it wrong to try to be responsible in handling your money? Wouldn't being a good steward of your money benefit both you and others? Well...there's your answer.

I shop at thrift stores, and my favorites are those that benefit good causes. For example, one wonderful thrift store in my city is a non-profit organization that donates funds to a battered women's shelter. They also donate clothing to women and children who have left their homes with nothing but the clothes on their backs.

When I make a purchase there, I know the money goes to a good cause. And I'm always pleased to have nice, nearly-new items at bargain prices. Sure helps my budget, since I'm trying to pay off credit card debt. After they're laundered a few times, those new clothes I'm still paying for on credit look the same as those gently-worn ones in the thrift stores. Only difference is the thrift store ones are $3,4,5 dollars each instead of $30,40,or 50 new.

Another shop benefits the local animal shelter. Now how neat is that?

So, don't feel guilty about shopping at thrift stores. Trust your instincts. It is more reasonable, as you said, to buy good used things than to spend a lot on brand new things.

Answer 5

In the last few years, it really has changed. Thrifts stores carry all kinds of things now. It's definitely not just for a certain kind of person. What's wrong with being able to spot a great bargain on like balloons or salt and pepper shakers, etc...

Answer 6

No it is not wrong. I shop at Thrift Stores, and find some awesome clothes there. My family very rarely buys any clothes from a retail store. What is neat is that most people who know me think I spend serious money on our clothing....
You really have a high ethical value that will take you far in life. There are so many benefits to shopping second hand for clothes....supporting charities, saving money, and it is a wonderful way to recycle.
Peace.

Answer 7

I am not poor and I shop at thrift stores, and I don't feel guilty. You have to think about how much stuff Americans get rid of every day, that end up at thrift stores. There is plenty to go around. Also, most of the time, thrift stores are focused on helping less fortunate members of the community, funding programs for the homeless, mentally ill, disabled and addicted. So you are actually helping when you shop.

Answer 8

NO!!! of course its not wrong, and you aren't "stealing" from the poor!! your'e helping the poor, by the money you spend there.
Some really great stuff can be found at thrift stores, or op shops (Australia) and I've even bought old furniture there, and fixed it all up, and have some really terrific stuff in my home.
I WOULD suggest that your family donate towels sheets etc to you, as these would be a bit thin from an op shop. A thin towel isn't fun to use.......

Answer 9

It's perfectly fine for you to shop there. Most thrift stores are run by charities. So, whatever money you spend in those stores goes right back into the charity's funds, which they then use to help the less fortunate. You're actually helping out by shopping there. I'm honestly not sure where your friend got the idea that it's somehow stealing from poor people. That's simply not true.

Answer 10

Anyone is allowed to shop at thrift stores, and many thrift stores raise money for charity, so you would be helping not hurting.

I have found good deals at Thrift stores, but I have also found equally great deals at clearance sales in regular stores. (Like a brand new skirt at JC Penney for under $4.00.)

People who don't have money can go shop the bargain bins at new stores just as easily as you can.

Shop wherever you like, don't let your friends tell you where to shop, and as the parent of a teenage boy, please don't try and "make" your parents buy you stuff that you can manage yourself. If they are putting you through college, they are already shelling out plenty of $ on your behalf. My son has not even graduated high school yet, and I have already started paying college expenseses, such as his SAT testing, AP testing. etc.