Shopping at stores like Goodwill is no longer frowned upon.

[jdmyprez_deo_vindice]

Why was it frowned upon to begin with?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101108/ap_on_bi_ge/us_consumer_chill_stigmas%3B_ylt%3DAqX8Mt3ZxOvd07p 7THLiYrSs0NUE%3B_ylu%3DX3oDMTFpM3FnZTE2BHBvcwMzNwR zZWMDYWNjb3JkaW9uX21vc3RfcG9wdWxhcgRzbGsDaW5hdG91Z 2hlY29u

This is my favorite part:


EDITOR'S NOTE - The Great Recession has been over for nearly a year and a half, and the economy is slowly growing again. But many of the drastic changes that Americans made in how they spend money have endured - and may be here to stay, some economists think. In a three-part series, The Associated Press examines the state of the American consumer.

Who do they think they are fooling?

[amy31416]

My sister-in-law manages a thrift store...I pay $15 for a classic (genuine) Coach purse that will last me the rest of my life, schmucks pay $300+.

[jdmyprez_deo_vindice]

My sister-in-law manages a thrift store...I pay $15 for a classic (genuine) Coach purse that will last me the rest of my life, schmucks pay $300+.

Exactly... I can buy almost anything I want from thrift stores, auctions, garage sales, etc. Why go pay a ridiculous price for something you can get cheap and often time of better quality. Being seen carrying a bag from a name brand store does not mean much to me at all.

[libertythor]

Shopping at thrift stores was only frowned upon by egregious snobs. I have purchased some very high quality items, and I go by the adage that "nobody has to know where you got it from".

[dannno]

Exactly... I can buy almost anything I want from thrift stores, auctions, garage sales, etc. Why go pay a ridiculous price for something you can get cheap and often time of better quality. Being seen carrying a bag from a name brand store does not mean much to me at all.

I don't know any males that really care about brands beyond the fact that they have figured out that it helps them get laid.

And guys don't give a shit if girls are wearing fat heels in a skinny heel year, either.. it's the other girls that treat her differently..

[emazur]

Goodwill outlet stores are awesome. Most goods are available $1.59/lb, CDs and records $1 each. Cheap furniture too

[jdmyprez_deo_vindice]

I don't know any males that really care about brands beyond the fact that they have figured out that it helps them get laid.

We must not know the same types of guys. Many of the ones I know are obsessed with brand name shoes, having clothes with logos that stand out, etc etc etc

[oyarde]

My sister-in-law manages a thrift store...I pay $15 for a classic (genuine) Coach purse that will last me the rest of my life, schmucks pay $300+.

My daughter carries a purse she paid about half of what I paid for my first car for . Nuts .

[dannno]

We must not know the same types of guys. Many of the ones I know are obsessed with brand name shoes, having clothes with logos that stand out, etc etc etc

The question is not IF they are obsessed, I know guys who are obsessed with brand names... the question is WHY are they obsessed with the brand name clothing?

I get surf/skate brand named clothing off a website that is similar to woot.com, so I pay like $15 for a $65 piece of clothing, or like $20 for a $70 pair of shoes.. I've never been a big fan of the big brand names, but I get more attention from girls when I wear that shit.. but I still refuse to pay full price.

[oyarde]

Shopping at thrift stores was only frowned upon by egregious snobs. I have purchased some very high quality items, and I go by the adage that "nobody has to know where you got it from".

When I was in my late 20's I bought work shirts there for about a buck. When I got them covered in grease at work and pitched them , I felt alot better about it .

[evilfunnystuff]

I don't know any males that really care about brands beyond the fact that they have figured out that it helps them get laid.

And guys don't give a shit if girls are wearing fat heels in a skinny heel year, either.. it's the other girls that treat her differently..

There is only one brand of clothing that is important to me but its not the brand thats important its the cut. I love my old school wide leg Jnco's, I havent worn another brand in over 20 years.

The site bewild says Jnco is gonna start makin them again, which rocks cause the used pairs on ebay are gettin pretty pricey these days.

[BuddyRey]

That's quite alright with me if the jet-set thinks thrift stores are "beneath them." Let them squander their money on label prestige, retail costs, and overhead. I think we know how well they'll survive the recession/depression with that strategy.

[libertybrewcity]

When was it ever frowned upon, except by the upper class? I grew up upper-middle class and I bought most of my clothes there or at cheaper places like Value Village because I could get 10 shirts for 5 bucks.

I also paid for a 1 month trip to Europe through 7 countries by selling used books from goodwill and other thrift stores:)

[dannno]

There is only one brand of clothing that is important to me but its not the brand thats important its the cut. I love my old school wide leg Jnco's, I havent worn another brand in over 20 years.

The site bewild says Jnco is gonna start makin them again, which rocks cause the used pairs on ebay are gettin pretty pricey these days.

Ya but you'd buy them if the brand name wasn't written on them and nobody could tell them from a pair of Levis, so it doesn't count the same.

[madengr]

The actual Goodwill store is pretty filthy, while Savers is clean. It's like comparing Walmart to Target. Anyway, whatever I can't sell at a yard sale, I donate at Savers (getting a tax write-off) and get a 15% off coupon.

[jdmyprez_deo_vindice]

When was it ever frowned upon, except by the upper class? I grew up upper-middle class and I bought most of my clothes there or at cheaper places like Value Village because I could get 10 shirts for 5 bucks.

I also paid for a 1 month trip to Europe through 7 countries by selling used books from goodwill and other thrift stores:)

When I was growing up, kids were ridiculed without mercy for not having brand name clothes or if their parents shopped at discount stores. The worst I ever saw was a teacher make fun of a kid for having a backpack that came from a damaged freight warehouse.

Around here we have a overstock warehouse shop called "Ollies" which is just a fantastic place with some of the best prices you will find. One of my dearest friends is almost as broke as I am and when I suggested she could save some money there her response was "I would not be caught dead in that place".

[RonPaulwillWin]

I've probably made about $500 bucks on ebay reselling electronics that I bought in a thrift store. Plus I can buy shirts for a buck and half

[evilfunnystuff]

Ya but you'd buy them if the brand name wasn't written on them and nobody could tell them from a pair of Levis, so it doesn't count the same.

Ya when they started gettin harder to find I tried a few other brands Kickwear was close but meh.

I was actually considering making a pattern from a pair I have, until I saw they were gonna make em again.

[oyarde]

When I was growing up, kids were ridiculed without mercy for not having brand name clothes or if their parents shopped at discount stores. The worst I ever saw was a teacher make fun of a kid for having a backpack that came from a damaged freight warehouse.

Around here we have a overstock warehouse shop called "Ollies" which is just a fantastic place with some of the best prices you will find. One of my dearest friends is almost as broke as I am and when I suggested she could save some money there her response was "I would not be caught dead in that place".

A teacher ridiculing a kid over a backpack ? If I had witnnessed that I would have given that teacher a verbal dressing down right there . Of course these may be some of the reasons I was permanently expelled from the Luthern school and barely made it through public school :) . Looking back , I feel sorry for my Mother , I try and make up for it now though .

[JCF]

Always shopped at goodwill as a kid. Now that I'm out on my own I still do, and my girlfriend isn't high class so we save quite a bit, especially with her being a cook.

It was never frowned upon by anyone I knew, then again I grew up around the lower classes, sometimes middle...

[amy31416]

Exactly... I can buy almost anything I want from thrift stores, auctions, garage sales, etc. Why go pay a ridiculous price for something you can get cheap and often time of better quality. Being seen carrying a bag from a name brand store does not mean much to me at all.

I'm not at all a "brand" person, unless it actually makes a difference--and old-school Coach purses are very high quality and not trendy. You can't actually tell that they're Coach unless you're weird and know a lot about purses....meaning, they aren't those goofy things with insignias all over them. The leather is thick like a saddle, but really soft. Solid brass hardware--good stuff.

I always shop there for "experimental" things--like when I bought a brand-new $5 food dehydrator, not knowing if I'd actually use it or not. Far better than spending $50 on one from a regular retail store, then having it collect dust.

All I'd recommend is that with all the bedbug outbreaks lately, is that if you buy clothes there--wash them in hot water as soon as you get home, just in case. :eek:

[Revolution0918]

We must not know the same types of guys. Many of the ones I know are obsessed with brand name shoes, having clothes with logos that stand out, etc etc etc

Depends on who u hang with and where your at. When i was in college in Colorado my friends and I could care less about what we wore, as long as we were comfortable. Now i live in Houston and if your seen wearing anything WITHOUT a high fashion logo your frowned upon. Take me back to the rockies .......

[Dreamofunity]

Ain't nothing like polyester pants.

[oyarde]

Ain't nothing like polyester pants.

Not comfy .

[TonySutton]

High school kids in my area have been shopping at Goodwill for about 5 years maybe longer.

[amy31416]

Ain't nothing like polyester pants.

You put the YES in polYESter.

[Kotin]

All of my clothes are from a thrift store.. All my rifles are from pawn shops and most of the things in my room were bought on eBay

[oyarde]

All of my clothes are from a thrift store.. All my rifles are from pawn shops and most of the things in my room were bought on eBay

I always bought used weapons too . Harder to trace back to you .

[nate895]

The reason why I don't shop at thrift stores very often is because of the limited supply of thrift goods compared to regular goods. If you haven't noticed, but when you go into a thrift store when everyone is strapped for cash, there is hardly anything on the shelf. Back to my point, poor people actually need to buy things at 10% of the going rate for a new one. My family can afford to buy stuff at regular prices for the most part, so I shop there instead of at Goodwill-type stores. I don't look down upon people who purchase stuff at thrift stores or the goods that you buy there (as if you could tell the difference in 90% of cases), I just choose to refrain from purchasing them.

[james1906]

I went to high school in the 90s and was into ska and punk. It was trendy to go to a thrift store and buy t-shirts with dumb sayings on them, as well as wearing a cheap pair of Dickies pants.

Abercrummy et al co-opted the ironic t-shirt thing and made fake thrift store shirts for 30 bucks a pop.

[DanielF17]

I never really saw the point to buying ripped jeans or buy an expensive shirt with the name of the store on it.

I do love buying my shirts at shirt.woot.com but most of my clothes purchases are done at cheap stores like the salvation army.

[Dreamofunity]

I went to high school in the 90s and was into ska and punk. It was trendy to go to a thrift store and buy t-shirts with dumb sayings on them, as well as wearing a cheap pair of Dickies pants.

Abercrummy et al co-opted the ironic t-shirt thing and made fake thrift store shirts for 30 bucks a pop.

This was the same for me, although a little later time period.