Moreover, some people have turned “thrifting” into a personal side hustle– sweeping up the most valuable inventory, gauging the prices, and selling it on platforms such as Depop to turn a profit.
Items that can land a high re-sell profit often include necessities such as winter coats, jeans, and shoes that are too expensive for financially-strapped families to buy elsewhere.
Additionally, even children’s clothing is being bought up and marketed as “crop tops” to teens and young adults.
This is particularly harmful since children continually grow out of clothes, and parents regularly need to invest in new items.
As more people from lower-income communities have spoken out about these adverse effects of the thrifting movement, the debate about sustainability versus socio-economic morality has grown online.
Blazedandglazed, the TikTok account run by Macy Eleni, is currently home to the most liked “thrifting haul” video on the platform. Visit Macy’s comment section, and you will find tons of people advocating against the practice.
“This is the problem, not just fast fashion,” commented one user.
“Remember when Value Village was for people in poverty?” wrote another user.
“As someone who goes thrifting because my family genuinely cannot afford stuff at the mall, it does make me a bit upset,” added a third.
The real question now is, how should people try to shop sustainably without harming other demographics?
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