She’s Exposing The Dark Side Of Thrift Stores And How People Treat Them Like Dumpsters
Have you ever thought about what it’s like behind the scenes of a thrift store? Alejandra (@fungalmicrobe) is an assistant manager at a thrift store, and she’s on TikTok talking about people’s lack of consideration for others and how they donate stuff in terrible conditions, expecting the store to take care of it.
In her video, she filmed herself sitting in front of a giant pile of bags filled with clothing. These donations had already been sorted through and were deemed unsellable.
The store has a recycling service that comes to weigh the clothing per pound and give the money back to the thrift store.
But the recycling service is picky about what clothes they take, so a lot of the worn or dirty clothing the store receives ends up in the landfill.
Alejandra has seen some things as a thrift store worker. First of all, witnessing people’s consumption habits really puts into perspective how much we don’t need.
In addition, it’s sad to see the conditions in which some people live. One time, she received a bag of little boys’ clothes that had to be tossed because they were just so filthy and smelly.
She’s received plenty of donations that are basically just trash covered in urine, feces, blood, and sweat. Many articles of clothing contain giant stains or holes.
More people should ask themselves if they would buy the kind of clothes they’re donating.
Alejandra noted that thrift stores are important to communities and help uplift lower-income people move forward, so the way that thrift stores are being treated like dumpsters is insulting.
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Many TikTok users agreed that there is a lack of compassion among the general public and that consumption has gotten to crazy levels.
“Used to run a food bank. I never thought I would have to tell people not to donate rotten and expired food…it really shows what they think about people who utilize these services,” commented one user.
“I toured a back room of a thrift store last summer and was flabbergasted. It actually helped me consume less this year. I think more people need to see this side of things. Thanks for sharing!” exclaimed another.
“I’ve volunteered at thrift stores for 10+ years, and one of my pet peeves is all the holiday decor. We don’t have the space to store it, and it’s hard to sell Christmas stuff in the summer. The world doesn’t need any new Christmas decor; we have enough!” pointed out someone else.
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