As I mentioned in my post, “Feeding My Addiction,” almost everything I wear comes from a thrift store. Not my underwear, of course, even I have my limits. That’s why Dollar, I mean, Dollar-and-a-Quarter Tree exists! But not all of the family loves thrift stores the way The Old Man does.
One of the family refused to wear anything that came from a thrift store. To evangelize the wayward soul, The Old Man decided to perform an experiment. He took the young lass to American Eagle on one of their many shopping sprees and bought an overpriced t-shirt that she desperately wanted. He then bought an identical shirt from a thrift store.
Throughout high school, the experiment dragged on. Favorite AE jeans and shirts were worn for days on end; sometimes they landed in the laundry basket for a wash, and many times they didn’t. But the orphaned thrift store shirt never made it into the school day rotation. After the departure of the unconverted retail maven, the AE tee was tossed back into the Thrift Store Sea.
THE COST OF ADVERTISING
We are a country that worships labels. So many people I know are walking corporate billboards. Every December brings a new round of “Must Have” items. They get bought, tried on, and shot in a selfie to send to Aunt Em by way of thanks. A lot of that stuff never sees the light of day until it gets donated to a thrift store to make room for the next “Must Have” thing. If we can buy quality for less, why do we spend more?
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To be clear, not EVERYTHING should be bought from a thrift store. Electronics should always be tested and carefully examined. Unless you're like The Old Man who thinks that technological advancement ended with the abacus, cutting-edge technology ought to be sought elsewhere. But contrary to my original comment, new underwear CAN be bought at a Thrift Store. Be the first to send me a pic of a pack of unopened underwear you found and are in the process of buying at a thrift store counter, and I’ll send you a $25 Gift Card paid for, of course, with The Old Man’s money.
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