Secondhand Clothes Get Brand-New Reputation

Aug. 19, 2007 — -- What!? Buy someone else's clothes?

It's a reaction many people have until they see the typically low prices, good quality and large selection at many of the more than 25,000 resale, consignment and thrift shops in the USA. And with back-to-school season in full swing during trying economic times, the resale industry is geared up for better-than-usual sales.

"When people perceive things are getting a little tighter, we do see the benefits in our retail stores," says Taylor Bond, CEO of Children's Orchard, a chain that specializes in "gently used" kids' clothing, toys and products. Secondhand clothes have "become more acceptable," he says.

The National Association of Resale & Thrift Shops (NARTS) estimates sales in the secondhand industry have risen about 5% each year for the last decade. America's Research Group says up to 15% of people shop at resale or consignment shops at least once a year; 21% visit a department store at least that often.

Thrift stores, which are operated by non-profits such as Goodwill, have been around for decades, but more-upscale resale and consignment shops didn't really take off until the 1980s. Resale shops buy good-condition used clothing outright from consumers, while consignment stores will sell them but don't give the donors their cut — usually half of what the clothes sell for — until after the sale.

Many shoppers steer toward resale and consignment shops for children's clothing, designer or vintage apparel and even wedding dresses, while others look for more mainstream brands such as Banana Republic and Ann Taylor at a fraction of their retail price. In an informal survey, most USA TODAY shopper panel members who have children said they have shopped for their kids at secondhand stores, and many said they'd be doing so this year.

Christina Griffey of San Mateo, Calif., always considered resale/consignment shops to be like thrift stores. But after a friend, who is "as finicky as I am about wearing other people's clothes," told her she shopped at Palm Beach vintage shops, Griffey decided to give secondhand a chance. She and her 17-year-old daughter went shopping for prom dresses at upscale San Francisco stores and found great buys.