Thrifting
Encyclopedia
Thrifting refers to the act of shopping
at a thrift store, flea market
, garage sale
, or a shop of a charitable organization
, usually with the intent of finding interesting items at a cheap price.
A larger philosophy
permeates the act of thrifting which celebrates the recycling
of formerly-owned items, finding new use and new love for vintage
material goods which had been thrown out, and the thrill of imagining what the former life of the item was like.
A 'zine called "Thrift Score", published in the 1990s by Ms. Al Hoff, celebrated this lifestyle. Many "resale" shops pull their more interesting items from thrift stores and sell them at higher prices - the premium is because the "digging for gold" has already been done.
, thrift came to the English language from an Old Norse verb meaning grasp or get hold of. Among several definitions, Merriam-Webster
defines thrift as: careful management especially of money and claims its origins are Middle English, from Old Norse meaning prosperity, from thrīfask to thrive from the 13th century.
It is interesting that thrift, with roots as a verb, formally remains a noun by today's English standards. Though it is not a proper verb, thrifting or to thrift has found place in modern American language out of necessity. There seems to be no other verb that fits the term to shop for re-purposed/re-used products.
American lexicon has also morphed thrift to that of an adjective, thrifty.
There is also a large population of people who thrift comprising members of alternative lifestyle and alternative fashion communities. This is sometimes due to related social issues associated with non-mainstream ideologies related to clothing(like as the anti-consumer movement) and/or due to the uniqueness and variety of product being offered versus common shopping centers.
With heightened environmental awareness, a new audience has come to thrift. The Eco-thrifter shops thrift stores because it is a finely tuned way to reduce one's carbon footprint
with shopping behavior. The Eco-thrifter not only seeks to save money, but also to reduce their carbon footprint; even though this is one of the easiest ways to recycle, this form of supporting the environment has received little media attention.
Shopping
Shopping is the examining of goods or services from retailers with the intent to purchase at that time. Shopping is an activity of selection and/or purchase. In some contexts it is considered a leisure activity as well as an economic one....
at a thrift store, flea market
Flea market
A flea market or swap meet is a type of bazaar where inexpensive or secondhand goods are sold or bartered. It may be indoors, such as in a warehouse or school gymnasium; or it may be outdoors, such as in a field or under a tent...
, garage sale
Garage sale
A garage sale, also known as a yard sale, rummage sale, tag sale, lawn sale, attic sale, moving sale, or junk sale, is an informal, irregularly scheduled event for the sale of used goods by private individuals, in which "block sales" are allowed, so that sellers are not required to obtain business...
, or a shop of a charitable organization
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
, usually with the intent of finding interesting items at a cheap price.
A larger philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
permeates the act of thrifting which celebrates the recycling
Recycling
Recycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...
of formerly-owned items, finding new use and new love for vintage
Vintage
Vintage, in wine-making, is the process of picking grapes and creating the finished product . A vintage wine is one made from grapes that were all, or primarily, grown and harvested in a single specified year. In certain wines, it can denote quality, as in Port wine, where Port houses make and...
material goods which had been thrown out, and the thrill of imagining what the former life of the item was like.
A 'zine called "Thrift Score", published in the 1990s by Ms. Al Hoff, celebrated this lifestyle. Many "resale" shops pull their more interesting items from thrift stores and sell them at higher prices - the premium is because the "digging for gold" has already been done.
Origin
According to the Oxford English DictionaryOxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...
, thrift came to the English language from an Old Norse verb meaning grasp or get hold of. Among several definitions, Merriam-Webster
Merriam-Webster
Merriam–Webster, which was originally the G. & C. Merriam Company of Springfield, Massachusetts, is an American company that publishes reference books, especially dictionaries that are descendants of Noah Webster’s An American Dictionary of the English Language .Merriam-Webster Inc. has been a...
defines thrift as: careful management especially of money and claims its origins are Middle English, from Old Norse meaning prosperity, from thrīfask to thrive from the 13th century.
It is interesting that thrift, with roots as a verb, formally remains a noun by today's English standards. Though it is not a proper verb, thrifting or to thrift has found place in modern American language out of necessity. There seems to be no other verb that fits the term to shop for re-purposed/re-used products.
American lexicon has also morphed thrift to that of an adjective, thrifty.
Thrifters
Thrifting lures a variety of different audiences. Two most commonly come to mind: 1) People who have no economic choice but to buy secondhand, 2) Bargain or treasure hunters. There is an emerging third audience and chances are it far outnumbers the first two. Simply put, this is an audience of smart shoppers consisting largely of families with a stay at home parent and young professionals. Their reasons for thrifting are a combination of the first two. Overall, these three groups thrift to save money because they have to or want to.There is also a large population of people who thrift comprising members of alternative lifestyle and alternative fashion communities. This is sometimes due to related social issues associated with non-mainstream ideologies related to clothing(like as the anti-consumer movement) and/or due to the uniqueness and variety of product being offered versus common shopping centers.
With heightened environmental awareness, a new audience has come to thrift. The Eco-thrifter shops thrift stores because it is a finely tuned way to reduce one's carbon footprint
Carbon footprint
A carbon footprint has historically been defined as "the total set of greenhouse gas emissions caused by an organization, event, product or person.". However, calculating a carbon footprint which conforms to this definition is often impracticable due to the large amount of data required, which is...
with shopping behavior. The Eco-thrifter not only seeks to save money, but also to reduce their carbon footprint; even though this is one of the easiest ways to recycle, this form of supporting the environment has received little media attention.
Reasons for thrifting
There are many reasons:- Thrifting is a GreenGreenGreen is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 520–570 nanometres. In the subtractive color system, it is not a primary color, but is created out of a mixture of yellow and blue, or yellow and cyan; it is considered...
practice involving the reuseReuseTo reuse is to use an item more than once. This includes conventional reuse where the item is used again for the same function, and new-life reuse where it is used for a different function. In contrast, recycling is the breaking down of the used item into raw materials which are used to make new...
, recycle, or re-style of a product and allows that product a longer life in its use thus diverting the product from a landfillLandfillA landfill site , is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment...
. - More often than not, thrifting supports charity.
- By definition of the noun, thrift, thrifting is a frugal practice that can bring significant savings to the thrifter.
- Thrifting diverts mass market spending into a market of one-of-a-kinds and originals.
- Socially speaking, thrifting is a lesson in the treasures a culture tosses and the junk people keep.
- Thrifting provides cheap, local access to a variety of styles from many eras and trends related to alternative dress styles that are not widely available in certain areas or are only found at more expensive specialty shops.
See also
- AffluenzaAffluenzaAffluenza, from affluence and influenza, is a term used by critics of capitalism and consumerism. Sources define it as follows:Proponents of the term consider that the prizing of endless increases in material wealth may lead to feelings of worthlessness and dissatisfaction rather than experiences...
- Anti-consumerismAnti-consumerismAnti-consumerism refers to the socio-political movement against the equating of personal happiness with consumption and the purchase of material possessions...
- Conspicuous consumptionConspicuous consumptionConspicuous consumption is spending on goods and services acquired mainly for the purpose of displaying income or wealth. In the mind of a conspicuous consumer, such display serves as a means of attaining or maintaining social status....
- DownshiftingDownshiftingDownshifting is a social behavior or trend in which individuals live simpler lives to escape from the rat race of obsessive materialism and to reduce the “stress, overtime, and psychological expense that may accompany it.” It emphasizes finding an improved balance between leisure and work and...
- FrugalityFrugalityFrugality is the quality of being frugal, sparing, thrifty, prudent or economical in the use of consumable resources such as food, time or money, and avoiding waste, lavishness or extravagance....
- MottainaiMOTTAINAIis a Japanese term meaning "a sense of regret concerning waste when the intrinsic value of an object or resource is not properly utilized." The expression "Mottainai!" can be uttered alone as an exclamation when something useful, such as food or time, is wasted, meaning roughly "Oh, what a waste!"...
- Over-consumptionOver-consumptionOver-consumption is a situation where resource-use has outpaced the sustainable capacity of the ecosystem. A prolonged pattern of overconsumption leads to inevitable environmental degradation and the eventual loss of resource bases...
- Simple livingSimple livingSimple living encompasses a number of different voluntary practices to simplify one's lifestyle. These may include reducing one's possessions or increasing self-sufficiency, for example. Simple living may be characterized by individuals being satisfied with what they need rather than want...