The thrill of the hunt is one of the many major draws of thrift shopping, as a post on Reddit's Goodwill Bins subreddit deftly illustrated.
For the uninitiated, "Goodwill bins" are a feature of Goodwill Outlet Stores. That's where merchandise that has gone unsold at Goodwill is later sent, placed in large blue bins, and sold by the pound.
According to the retailer, the bins are where shoppers "get the best prices [on] used and brand new clothes," though the outlets can be "chaotic and competitive" compared to typical Goodwill locations. One outlet shopper struck gold with a by-the-pound purchase, snagging a high-demand vintage Ralph Lauren sweater.
"Holy Grail find," the original poster titled the photos they shared. The images showed the Ralph Lauren sweater, its tag, and a screenshot of three eBay listings for the same sweater, each priced at or over $300.
The item in question was a bona fide streetwear classic, albeit one heavily criticized for Lauren's repeated usage of culturally appropriative Native American imagery — the sort that has seen some Indigenous shoppers intentionally collect such vintage pieces into a kind of reparative archive.
Lauren has since apologized and started collaborating directly with Indigenous artists to honor more authentic designs and better remunerate designers.
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Shopping at thrift stores is arguably the best way not only to find rare designer pieces but also to acquire them at incredibly steep discounts, as this by-the-pound purchase demonstrated.
Secondhand shopping has become increasingly popular amid widespread inflation, but avid thrifters have cited dwindling quality and the rise of fast fashion as additional incentives — though they're not after clothing alone.
Thrifters have scored KitchenAid mixers for just a few bucks, fancy cookware like Le Creuset and Staub, and, on occasion, they'll find cash or jewelry stashed in a purse or a jacket pocket.
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Cheaper clothes 🤑 Shopping secondhand can save consumers money on necessities like clothes, but the benefits aren't just financial. Each thrift purchase keeps goods out of landfills, and by not buying new, shoppers reduce manufacturing demand for low-quality, high-environmental-impact items.
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Reddit's thrift community congratulated the lucky shopper on their new-to-them Ralph Lauren sweater.
"Wow! What an awesome find! You're winning," one replied.
"Holy moly! What a fab find! I'd have to keep that one all for myself cause it's something I'd never ever get to have otherwise! Enjoy it or enjoy spending your winnings," another wrote.
"The thrift gods must have been with you," a third commented.
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