A denim jacket is a timeless and affordable staple that one can often get for less than $50. However, a Redditor posted how their search for a jean jacket at a thrift store proved more costly than a new one.
According to their post in the r/ThriftGrift subreddit, the dark Calvin Klein denim beauty was priced at $75. The shopper wrote that they bluntly asked one of the thrift shop employees: "Aren't these cheaper new at the mall?"
The worker responded that those jackets supposedly go for "3 times that" online. The original poster wrote that "I'd like to see the source." A quick review of the Calvin Klein website shows a new Classic Trucker jacket on sale for $65.40 from its regular $100 price — $10 less than the thrifted item.
The commenters were also skeptical. One CK jacket owner said: "I paid 30 for mine and I thought that was a bit much."
Another wrote: "This is literally a jacket you get at Winners/Marshalls brand new for $39.99."
While an example of corporate greed, this outlier doesn't compare to the many vintage or luxury items people get from secondhand stores.
In the r/ThriftStoreHauls subreddit, another shopper was surprised that their seemingly ordinary $6.49 color-blocked sweater is a Faherty item retailing for $328.
Another found even rarer items like Coco Chanel pants and a gown by George Stavropoulos — a designer who once dressed the late Jackie Kennedy and Elizabeth Taylor.
Shopping at thrift stores not only saves money, but it also makes it easy to break up with fast fashion. The average fast-fashion item lasts 10 wears before falling apart and becoming part of a landfill, according to UCLA Sustainability. However, your local thrift stores often have better quality apparel in mint condition, even when decades old.
Old textiles can easily find new life in other products. Yet, the average American tosses out 81 pounds of clothing annually instead of upcycling them into other clothing, bags, quilts, cleaning rags, and more.
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Cheaper clothes 🤑 How textile waste affects water conservation is alarming — one cotton shirt requires 2,700 liters (about 713 gallons) of fresh water to make — and it causes 20% of global water pollution, according to the European Parliament.
Per the United Nations Environment Programme, the fashion industry may be responsible for up to 9% of the microplastics filling oceans — some of which may be in your body.
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