Shopper sparks debate with observation of growing trend in thrift stores nationwide: 'I've seen a huge change'

A Redditor is noticing an odd and ironic trend among thrift store shoppers caught up in fast fashion: gluttony. 

The social media user from India posted on the subreddit r/Anticonsumption about what should be a practice in frugality becoming a habit of excess — chasing the latest trends at bargain prices with little restraint. 

"When thrifting ends up becoming an industry of its own, it is overconsumption," the Redditor posted. 

At issue is the amount of textile industry waste produced each year to meet so-called fast-fashion trends. Earth.org reported that the sector is the second-largest consumer of water and is responsible for 10% of the planet's carbon dioxide pollution. 

A photo with the report shows a woman sitting atop heaps of old garments abandoned on a street. They are the leavings of a market that seeks to quickly replicate the latest fads with cheap clothes. Worse yet, more than 101 million tons of products end up in a landfill each year. When the fabric is washed, around 500,000 tons of microfibers are deposited into the ocean, a problem itself being studied by scientists to gauge the human and animal health implications, all per Earth.org.

It's stunning, as secondhand shopping is typically heralded as a great, money-saving way to prevent used clothes from ending up in a landfill. But the Redditor said that shoppers need to be mindful, as well. 

"I am not saying everyone should have a wardrobe as boring as me," they wrote. "The idea of mindful consumption is to be content in less, and not get wooed by every shiny reel/tiktok/ad about a clothing article." 

The post added that overzealous bargain shoppers can lessen the meaning of "circular fashion" and "environmentally conscious" buying. It's sort of a form of greenwashing, typically attributed to companies that make weighty, planet-friendly plans for their operations, but the reality never meets the billing. 

Innovators are already trying to tackle the pollution part of the problem. Experts at Germany's University of Bonn are working on a fish gill-inspired filter to catch microplastics that turn up in our washing machines from low-cost modern materials. Plastic-eating enzymes are also being studied.

A solution for folks needing new jeans is to mend their old, comfy ones. Learning some simple sewing techniques can provide you with a new skill and a hobby, all while saving cash. It also prevents the clothes you have long enjoyed from becoming trash. Upcycling is another great option, too. 

What's your primary motivation in shopping at thrift stores? Cheaper clothes 🤑 Trendier items 😎 Reduced environmental impact 🌎 I don't thrift 🚫 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

For its part, thrift store shopping remains a great way to reuse already-made products. And you may find some huge deals at a third of the price or better. 

On Reddit, most post commenters seemed to see the sense in proceeding mindfully. 

"I'm someone who has thrifted since I was a kid in the 80s and 90s. I've seen a huge change over that time period … there is absolutely more fast fashion in thrift stores, that's unavoidable," one person wrote. 

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