It's not every day you find a useful household product on sale for 98% off. But one industrious thrifter essentially did just that when they snagged a king size L.L. Bean goose down comforter, which retails for over $500, for a mere $8.99.
In what is surely a Hall of Fame thrifting find, Redditor u/lowlife9 posted a picture of their new treasure to the r/ThriftStoreHauls subreddit, where they were met with applause and incredulity from their fellow Redditors and thrifting enthusiasts.
The officially named Baffle-Box Stitch Goose Down Comforter, lined with medium-weight 600-fill white goose down, is currently listed on the L.L. Bean website for $519.
And, lest you think that u/lowlife9 (who should probably change their name to u/highlife9) ended up with someone's used-up, ratty blanket, rest assured — they also posted that the comforter passed the black light test, along with photo evidence. After washing it with a special soap made for down feathers and a tiny amount of bleach to kill any dust mites, the comforter is as good as new.
Thrifting is a great way to save money, find luxury products that may be out of your normal price range, and help the planet all at the same time. While down, a feather filling gathered from the undercoat of geese, ducks, or swans, is biodegradable (unlike less luxurious alternatives like polyester), we still don't want to see too much of it end up in landfills.
Each year, 270,000 metric tons of down are commercially produced, and according to the Audubon Society, much of that is harvested via a brutal practice called live-plucking. L.L. Bean claims to use only down that is certified by the Responsible Down Standard, which likely means that it was harvested ethically from geese that were slaughtered for food, although the specifics of that are … a bit opaque.
All that said, hitting up your local Goodwill or other thrift store is easily the best way to get a soft, warm, durable blanket like this one while ensuring that no additional geese are harmed on your behalf AND saving all the money.
Other Redditors agreed. "Omg i envy u so hard," writes one Redditor.
"I'm so jelly!" comments another. "How does stuff like this end up in a donation bin? People just not realizing what they have?"
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