10 Irritating Things That Make Thrift Store Shopping (Almost) Unbearable

Historically, a smart way to save money is to purchase items—clothing, accessories, decor, furniture—secondhand when available. Recently, increasing sustainability awareness and practices have been pushing people in that direction. 

The value of the secondhand apparel market is expected to reach $351 billion worldwide by 2027, and that’s without accounting for any arbitrary inflation.

But, even with the increasing popularity of thrifting, these 11 things drive us crazy.

In recent years, you might notice more and more thrift stores and antique malls overcharging for vintage finds. Just because something is nostalgic does not make it worth a fortune. 

Many Redditors believe it is because of the increase in popularity of thrifting. Others understand the increasing cost of running a brick-and-mortar can take a toll on prices.

Thrift store volunteers mention they are instructed to look up current prices for quality or new versions of the products instead of pricing items to sell.

If you are looking for a cheap find, it might not be an option. While thrift stores are actively trying to price resellers out of finding quality items at their shops, they still seem to be buying every good item to sell online, at pop-ups, or in boutiques.

Many people mention getting huge hauls from thrift stores and then posting those items for sale online for major increases.

Even if you aren’t shopping with individual resellers, a lot of thrift shops have been pricing their used items higher than you could ever purchase them new. Products that are recent releases but no longer available are sold like they were limited edition runs. Mugs and accessories purchased at the dollar store are often sold for two and three times the price, at minimum.

Are the clothes jam-packed on the racks so tightly you can’t see anything? Is it super crowded? Are items piled willy-nilly on the shelves or in the bins, making it impossible to find anything?

Thrift shop owners usually do what they can to make older, less convenient spaces more efficient, but hyper-consumerism means more inventory. Unfortunately, that often makes racks difficult to sort and navigate, resulting in a subpar experience.

One of the joys of thrifting used to be that you could take your time and leisurely consider an array of items from years past. 

These days, thrift shops can be so crowded that you can’t even think straight long enough to make a decision on items you found, let alone enjoy the experience.

Many thrift shops and secondhand stores do not invest in optimizing their store layouts, updating their spaces, or even making sure the hangers aren’t broken. 

This could be because they go through so much inventory so quickly that it almost doesn’t make sense to develop more structure.

Most secondhand stores just feel like mazes aimed at being physical manifestations of treasure troves.

The time has come… fast fashion is now in thrift stores across the United States. While looking for sturdy, well-made items, you will now have to dig through piles of thin, fraying H&M dresses, Forever 21 leggings, and SHEIN t-shirts for anything of worth.

Clothing items aren’t always taken care of correctly. If the store is understaffed or lacks the resources, they are likely to skip washing any donations before putting them on the sales floor.

Items that are not cleaned or washed make a negative impression on shoppers, and experiencing it can turn people off from purchasing from your store completely.

Goodwill now sells hauls online, as do other vintage storefronts. So, it is safe to say that anything they deem worthy of making an actual chunk of change will be pulled aside for digital sales and even auctions.

If you walk into one of their stores, you are working with what is leftover, and even those items are often overpriced.

When you donate your items to a thrift shop or secondhand storefront, you want to know that they are being used and put toward a good cause. Only about 10-30% of the clothes donated to thrift stores will be put on the sales floor.

While some thrift shops promise to recycle un-marketable clothing and fibers and do what they can to re-purpose damaged items, many don’t go to the trouble. You often won’t be able to tell which is which.

While thrifting can be a great way to save some cash, lately, it’s taken a turn to the dark side — gentrification. 

This is the idea that thrifting is fashionable rather than a way to save money, which often leads to spikes in pricing and items that are not accessible to people who actually need them, instead going to shoppers who are just jumping on the thrifting bandwagon because it’s trendy.

Avoid wasting money and help lower demand — and pricing — on thrifted items by working through hand-me-downs and yard sales before buying from a new seller or thrift shop.