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Woman Flabbergasted At Thrift Store’s Prices, Calls Them Out By Sharing 14 Examples
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Woman Flabbergasted At Thrift Store’s Prices, Calls Them Out By Sharing 14 Examples

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In the last decade, thrift hunting has become a hobby, if not a lifestyle, for many secondhand and vintage aficionados with a sharp eye for budget-friendly treasure. But people have noticed that prices for secondhand goods are getting higher than ever, and this TikToker who goes by the handle @Mrsniceguyy has had enough of it.

Captioned “I just can’t deal anymore,” the author shared a video stating that “Value Village just needs to be called out,” since they’re “getting out of control.” Mrsniceguyy then proceeds to share a couple of examples on the green screen behind her. She shows just what a ripoff their prices are for used, worn, dirty and defunct items that, according to her, don’t even cost that much brand new.

The author also created a petition “Boycott Value Village” that already has 111 signatures out of the objective 200. The petition says that pricing items higher than what they cost brand new shows the company is lazy and cares more about making a buck than offering consumers a way to shop secondhand instead of buying new.”

Scroll down to see what Mrsniceguyy had to say about Value Village below and let us know if you have noticed price increases in thrift stores!

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    Image credits: Jason F. Voll

    Image credits: mrsniceguyy

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    It’s no secret that the secondhand market is rising faster than ever before. In 2020, the global market value of secondhand and resale apparel was estimated to be worth 27 billion U.S. dollars. This value is not just stopping there but is projected to rise rapidly in the coming years, almost doubling in size from 2020 to 2023, before reaching a value of 77 billion dollars in 2025.

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    Image credits: mrsniceguyy

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    Moreover, this rapid growth is not limited to the U.S.: in 2020, The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) conducted a study in 6 countries (the U.S., France, Spain, Italy, Germany and the U.K.) for Vestiaire Collective – the online platform for luxury secondhand fashion items – and estimated that the global secondhand market should grow by 15-20% per year in the next 5 years.

    Image credits: mrsniceguyy

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    So what are the reasons for the secondhand renaissance? Well, first of all, consumers are prioritizing sustainability and retailers are embracing reselling. Experts say that at this point, we are in the early stages of a radical transformation in retail.

    This newly surged secondhand demand is driven by resale platforms. These digital resale marketplaces like Depop, Vinted, Vestiaire Collective, ThredUP or RealReal connect consumers with no intermediary. They are expected to go from $15 billion in 2021 to $47 billion in 2025 in the U.S. Fashion brands are joining the trend by selling their own approved secondhand pieces on their websites.

    Image credits: mrsniceguyy

    Image credits: mrsniceguyy

    Bored Panda reached out to Sean Fowlow, the professional thrift hunter and creator of “Ridiculous Thrifter” to talk about rising prices in thrift stores. Sean said that just about everything has gone up in price. We previously wrote about his entertaining page that features “the wonderful, bizarre and insanely overpriced items” found at secondhand points from Facebook marketplace to secondhand stores and charity shops. You can check out the article right here.

    “Partly because of inflation, but I would have to argue it’s mostly because of the explosion in popularity of re-selling used items on the internet for extra income. The thrift shop owners have caught on to this and are now researching the current market values of items before pricing them for sale.”

    Sean explained that “for instance, several years ago a particular thrift shop would have a set price for all video games…say $3.99 each or so. Now, at most shops, you will find the more valuable games priced separately and locked in a glass showcase with a price tag of whatever it sells for currently on eBay.” The professional thrifter said that it’s the same for retro toys, collectibles, and cookware now as well. “The days of finding a treasure for cheap at a thrift store are unfortunately almost behind us,” he told us.

    The author also created a petition that asks people to boycott Value Village and it already has 111 signatures

    Image credits: mrsniceguyy

    And here are the viral TikTok videos Mrsniceguyy shared

    @mrsniceguyy I just can’t deal anymore #boycottvaluevillage #thrifting #vancouver ♬ original sound – Mrs Nice Guy

    @mrsniceguyy Reply to @gracebrinkly glad to hear so many of you have already long stopped shopping there! #greenscreen #boycottvaluevillage ♬ original sound – Mrs Nice Guy

    When asked if it’s common for thrift stores to sell items for a price that is even higher than what you’d pay for a brand new item, Sean confirmed that’s the case. “I’ve noticed this is happening more frequently in the past 2-3 years. Especially with the larger franchise thrift shops like “Goodwill” or “Savers/Value Village.” The professional thrifter added that his “Ridiculous Thrifter” Instagram and Facebook accounts were created to shed light on and make fun of this very thing.

    “You will often find brand new or good-used conditioned items priced higher than the original retail price. Many times, they get caught being lazy by failing to remove the original price tag. For instance a pair of pants with the original store price tag of $8.99 along with the thrift store’s new price tag of $14.99. This is both frustrating and laughable at the same time.”

    Moreover, Sean said that these same stores are also infamous for pricing dollar store items for more than what they were originally sold for. “For example a $1.99 “Dollar Tree” cheese grater priced for $4.99 at “Value Village” with the original “Dollar Tree” price still attached to the item haha. I have many examples of this on my account,” he said and added that “I personally call this greedy, but it makes for good content which people enjoy seeing.”

    Many people agreed that prices at Value Village are indeed getting out of control

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    Liucija Adomaite

    Liucija Adomaite

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    Liucija Adomaite is a creative mind with years of experience in copywriting. She has a dynamic set of experiences from advertising, academia, and journalism. This time, she has set out on a journey to investigate the ways in which we communicate ideas on a large scale. Her current mission is to find a magic formula for how to make ideas, news, and other such things spread like a virus.

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    Liucija Adomaite

    Liucija Adomaite

    Author, Community member

    Liucija Adomaite is a creative mind with years of experience in copywriting. She has a dynamic set of experiences from advertising, academia, and journalism. This time, she has set out on a journey to investigate the ways in which we communicate ideas on a large scale. Her current mission is to find a magic formula for how to make ideas, news, and other such things spread like a virus.

    Austėja Akavickaitė

    Austėja Akavickaitė

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    Austėja is a Photo Editor at Bored Panda with a BA in Photography.

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    Austėja Akavickaitė

    Austėja Akavickaitė

    Author, Community member

    Austėja is a Photo Editor at Bored Panda with a BA in Photography.

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    Beth S
    Community Member
    2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The increase at the thrift stores is approaching insanity (here's looking at you GOODWILL). These thrift places were originally for people that are poor that could not afford to go buy new. Now I believe they have raised their price point to edge out people that are poor because those that are more fortunate have realized you can get some great deals there thanks to social media - so they are pandering to them. At least that is how it feels where I live.

    Dillon Sizemore
    Community Member
    2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Yesss exactly when the bosses realized that people were looking for a bargain instead of this is all I can afford they jacked up prices because they realized they would still sell the stuff not caring about target demograph instead looking for $$$ Edit: this is not all thrift stores though we have a rescue ministry that runs them around here that's non-profit so the what you are paying is really a donation not the price of the item

    Load More Replies...
    SS
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Are thrift stores in the USA not for charity? In the UK almost all (but not all) are run by a charity and staffed by volunteers. Apart from overheads all the money goes to charity. Is it not the same in the US?

    Loki’s Lil Butter Knife
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Hello SS, I have no idea why you are getting downvoted. I am originally from the UK and moved to the United States for work, family, and school. I believe that some thrift shops are run by charities or religious organizations like the Salvation Army, however, it is no way near as prevalent. Most thrift stores in the United States appear to run on donations from the public and hire people to work there.

    Load More Replies...
    Cassie
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    When I go thrifting, I always look up before buying. I can often get the same item brand new at the Walmart down the road for less than they're tying to sell it used. Also, many thrift stores are now trying to brand themselves as "antique shops" to charge more for what are just thrifted items you can still get new.

    BJ Watson
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    That's the whole point of the story. The point is keeping usable items out of landfills. Buying new defeats that purpose. So why are they charging more for used than what the new one cost? It's hard to be socially responsible when you have to pay more to do it...

    Load More Replies...
    Load More Comments
    Beth S
    Community Member
    2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The increase at the thrift stores is approaching insanity (here's looking at you GOODWILL). These thrift places were originally for people that are poor that could not afford to go buy new. Now I believe they have raised their price point to edge out people that are poor because those that are more fortunate have realized you can get some great deals there thanks to social media - so they are pandering to them. At least that is how it feels where I live.

    Dillon Sizemore
    Community Member
    2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Yesss exactly when the bosses realized that people were looking for a bargain instead of this is all I can afford they jacked up prices because they realized they would still sell the stuff not caring about target demograph instead looking for $$$ Edit: this is not all thrift stores though we have a rescue ministry that runs them around here that's non-profit so the what you are paying is really a donation not the price of the item

    Load More Replies...
    SS
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Are thrift stores in the USA not for charity? In the UK almost all (but not all) are run by a charity and staffed by volunteers. Apart from overheads all the money goes to charity. Is it not the same in the US?

    Loki’s Lil Butter Knife
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Hello SS, I have no idea why you are getting downvoted. I am originally from the UK and moved to the United States for work, family, and school. I believe that some thrift shops are run by charities or religious organizations like the Salvation Army, however, it is no way near as prevalent. Most thrift stores in the United States appear to run on donations from the public and hire people to work there.

    Load More Replies...
    Cassie
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    When I go thrifting, I always look up before buying. I can often get the same item brand new at the Walmart down the road for less than they're tying to sell it used. Also, many thrift stores are now trying to brand themselves as "antique shops" to charge more for what are just thrifted items you can still get new.

    BJ Watson
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    That's the whole point of the story. The point is keeping usable items out of landfills. Buying new defeats that purpose. So why are they charging more for used than what the new one cost? It's hard to be socially responsible when you have to pay more to do it...

    Load More Replies...
    Load More Comments
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