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Thrift store merchandise: trash or treasure?

University Relations
News Bureau (662) 325-3442
Contact: Jennifer Rousey
July 18, 2003

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Shoppers in thrift stores often can find anything from vintage designer jeans to dog-eared Monopoly games.

As Meghan J. Millea of Mississippi State University observes, the variety of well-used items offered at low costs make thrift stores “kind of like a garage sale that’s open all the time.” Thrift store purchases also have personal value that often surpasses their monetary value, the assistant professor of finance and economics adds.

“The person who’s donating an item to a thrift store is saying they no longer have a use for it, but the customer who goes into the thrift store finds this a positive thing,” Millea says.

While thrift store merchandise may be weighted heavily toward vintage clothing and household items, the wide variety of items makes them continually appealing to shoppers, she observes.

“Thrift store shopping is a walk down memory lane,” Millea says. “You go through a store and say, ‘Yeah, I used to have one of those when I was a kid.’ It’s entertaining.”

The stores do have some downsides. Millea says the necessity of sifting through a plethora of disordered goods can consume considerable time without a guarantee of reward. A no-return policy is another negative.

Still, finding something meaningful and paying nearly nothing for it always will make thrift store shopping satisfying, she adds.