Kylie Grunsfeld, Opinions & Humor Editor
As someone who in recent years has shifted to shopping primarily secondhand, I have witnessed the increase in Goodwill’s clothing prices in real time. For a store whose mission, according to their website, is to serve the underprivileged, I am concerned at the rate in which prices are climbing.
A shirt — oftentimes stained and/or made of polyester — could cost you six dollars. A pair of shoes, close to 10.
Individually, these costs may be lower than those of retail stores like Old Navy or H&M but when multiple pieces are added together, one might spend close to $50 on a small bag of items.
For someone who shops at Goodwill for the sake of developing more eco-friendly habits, this is frustrating. For a person or family who needs to clothe themselves but cannot afford to shop elsewhere, this is harmful, especially considering the increasing costs of living all around.
A winter coat given to the company by donation should not cost as much as a meal. To be clear: Goodwill shelves are stocked by donation only. They do not lose any profit when filling their stores with clothing, shoes, accessories, furniture, appliances, decor and books. As long as people keep giving, Goodwill can keep selling. Yet, items keep getting more and more expensive — and who benefits?
Only 35% of employees companywide feel they are paid fairly, with the average entry-level employee making $13 an hour, according to an Indeed job listing. The company’s claim that they are “driven by a common mission to help people from all backgrounds reach their potential and thrive” feels completely disingenuous. The people benefiting are not those who buy from the store and they are not those who keep it running.
The increasing prices are especially alarming when you take into account other low-cost retailers: fast fashion stores like SHEIN, Temu and TikTok Shop. Despite not being secondhand, prices that these stores boast is sometimes half of what Goodwill offers. Not only are these items cheaper, but selections are far more expansive.
Thrift stores are more ethical and eco-friendly than fast fashion shopping by a landslide. For some, however, it is the difference between having or not having clothes to wear. Being able to consider the environment in your day-to-day life is a privilege when companies often make eco-conscious options less accessible to the average American consumer. Locally grown produce is expensive. Many cafes and restaurants serve to-go orders in plastic containers. Thrift stores are disregarding the very customer base they claim to care about.
So, what can we do?
I cannot talk about Goodwill without mentioning the bins. Clothes that do not sell at the retail locations go to the outlet stores, known colloquially as “the bins.” Instead of being priced individually, textiles are priced by the pound and put into bins where customers can dig through and hopefully find hidden gems. For those who are also put off by Goodwill’s retail prices and wish to keep as many clothes in circulation as possible, the bins are a great alternative. The only issue is that “the bins”are fewer and farther between than the retail stores.
I implore every person — especially those who are SHEIN, Temu or TikTok Shop frequenters — to shop secondhand. It can be tempting to purchase fast fashion items when prices are so low, especially when donation-based thrift stores like Goodwill do not do much to rival them, but by shopping primarily at the bins and other local thrift stores, perhaps we can slowly drive Goodwill’s retail prices back down.
This way, all shoppers can benefit from these stores: those who are striving to be more environmentally conscious in their consumer habits and those who need places like Goodwill to survive.