The socioeconomic causes and effects of the gentrified thrifting experience

Thrifting is going shopping at a thrift store, garage sale, or flea market where one will find gently used items at discounted prices ("What Does It Mean To Go Thrifting?"). It is widely regarded as an environmentally sustainable way to buy clothing, as clothes in thrift stores are resale items. Historically stigmatized as being for the poor, thrifting has recently changed in meaning and became a gentrified consumer practice done by many affluent consumers. There are many causes to this shift in the thrifting consumer base and demand, and it poses as a problem for the future of thrifting. This study analyzes how recent economic recessions, younger consumer bases, climate change, upscale shopping, and social media have lured affluent customers to thrift. This has affected the low-income communities thrift stores were historically meant to serve, who need clothing at affordable prices for having a basic living standard and not a cute social media post. The overall thrifting experience, thrift stores, and the neighborhoods around thrift stores have all changed and became gentrified as fashion shifts to fit the demands of an affluent younger class. This study uncovers how the socioeconomic values of thrifting have changed, why they changed, and how it affects the social and economical fabric of thrift store shoppers.