Thrift stores used to be where poor people shopped and rich people donated. Now they’re where rich people shop and poor people can’t afford. Gentrification hit different when it came for Goodwill. Your local thrift store thinks it’s a vintage boutique and prices accordingly.
The reseller invasion ruined everything. People with pricing apps grabbing anything valuable for their Depop stores. They’re buying all the good stuff at 6am to resell at 500% markup. Thrifting became a business model and actual thrifters became collateral damage.
Goodwill discovered capitalism. They’re checking eBay prices now. That vintage band tee? $45. Those Levi’s? $35. They’re not even pretending to be charitable anymore. It’s retail with worse return policies and a tax write-off.
The vintage markup is delusional. ‘Vintage’ now means anything made before 2010. That Forever 21 dress from 2015 is $30 because it’s ‘Y2K revival.’ You’re paying boutique prices for fast fashion that already lived one disappointing life.
Thrift haul culture on social media destroyed the ecosystem. Everyone’s a thrifting influencer now. The stores are packed with people filming content, buying everything decent for their ‘thrift finds’ videos. Actual low-income shoppers can’t compete with content creators.
The boutique thrift store paradox is wild. Curated vintage stores charging $200 for items they bought at Goodwill for $5. They’re just middlemen with good Instagram aesthetics. You’re paying someone else to thrift for you with a 4000% markup.
Estate sale culture got competitive. What used to be sad cleaning of dead people’s houses became auction warfare. Professional buyers with trucks clearing everything valuable before normal people arrive. You’re competing with businesses for grandma’s plates.
The donation quality declined because everyone sells now. People don’t donate good stuff anymore; they Poshmark it. Thrift stores get the actual garbage now – broken, stained, unsellable. The circular economy became a landfill with extra steps.
Pop-up vintage markets are just expensive thrift stores. $20 entry fees to shop at prices higher than retail. You’re paying to pay too much. The vintage market is just Goodwill with craft beer and succulents.
Online thrifting apps are algorithmic exploitation. ThredUp, Poshmark, Mercari – they’re using AI to extract maximum value from used clothes. That ‘curated for you’ selection is just price optimization wearing a sustainable costume.
The environmental argument got co-opted. Rich people thrifting for sustainability while poor people buy new fast fashion because thrifting got too expensive. The sustainable option became a luxury. Environmental justice is just another thing gentrification took.
Thrift store workers are retail workers with charity wages. They’re dealing with reseller harassment, influencer entitlement, and pricing pressure while making minimum wage. The charitable mission forgot charity starts with employees.
The authenticity performance is exhausting. Everyone pretending they thrifted their outfit when they bought it from a vintage reseller for $300. ‘Thrifted’ became a brand, not a budget necessity. You’re performing poverty aesthetics at premium prices.
Geographic inequality hit hard. Urban thrift stores are picked clean and overpriced. Suburban stores might have treasures but require cars to reach. Rural stores have selection but no size diversity. Location determines thrifting success more than effort.
Here’s the truth: thrifting gentrification is just regular gentrification with extra steps. When rich people decide poor people’s resources are cool, prices rise and access disappears. Thrift stores forgot their mission when they discovered their market value.
The solution? Support actual charity shops with fixed low prices. Skip the curated vintage stores. Stop watching thrift haul content that drives demand. Remember that thrifting was supposed to be about necessity, not aesthetics. Poor people need affordable clothes more than rich people need sustainable hobbies.
