Shopper sparks outrage with photo of unbelievable sighting on Salvation Army shelves: 'People have lost their ... minds'
"Saw these towels for $8 EACH at Salvation Army," the original poster wrote, alongside a photo of the hung towels.
Instances like this are shocking to see, considering thrift shopping is usually such a great way to save money. Similar sad situations have overpriced kitchen mixers, shoes, and clothes.
That said, lots of secondhand shoppers have found some proper treasures while thrifting. In fact, sometimes items even have literal cash hidden inside them. Some businesses help shoppers get used items for reasonable prices and reward you for making your own donations. Trashie, ThredUp, and GotSneakers are just a few of them.
Besides savings, thrift shopping also prevents clothes from going to landfills. When clothing breaks down, it contributes methane to the atmosphere, which traps heat and exacerbates destructive weather patterns such as floods and droughts. Those cause enough damage to make homes uninsurable and ruin farming crops.
What's more, deteriorating clothing is likely to shed microplastics, which filter into marine ecosystems and eventually into the fish we catch and eat. Once ingested, microplastics are linked to all sorts of endocrine, immune, and reproductive health issues in humans.
On top of avoiding these downstream effects of clothing waste, thrifting also reduces the demand for making new clothes. Manufacturing clothing has its own slew of environmental costs, including a reliance on oil production.
While thrifting is generally a great idea, Reddit commenters were shocked to see prices like this for towels.
"I just got brand new fluffy oversized towels for $4.99 each at Costco," one community member said. "No random butts have touched them. People have lost their damn minds."
"Can't you buy new towels at ikea for $2-5 depending on the quality you want?" another commented.
Which of these factors would most effectively motivate you to recycle old clothes and electronics?
Giving me money back
Letting me trade for new stuff
Making it as easy as possible
Keeping my stuff out of landfills
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.
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