I recently took a trip to Value Village to look for ‘cheap’ items to put together a costume. Since it is easily one of the first stores that one thinks of for thrift clothing, I went in with the idea that it will be a good investment for something that I would only wear once or twice.
Every since it’s inception in 1954, Savers (the parent corporation of Value Village) has grown on to become one of the best models for recycling reusable clothing, accessories and household items in the United States, Canada and Australia. Its model is very basic and niche. Value Village partners with various non-profit organizations to purchase and resell the items originally donated to those non-profit charities. This business model not only stimulates progress in the economy by bringing unwanted items for sale at a cheaper price, but also promotes the notion of charity and community service. Value Village boasts of its recycling and waste management initiatives. They claim that all products can have a meaningful after life even if are not necessarily used for their intended purpose. For instance, “textiles can be repurposed as insulation and metals from clothing and electronics can be sold for their raw value”, all the while, making alternate use of them and preventing it from reaching the landfills.
When it first started out, the concept of thrift shopping was targeted mainly towards shoppers on a strict budget or fixed income. Their competitive edge was that they could have pieces from any brand or shop, which were donated to them and were in a good wearable condition. Value Village too, centered its value proposition around price, since they are one of the stores that offer the lowest price in the market.
The one thing I really liked about the store is the variety it provides. Everyone can find clothes (or other items) of their style and taste. It is not targeted towards one particular fashion stream. Instead, you can play around and experiment with different things, without feeling pressured to look at the price tag before looking at the item itself.
In the last couple of years, thrift market shopping has become a trend to some degree. Especially with the influx of YouTube popularized DIY (do-it-yourself) challenges, haul videos and Pinterest ideas put forth by various contributors, people have increasingly started investing in thrift store inventory. Instead of paying a premium price for a finished product at a high-end retail store, people have started looking towards product that can be repurposed and customized to suit their tastes.
Various thrift stores have been reinventing their low-end image to a more up-scale shopping experience. The in-store displays have bright lighting, organized aisles of clothing, shoes, stationary, toys, and so on, which make it really easy to browse through. Value Village has started sponsoring fashion events in an attempt to re-brand the image of thrift items. They have also designed their website in a really easy to follow manner. Anyone can browse through get ideas about where to start or learn the “rules” on how to shop in a smart and economical manner. Since these stores don't have a set inventory, shoppers can really diversify and find unique products. The beauty of thrift stores is that it is a perfect place to splurge on things that you wouldn’t normally consider purchasing. I certainly walked out with multiple items that had nothing to do with my originally planned costume idea.
If you are someone who frequents Pinterest (or any other social media site) wanting to recreate some ideas but doesn’t know where to start, perhaps a trip to a nearby thrift store can be of value.
Sources:
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar