I was putting up flyers for the Frugal Fe$tival last weekend when I noticed two thrift stores on Sherman Way just west of Owensmouth in Canoga Park had gone out of business. To my shock Out of the Closest was a discount a furniture store and Aaardvarks Odd Ark was dark.
If anything, in a recession thrift stores should be thriving! Are people not even buying used clothes? My goodness.
I looked online to see how thrift stores across the country are faring. Perhaps the two I saw closed were a fluke. I found these headlines:
Billerica consignment stores hit hard by recession (MA, 7/20/09)
Salvation Army store to close (Mt. Vernon, VA) (7/17/09)
Economy closing Noble Road thrift store (Cleveland, OH 7/9/09)
Helping Hands thrift store closes its doors (Wetaskiwin, Canada 7/7/09)
St. Vincent de Paul closing its doors – seeking small headquarters (Sault Ste Marie, MI 6/26/09)
Thrift shops expect increase due to closing of Salvation Army (Norwich, CT 6/25/09)
And that is just going back one month!
I wonder what the National Association of Resale and Thrift Shops has to say about this. An April press release begins, “The resale industry is one of the few recession proof segments of retailing…”
Not anymore. The recession has gone on long enough that the wave of consumers who turned to thrift stores to cut their budget a year ago has washed out.
July 21st, 2009 at 12:03 pm
It seems like a theme in the articles quoted is that there were steep increases in cost as well as the declining discretionary spending, and that’s where thrift stores are suffering. You wouldn’t know it from the ones around me, however. This weekend I went to go take a leisurely stroll through mine to find some luxury sweaters to cut up and the place was so packed I couldn’t even find a parking space!
July 21st, 2009 at 12:06 pm
Two brand new Goodwill stores are just opening in the Portland metropolitan area. Business seems good here.
July 21st, 2009 at 12:20 pm
I’m guessing if you can get a brand new t-shirt at the Gap for $5 these days, there’s no reason to buy used clothing. I always donate nice stuff to my local Goodwill when I clean out my closet, but I’ve never found anything near as nice as the stuff I donate when I try to shop there.
July 21st, 2009 at 12:21 pm
Maybe donations to thrift stores are drying up as people try to frugalize by holding on to their own used stuff longer. Was there any mention of donations in the survey you made of store closings?
July 21st, 2009 at 12:30 pm
Swap meets have also lost customers to higher gas prices & lower retail prices.
July 21st, 2009 at 12:33 pm
Out of the Closet on Sherman Way has been gone at least a year, possibly more. I shop at the local thrifts weekly. I have done this for about 5 years. What I have noticed is a decline in the amount of “good” clothing coupled with an increase in prices. At the Salvation Army “Boutique” they have Old Navy tops for $11.50. Even at half price when they have a sale, it’s still more than I would pay at an Old Navy sale. I think many of the thrift stores are out of touch with their pricing.
July 21st, 2009 at 1:05 pm
I have been told that the kids’ consignment business is booming. Kids always need new stuff since they are constantly outgrowing everything. But I think we adults are simply going without getting new things (or second-hand things) for ourselves. Maybe this is what’s going on?
July 21st, 2009 at 1:15 pm
I agree with Pam. Thrift store pricing is not matching the reality of the prices of new clothes. Old Navy is hurting financially so their sales are fantastic. I undestand that thrift stores can’t match old navy’s sale prices and that they have high bills and need to make money but they still have to come down some. I went to one thrift store that was selling many shirts for $20 when you can get them new for $10
July 21st, 2009 at 1:27 pm
I would have to agree with Pam: “a decline in the amount of “good” clothing coupled with an increase in prices.” My mom loves to shop at Goodwill and Salvation Army, however the quality (due to tears, stains, etc.) is below even thrift store standards. The higher pricing may be coming from “headquarters,” but they are mistaken in thinking that their pricing is reasonable. Perhaps they are hiring retail people unfamiliar with the thrift store customer’s mind-set. They need to reevaluate what each second-hand, used item is really worth.
July 21st, 2009 at 1:36 pm
Out of the Closet is not gone, they just moved. There are several stores, including one in Tarzana
July 21st, 2009 at 2:30 pm
Stella, you make an excellent point. With so many steep sales at new retailers, many folks are eschewing second hand for reduced prices on new threads.
July 21st, 2009 at 9:09 pm
I bought a whole pile of kids’ DVDs at Out of the Closet in Tarzana, marked down from $4 apiece to $3 apiece, and they gave me an additional 10% off the total and discounted the price of another item I was buying. And they are typically higher-priced for a thrift shop. When my kids have outgrown these DVDs, I can sell them for $4-5 apiece at the consignment sale and make my money back (actually, a profit).
July 22nd, 2009 at 12:07 pm
Also agree with Pam and zookeeper re: thrift shop pricing. When I was doing the thrift store thing in college, I used to get some amazing deals: coats for $5, gorgeous beaded sweaters for $2.50, etc. Of course that was eons ago, but I can’t believe some of the prices thrift stores are charging for musty, faded t-shirts, etc.
July 22nd, 2009 at 1:37 pm
My hunch is that thrift shop pricing is much more varied than it used to be. Now there are thrift “boutiques” and label-oriented thrift stores. Prices can vary widely even within a chain like Salvation Army or Goodwill. The key is to find a gem of a store near you.
July 23rd, 2009 at 3:55 pm
There is a recently opened Salvation Army Family Store on the east side of Sepulveda Blvd. in Van Nuys, just south of Victory, near the carwash. It may be a ‘relo’ from one of the other stores where business had slowed. I haven’t been in, but a friend said it was well worth taking a look. She found a couple of really good bargains, particularly a lovely lavendar top which could be worn either as a shirt or a jacket.
July 31st, 2009 at 3:53 pm
We’re in touch with prices at Once in a Blue Moon Online Thrift and Consignment Store. Won’t even cost you gas money to check us out!