An article that I read a while back has stuck with me. It was about shopping, consumption and saving the environment. The author made the point that for many of us shopping has become more addiction then necessary life activity. What is worse, too many of the things that we buy are used only a few times and then are tucked away someplace to molder in peace. And off we go to shop for something else. This is not good for us and not good for our environment either.
The article talked about the "hoarders," those who keep things that will have no use for them but who can't bring themselves to give anything away. And the article also mentioned how some people look down their noses at anything that they didn't buy new--used is verboten.
I am definitely not shopping addicted. Unlike some I know who must go up and down every aisle at the supermarket, because there might be something new they would miss otherwise, I go shopping with a list, go only to those aisles where those products are and I buy what is on that list. Yes, I may buy one of the "front of the store" specials, but only if it is truly something that I use, I need and the price is actually worth it. Ditto for all other kinds of shopping. Yes, sometimes I have to visit a few stores to get what I am looking for, but I sure would not pick shopping as a way to wile away the hours of the day.
I admit, however, to a fascination with "used anything" shopping. I like garage and yard sales and used book stores and "gently used" clothing stores. I especially like those "whole house" sales that are advertised in newspapers. Our garden center had medium sized clay pots for sale at $11.00 each. At a garage sale I picked them up for 35 cents each. I don't think my flowers cared. And even I, who believe that high-priced couturier dress designers have a special place in hell reserved for them, bought one of those designer gowns that a family member needed for a one-time wearing to a wedding. At a resale shop. Of course, it was worn once before, so I cleaned it. And the price was still less than 20% of what the gown sold for new. And when we were done with it, I donated it to a charity. And darned if I have not seen the gown "around town" a few times since. The best kind of re-cycling. Do curtain rods really care whose house they inhabit? Or how many houses they have inhabited? Or lawn chairs? Or garden rakes? Or Organic Chemistry for Dummies?
There's one area here in Staten Island where the inhabitants seem to change the decor in their houses every season of the year. Sales in these houses are true treasure troves. Some items are so "gently used" that they still have the original sales tags on them. And the prices are far, far less then for the same item in a retail store. Every community has areas like this.
Don't think of it as buying someone else's castoffs; think of it as recycling to protect our environment. I look kind of strangely at those ads which announce "genuine certified pre-owned car," but they write the ad that way because who would get excited about seeing "used car" written. Maybe more of us should get excited. Help the environment and put extra money in your pocket. The "money in my pocket" has a nice ring to it. So does keeping our environment livable.
5 comments:
I live in a very upscale neighborhood, but we all love a metzia. Just about everyone I know has a core group of people that we circulate clothes with. My kids have a blast getting bags from so-and-so, because they know they'll usually find something that I wouldn't have bought them. I send to certain people , and certain people send to me. If we can't use it or pass it on to someone else, it goes to the thrift shop. The fanciest people frequent thrift shops looking for big bargains. Why not? It's a lot of fun. it's like being on a treasure hunt.
Clearly profk has forgotten something she told me, when I was complaining about the price of something and she suggested scanning the house sales. I had never thought about buying something used before and she told me to stop thinking about it as used and start thinking of it as "pre-shopped." I like the sound of that--sounds so time saving and effort saving. I'm now a definite "pre-shopped" aficionado.
Yeah but someone has to buy things new so there can be something for someone else to buy pre-shopped. Couldn't I just be that first person in the line?
I like that--a treasure hunt instead of shopping. I shop because I have to, and I don't always like the experience. But a treasure hunt is fun. I can just see my husbands face. He'll ask me if I'm going out shopping and I will answer "no, on a treasure hunt." And then he'll try and hide the car keys because I am obviously not feeling well.
Just a thought. people who can afford to buy new but buy used may see theings differently from people who cannot afford to buy new and can only buy used. For the first group it's all an adventure. For the second group it may be very painful.
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