, frugal. people cringe when secondhand stores—”thrift shops”—are mentioned, but why? There’s nothing wrong with buying some secondhand clothes, especially at great prices. Don’t take this to mean you should stop going to regular stores—certainly not. But rather as another way to treat yourself and maybe even be a little kinder to the world. As you probably know, big clothing stores rely on cheap labor, mostly from Asia, and we don’t want to support that by buying new things all the time, do we?

The Benefits of Thrift Stores

Thrift stores have their perks too—if you know how to look, you can discover real treasures. Of course, it’s a matter of luck; there isn’t always an amazing piece waiting for you there. In stores like these, you can find brand-name clothing, designer pieces, luxury shoes—basically everything! You might even come across brand-new items with tags still on them. And the bonus is the price—you can buy everything for a fraction of the cost. And that’s worth it, right?

Stop supporting “fast fashion” en masse

First, let’s explain what “fast fashion” means. Literally translated, it means “fast fashion,” which accurately describes the reality. Stores make extensive use of this practice—in short, they change the design of their items in short intervals. Their customers don’t want to go out of style; they want to be “in” and keep buying new items that are currently trending over and over again. These companies rely on cheap labor, primarily in Asian countries. Employees work for minimum wage, which often isn’t enough to cover rent, and we’d rather not even mention the working conditions. They use materials that keep costs as low as possible so the clothing can hit the market quickly.

So which is better?

There’s probably no right answer to this question, because some people prefer only secondhand stores, while others prefer only clothes from stores. Everyone should think about what goes into making that T-shirt they’re about to buy for three hundred or those jeans for “five hundred.” It’s definitely good to try to limit this—no one is perfect—but if you bought at least half of your clothes secondhand, it might benefit not only you but also the planet.