robbing from the poor.

Some people think that it is unethical to shop at thrift stores if you are not poor, as if the items at Goodwill were reserved for those with low income. This entry is not for them, but for the rest of you, in case you ever run into someone who has such an attitude. You can then educate them about why you make the choice to buy used.

Honestly, I think it's a bit odd that there is such a stigma attached to buying used clothes or housewares. No one looks askance at you if you buy a used car. And surely poor people do buy used cars. At what price tag does being smart and thrifty become being cheap and unethical?

You may not convince anyone. A lot of the problem is that people don't want to be thought of as poor. They would rather overpay then have someone think that they are in financial trouble. And so you may have the better argument, but the other person can't get over their hangups. That's fine. It's not your job to change everyone, but it's worth your time to at least show them the other side of things.

There are lots of responses. First, the slightly-heartless response: The poor people had just as much opportunity to buy the $4 pair of jeans that I did. There was nothing keeping them from it and my financial situation gave me no advantages to finding and purchasing the jeans. If a poor person were to come in the store after I purchased the jeans, they would likely be able to find another pair just fine. A thrift store is not like a soup kitchen. I've never gone to a Goodwill and seen them be completely out of jeans.

Next, the very trendy Green response. Everyone agrees with that whole Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle thing they started teaching when we figured out we had limited resources. Buying used is reusing. If something is still in usable condition, then use it. The less we buy new, the less companies will make, and the less that will end up in a landfill.

Finally, here's the response that I think is most compelling. Nearly all thrift stores are non-profits, and their proceeds go to charity programs. The Salvation Army provides disaster relief, free drug and alcohol rehab, and youth programs. Goodwill trains disabled people for jobs so that they can become self-sufficient, contributing members of society. There are probably thousands of non-chain thrift stores that do charity work on a local level. By shopping at these thrift stores, you are supporting their causes. You are enabling the store itself to stay in business, as well as contributing to their various programs. Buying your Levi's new isn't helping anyone except Levi stockholders. Compared to those guys, I am poor.

So there. I am not cheap, but socially and environmentally responsible. You can always suggest that the other person buy their jeans at Goodwill and then take the price difference and donate that to charity. We'll see how they like that suggestion.