By Ace Grado / Staff Writer

The other day I walked into a thrift store and saw a sign that said “Vintage Section.” It was just a rack of old shirts and jeans, nothing special, but the prices were schocking. Some were tagged at forty dollars. For used clothes. That’s when I realized thrift stores aren’t really for regular people anymore.

There are still places that sell clothes by the pound, and those are the ones that actually help. You can fill up a bag and spend five or ten bucks. It makes sense for college students, families, or anyone trying to save money. It’s fair, simple and accessible. But most thrift stores don’t want to be affordable anymore. They’ve turned into curated “vintage” stores that try to look trendy instead of community-driven.

Thrifting used to mean something different. It was about saving money and giving clothes a second life. It helped people who couldn’t afford retail prices. It gave students a way to shop sustainably without going broke. But now it’s become another way to make a profit off the same people it used to support.

The rise of “thrift flipping” made it worse. People buy cheap secondhand clothes just to resell them online for triple the price. Influencers turned it into an aesthetic. They post thrift hauls on TikTok, brag about finding “Y2K vintage” and turn used clothing into a fashion statement. Thrift stores caught on and realized they could raise prices because people would still pay. A shirt that used to be two dollars is now fifteen. Jeans that were five are twenty-five. The entire point of thrifting has been lost.

Even Goodwill, one of the biggest names in the business, has faced criticism for operating more like a corporation than community service. Reports have shown how some employees are underpaid and treated poorly while executives make six-figure salaries. It’s ironic that a company built on donations and the idea of helping others is now seen by many as profit driven.

What’s worse is that this hurts the people who actually need thrift stores. Low-income families, students, and single parents used to rely on them to get by. Now, they’re forced to look elsewhere while wealthier shoppers buy secondhand for the “vibe.” The mission of helping communities has been replaced with profit margins and marketing strategies.

There are still a few thrift shops out there doing it right, selling clothes by the pound, keeping prices low, and staying true to their roots. Those places deserve more recognition because they actually make a difference. But as long as corporate thrift stores keep raising prices and calling it “vintage,” the word thrifty doesn’t really mean anything anymore. At this point, paying forty bucks for a used T-shirt isn’t thrifting. It’s just shopping at another store that forgot who it was supposed to help.