A little thrift is good, but not too much. Thrift stores are doing booming business these days. I happen to think that there are some positive aspects to the resurgence of thrift stores in our economy. It helps groups like the Salvation Army make more money for their charitable endeavors. The article on http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/markets/industries/retail/consumers-seek-economic-refuge-thrift-stores/ indicates that Salvation Army’s sales this year have increased between six and fifteen percent, and that some other stores operating in the low price/low income sector of the market have had average sale increases of up to thirty five percent. I believe that this change in consumer behavior is a signal that we as a society may be changing our values, from extreme consumerism and materialism, to becoming practical and frugal. People don’t have to buy the newest and most fashionable clothes or the latest brand name. If more people had lived within their means and didn’t borrow to impress others, whether with their clothes, their cars, or their housing, we probably wouldn’t be in the economic mess we are in currently. Perhaps for the first time in a very long time status symbols are becoming less important in our society, or perhaps even disliked, because those symbols are being associated by the majority of the people that have lost their homes or their jobs in this economic crisis with the excesses and greed that brought the country and the world to an economic debacle.  

But an economy dominated by thrift stores has some negative aspects. Although many people may think that thrift stores are really cool because they are like a chest full of surprises, they are not that “cool” when as the head of the family, and because of limited resources, your shopping is limited to the thrift store because your income is not enough to afford anything else. Recently thrift stores’ inventories are lower, not only because people are buying more used goods, but because donations are down, which hints at people having less of a “surplus” of personal goods to make donations. Also many factory workers are losing their jobs because factory orders are down since people aren’t buying as many new things as they use to. In summary, a little thrift is good but not too much.