Over Spring break, some of the online Statesman staff members (Caroline, Cathleen, Riley, Slater and I) went to Savers to go thrift shopping. The overall goal of the experience was to find some outfits we would wear in our daily life and have an entertaining time doing so.

As a new thrifter, I was surprised by my experience. The variety of clothing and the good deals one can find while simultaneously helping recycle previously used clothes made me rethink my traditional way of shopping for clothing.

While on my thrifting journey, I found many interesting pieces of clothing, such as shirts and pants I couldn’t imagine wearing in my daily life and others that I was surprised I would find in a thrift store. Looking around for interesting pieces of clothing for Caroline and me to wear was a fun trip while hanging out with friends, but the one downside to doing so was how time-consuming finding the right items was. In a normal department store or while shopping online, picking out clothes to purchase is easy and time efficient because you generally have an idea of what you are looking for before shopping. However, I feel as though the time spent searching in thrift stores adds to the “magic” of thrift shopping. Spending long periods of time sifting through clothes to revive rejects was a soothing process, and when you find an outfit for a price that is much less than normal retail price, it is even more satisfactory.

I ended up purchasing two quarter-zip jackets -one tan and the other navy blue- priced at $8.99 (tan) and $4.49 (navy blue). These two articles of clothing are ones that I can see myself wearing as winter comes to an end and spring begins because of the windy, semi-cold, but slowly rising temperatures. I feel as though the two items I purchased were well worth my money and I will be able to put them to good use.

The shopping experience was exciting; however, the best part of going thrift shopping was going with friends. Some of my favorite moments of the trip to Savers stemmed from inside jokes of the Statesman staff or comments that Slater and Caroline made while looking for clothes.

I would definitely go back to thrift stores around the city to find some everyday clothes and some pieces of clothing I could wear to sporting events or school dress-up days. I was surprised to find what I did and am excited to see what else I will encounter on my next trip thrifting.