Staff Photo by Tim Barber Jim West, left, and Loc Tran look through the work clothes rack for men at America's Thrift Store on Lee Highway on Saturday. "I come in here once a week to check for my size," said Mr. West.
Emily Owens pops into Tootie’s Treasures consignment shop at least once a week.
She’s hunting for rare clothes only available at secondhand stores, she says. But along the way she finds solid deals on everyday clothing.
“I found this purse for $10 and it would have been $80 in the store,” said Miss Owens, 20, holding her prize.
She’s among a growing number of Americans who are turning to secondhand stores to save money during a tight economy. Tootie’s, located in Fort Oglethorpe, has seen a marked increase in business in recent months, store manager Mary Lively said.
“Parents are teaching their kids to shop more frugally,” Ms. Lively said. “We see a lot of young girls in here who would have never thought about shopping a consignment shop before.”
Nationally, during the first quarter of 2009, Goodwill thrift stores in North America saw an increase in sales of more than 7 percent over the same time period a year earlier.
America’s Thrift Stores on Lee Highway is seeing a similar increase.
“It’s been very busy,” store manager Chris Jones said. “We’ve seen a big increase in the number of first-time and new customers.”
NOT JUST CLOTHES
Staff Photo by Angela Lewis People shop at Tootie's Treasures consignment shop in Fort Oglethorpe on Monday afternoon. The store carries women's clothing, accessories and home decor items.
The trend isn’t confined just to clothing. Consumers also are searching for used computers and kitchen appliances.
“Before, our business was probably 60 percent used computers, 40 percent new,” said Marshall Taylor, owner of A+ Technologies in Dayton, Tenn. “Now, it’s probably 80 percent used, 20 percent new.”
Mr. Taylor’s company refurbishes computers and sells them with slight upgrades. For many users, an upgraded 2-year-old computer is a better value, he said.
“What you could buy at Best Buy is probably more computer than most people need,” Mr. Taylor said.
His used machines sell for about $200, as opposed to price tags of about $400 for the new equipment, he said.
Used appliance stores in the area report increased business, too. Before the economic crunch, the difference between new and used didn’t seem so great, maybe $100 or $200, customers say. Now, that $100 to $200 makes a big difference.
“Before, I didn’t want to buy a used stove or fridge because you’d worry about whether it would last, but now it’s money that we need,” said Bonnie Denkins, who said she had been searching the newspaper and online classifieds for a new stove.
Mr. Taylor said he sees the same trend.
“Before, $200 in savings was just $200,” Mr. Taylor said. “Now, that’s real money that people need.”
OTHER FACTORS IN PLAY
America’s Thrift Stores, which has 14 locations from Texas to Georgia, has seen profits increase eight times over this time last year, said President Tim Alvis.
“People are unsure of what’s happening with the economy, and they’re not wanting to splurge,” Mr. Alvis said. “That’s pushed them to us.”
America’s Thrift Stores’ prices average about $2.50 per item, Mr. Alvis said. The mammoth store on Lee Highway offers about 4,500 clothing items per day, he said.
Even smaller boutiques such as Mystic Modes on the North Shore — which sells used clothing as well as vintage items — are seeing a spike.
“I bet the most expensive thing in here is $20,” said Sandra Miller, the shop’s co-owner. “People still want to look nice, even if the economy is bad. You can get a whole outfit in here for next to nothing.”
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