KonMari Krisis

We know that thrift stores are only able to sell about 25% of their donated goods at their regular retail stores. What about the other 75%? The leftovers are divided between:

• outlet stores to be sold at a deep discount,
• textile recycling (but this can be a challenge with blended fabrics), 
• being sold in bulk and moved on to developing countries, which can hurt their own textile industries and economies,
• ending up in the landfill anyway.

This all goes to say that donating isn't a perfect solution. New Years Resolutions to tidy your home only make it worse, and with this year's Marie Kondo Netflix special even more people are making serious resolutions to go minimal and get their house in order. What this means is thrift stores can't keep up, and leftovers end up in the trash anyway. In fact, Australian charities are paying $13 million a year to send unusable donations to landfill. 

How can you help?

If you are cleaning up:

• Upcycle, repurpose, or mend items - would you like that skirt better if it was shorter, or that bookshelf with a coat of paint?
• Directly give to friends or neighbors - your stuff may spark joy with a new owner!
• Directly give through neighborhood groups like Buy Nothing or Freecycle. Direct giving guarantees a new owner better than hoping it sells at the thrift store. 
• Clothing swaps - find joy in new-to-you items while finding a home for your old items. 
• Slowly downsize not by getting rid of large quantities at one time, but by simply not buying new things, then getting rid of items when they wear out

If you are looking for a deal:

• GET THRIFTING! Take this as a blanket license to go wild. Someone else's New Year's Resolution is your jackpot! Inventory is up on all categories of products: 
• Clothes
• Used books
• Housewares
• Crafting supplies/upcycle projects