Dear readers, this week we looked at how second hand stores are weathering the pandemic...
Cindy Husband oversees a popular thrift store in Houston that was, until earlier this year, a vibrant, bustling place, where customers and workers hugged often and laughter rang out. Hundreds of shoppers showed up every day to browse the endless racks of low-priced, donated clothes. But then came the pandemic.
A bad economy can be a boom time for resale shops, which typically offer steep discounts on previously owned goods. Many households are short on cash and eager to pay as little as possible for essentials like clothing (and there’s no shortage of secondhand goods right now). As Paul McFarland, who oversees six Salvation Army locations in the Dallas area, told writer Catharine Smith, if not for the danger of contagion, “this may be the best time in the history of secondhand stores to go shopping."
Many thrift stores saw their revenue dry up when the pandemic brought huge swaths of the economy to a halt. At one point in April, 98% of Goodwills — the largest network of secondhand stores in the country, with over 3,000 locations and tens of thousands of employees — had closed.
So they've had to adapt quickly, operating on reduced hours, adhering to stringent cleaning procedures, shifting to online sales, and allowing fewer customers inside.
As the coronavirus emergency grinds on and the recession deepens, the future is uncertain for America’s secondhand stores. Will consumers feeling the crunch of the slowdown be eager for discounted used goods, or turned off by fears of contamination? Will they show up to the door or shelter online?
What do you think? We'd love to hear from you. Cheers, Laura, Amanda and Kyla | 