Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Thrift Rant: Trash Talking Thrifters

"OMG, Becky did you see what she's buying?"

When I visit the thrift, I tend to just browse and mind my own business. I'll occasionally smile and comment on nice things other thrifters find, be it fashion or otherwise. But lately I've been noticing a trend that I'm not enjoying. 

My Thrift Rant? Trash talking thrifters, those loose tongued secondhand shoppers who just can't help but find some flaw with what I'm choosing to buy. Ever have it happen? 

My most memorable trash talking thrifter was way back in August, when I was hunting the aisles of the thrift with friends for the $20 Thrift Store Challenge. I was perusing the shoe racks in search for a pair of boots for Fall. As some of you know, me finding shoes is something of a challenge in itself, beings that I'm a size 10-11. So when I spot anything in my size, I assess the situation thoroughly. But I digress.

On that particular day I happened to see a pair of boots in my size. I wasn't sure that I was totally in love with them. So I picked them up for a closer look, turned to my friend and said "What do you think of these?"  And then...out of nowhere comes this haggard looking woman with a scowl on her face...swear to God, people. A scowl. And she scoffs at me:

"Oh, those are awful. The color... it looks like poop." 

Um.  What? Firstly, I was speaking to my friend, mind you, who surely would've warned me that my potential boots weren't the most flattering shade of brown, if this was the case. Secondly, who was this random shopper who interjected in our conversation? And lastly, who above the age of 8 years old seriously uses the word poop? 

Like I said, I occasionally will comment on strangers' thrift finds, but never to insult their taste. My comments are of the "nice find" variety, even if my sentiment is slightly tinged with jealousy over me not finding them first. 

In the end, I didn't buy the boots. But it wasn't out of the supposed helpful advice of the other thrifter. It would have broken my $20 Thrift Challenge budget!

I believe the moral of the story, dear friends, is exactly this: Don't tell other thrifters something they're eyeing resembles poop...unless you want the poop kicked out of you. 

And since the general public pisses me off with some regularity even at the thrift store, be sure to check out the next installment of Thrift Rant. 

So... what has your secondhand panties in a bunch?




5 comments:

Peace said...

Pricing dollar store items for $4, selling sets of things separately (like salt & peppers or lovely china at $6 per piece), pricing vintage at ebay prices, unattended children, senior citizens who have not yet learned the phrase "excuse me", high prices on broken things. Harumph.

Jackie Jardine said...

All valid rants, Peace. Don't worry. I'll be tackling some of those at length... I guess a Thrift Rant series is long overdue, lol.

<3 Jackie @ Let's Go Thrifting

Sir Thrift-A-Lot said...

I've only had people talk or speak to me at one thrift store that I frequent, which I guess might be odd since I frequent the same ones 10-12 a week. This particular thrift store, I have people who comment on my items all the time, just how nice they are. Once I was buying a Pyrex casserole & had 4 comments on it (gay couple, two separate little old ladies & a middle age woman). The other day a woman took me aside to show me how to tell if a glass was crystal, lol.

Anyways, the story you wrote about, if it happened to me, it would probably only happen in this particular store, I would probably laugh it off. There are a lot of people who have mental issues in the area.

I picked up a quarter yesterday in that Goodwill & tweaked out guy screamed, "HEY THAT'S MY QUARTER". I almost believed him, lol. He followed me around the store for a bit, but finally left me alone. When I bent down to pick it up, man, everybody near me watched me bend down to pick that quarter up.

Sir Thrift-A-Lot said...

For what Peace said...

I agree, selling s&p shakers separately is just plain silly!

Jackie Jardine said...

I know what you mean! Typically, my interactions within the thrift are very friendly, which is why this one caught me off guard. I don't think that any of the thrift stores I frequent are well-known for their mental shoppers.

I wasn't enraged, per se, more like annoyed. Then again, I suppose that woman could have been mental for all I know!

<3 Jackie @ Let's Go Thrifting!