Thrift shops have soared in popularity in recent years for being an affordable alternative to buying new clothes. But even in these community-oriented spaces, corporate greed occasionally still slinks through the door.
One shopper shared a frustrating story on a subreddit devoted to such tales, r/ThriftGrift. After finding two pairs of "like new" Lululemon pants, each priced at $6.99, they took them to the register.
"The person ringing me up says, 'wait, are these Lulu?' to which I reply, 'yes,'" the original poster shared. "She proceeds to tell me that these were meant to go online to their ecom & I couldn't buy them. I told her that was absolutely ridiculous and I wanted to talk to a manager. The manager came out and said the same thing the cashier said."
But instead of accepting the decision, OP explained, they began filming the pair on their phone — letting them know that it was evidence "that a thrift store was not allowing me to purchase a pair of pants that had been out, tagged, and for sale because the corporation wanted to make more money off of them."
At that point, the manager allowed OP to purchase the pants, but the whole thing left a bad taste in the customer's mouth.
"The fact that a store that gets items for free wants to have the right to refuse a sale if their own associates underpriced or put out items that weren't supposed to be there is absolutely pathetic," they vented.
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Other thrifters were just as discouraged by the incident, with one person angrily referring to the store as "greedwill" and another calling it "a sleazy flea market."
Others pointed out that local, independently operated thrift and consignment shops — ones without a large online presence — generally don't have this issue.
"This is why I only go to local small thrifts," one person said.
Fortunately, the vast majority of thrift stores offer major benefits to both consumers and their communities. Not only do they provide a resource for affordable clothes, home goods, tech, kitchenware, accessories, and more, but they keep those same items from piling up in landfills.
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Cheaper clothes 
So if you haven't waded into the waters of secondhand shopping yet, let this be your sign. From scoring a silver Tiffany & Co. bowl for just $1 to a full sectional sofa for only $100, thrift shoppers enjoy retail therapy without breaking the bank or polluting the planet.
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