Baking day is about to become even sweeter for a thrilled shopper who scored a cult-classic kitchen appliance that usually retails for hundreds of dollars.
"Snagged this at the thrift store. Anything I should check before I let 'er rip?" the shopper wrote on Reddit in the subreddit r/Kitchenaid, sharing three photos of the KitchenAid stand mixer, including one with the serial number.
Other Redditors affirmed the value of the mixer and assured the original poster that the KitchenAid would be able to operate smoothly for years to come.
"Nice find. Yours was manufactured the week of May 3-9, 2004. With routine maintenance and repairs as needed it's got decades of life left in it," one person wrote, directing the OP to some resources to help keep the appliance in top condition.
The OP didn't initially share how much they paid for the coveted mixer, but they wrote, "I win at thrifting," on one of the photos, suggesting that they saved serious amounts of money. In a comment, they confirmed that they only spent 45 Canadian dollars on the product.
While some KitchenAid models are available for under $400, many of the brand's stand mixers sell for nearly $1,000.
However, thrifting has happily made high-end products more accessible to many consumers. A Zojirushi rice cooker, a Staub cast iron Dutch oven, and a Spinn coffee machine are other items savvy shoppers have discovered.
The growing market also isn't limited to kitchenware. According to ThredUp's 2024 Resale Report, the global secondhand apparel sector is projected to be worth $350 billion by 2028.
Buying items secondhand is not only good for our wallets. It also benefits the planet by cutting down non-biodegradable waste that leaches toxins into the Earth and generates planet-warming gases during the slow process of breaking down.
More than 100 million tons of textiles end up in landfills each year. Meanwhile, the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 2.2 million tons of small appliances meet the same fate.
According to one Redditor, the OP may have also gotten lucky by finding an older model.
"Wow. Jackpot! The old ones are made so much better than the new ones," they said.
Another pointed to the longevity of the KitchenAid mixers with proper maintenance.
"Mine is 35 years old and I do take it apart occasionally and service it," they said.
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