Used clothing departments added to Macy's and JCPenney

Big retailers turning to resale shoppers to save the day.

It has been downright scary watching online shopping's effect on brick n mortars, over the last 10 years. Sadly, for many retailers, it was a death blow that caused thousands of our favorite stores to close their doors across the country.

But what about the other side of the tracks, where resale shops like mine are hawking used treasures? The answer is, we are thriving, unaffected, experiencing measurable growth.

Shoppers on a busy day at Wicked Thrift

How is this possible in the age of Amazon Prime and convenience shopping?

The resale sector has unique core shoppers who appreciate a diverse selection, fair values, treasure-hunting and personalized customer service, which outweighs their need or desire to shop online. Add to this a sense of community, recycling, instant gratification-motivated Millennials and money-conscious Generation Z for an all-inclusive list of loyal thrifty shoppers.

It's no wonder stores like Macy's and JC Penney announced plans to add used clothing to their collections, earlier this week, in an effort to attract new shoppers. Macy's is adding 500sf-areas of used clothing to 40 of their stores and JC Penny is adding a used clothing department to 30 of their stores.

While the concept is interesting, those giant copy-cats cannot duplicate the secret sauces found at your favorite resale and thrift shops, or capitalize on what shopkeepers like me have always known. And I'm not sharing Wicked's hard-earned recipe! 

What are your thoughts? I’m curious to know what you are thinking about this news.

Tammy-Lynne Venneri

Owner, Wicked Thrift & PopRock Vintage