Ethical clothing- is it possible?

[Gardnr]

I need underwear per se, not going commando, .

Why? Seriously, why? I own underwear only to go try on clothes on the rare occasion I need pants/shorts. I find them annoying.....oh, and I haven't had a yeast infection since I stopped wearing them. Got this advice from my Doctor!!!! She is right!

[JaneV2.0]

Entirely appropriate; no issue with the statement. I'll note, however, that teleconferencing has existed for decades now and still is not the first thought for business people who want to meet. I think people are just too social. Takes a special breed of us to communicate effectively for years without ever having met any of the participants in person. Just wondering where "ethical" goes in this particular instance.

As an airline-phobic introvert, I'd lean toward on-line chat. Out of town business was always a non-starter with me. Fortunately, I wasn't called on to do much of it.

[kib]

. I'm still concerned about materials sourcing, and our society's need to produce and consume so many transient items at great ecological cost. The way our whole economy is set up though, it is difficult for the end-consumer to understand what the cost of items really is, and make overall-ethical choices.

I'm a real simpleton about this. If someone else has already "commissioned" and purchased and discarded an item, the damage is done, and the re-purchase of this item can only be seen as an environmental improvement. I love being old and weird. I just decided to convert my $6 bearpaw shearling boots into legwarmers, as the soles have disintegrated beyond repair. Coupled with my $5 shearling slippers ... well ... . I have the warmest ankles in town, Thank You, Savers.

I do understand. In our culture, selecting from other people's discards is definitely seen as second rate. People who (IMO) aren't being particularly analytical echo a corporate message: "discarded" items are dirty and dangerous. We definitely DO need a better system for those who want their choice of lovely new shiny objects, but also more acceptance of weirdos like me. (And no, I wear a perfectly acceptable pair of Clark's when in public, I'm just eccentric, not outright outrageous. Maybe next year.)

[SteveinMN]

"discarded" items are dirty and dangerous. We definitely DO need a better system for those who want their choice of lovely new shiny objects, but also more acceptance of weirdos like me.

I have a ton (well, not a literal ton, but dozens of pounds) of items in our home that were purchased at thrift stores or garage sales. Clothing, furniture, artwork, electronics, floor fan, salad spinner (!), food serving pieces, ... But I've seen stained clothing and textiles, coffeemakers that still had grounds in them, dusty pots and pans, grimy household items, and so on. I'd be up for a place that sold used items which were cleaned up -- upholstered furniture treated for bedbugs, coffeemaker carafes that at least have had the water spots toweled off -- and I'd pay more for that service. I don't think it would even matter that the price of the clean used item approached that of new because, for so many items today, you cannot buy equivalent quality at that price. But I don't suspect there are enough of us out there to make that kind of store more than a once-in-a-blue-moon thing.

[SiouzQ.]

Some of the stuff (and condition of said stuff) at the thrift store is a bit appalling. When we bought the house, I was all gung-ho about buying used things to furnish it with. First disappointment: the coffee maker I bought for $12 at Savers. It barely worked, so now I know why it was donated. Had to buy a new one at Kohl's. With rebate coupon it cost about $12. Total investment for at home coffee was $24. I've been keeping an eye out for a small bulletin board. The one's Savers have had were $6.99 for a very obviously worn, torn pretty yukky-looking bulletin boards. In my mind they should have been priced at maybe $2.99. I finally gave up and bought a new one at Target yesterday for $8.99 that I can put my own holes in it with push pins. I was looking for one small curtain panel and came across a badly sun-bleached and stained larger curtain panel that was marked $6.99! It should never have been on the floor for sale, even at at thrift store, in my opinion.

With clothing, however, I have found very good deals, made better by shopping on Tuesdays for the 30% senior discount. But I still have a really good internal radar on how much I am willing to spend on a specific item. Some I will buy if it is marked $3.99 but if the same thing was marked $5.99 instead, and if I didn't really need it or want it I will put it back. I have myself trained pretty well at this point!

[ApatheticNoMore]

Well maybe much of the best stuff is grabbed up quickly to sell on eBay and the like. And yes sure one could THEN buy it on eBay etc., but there goes the convenience of getting it locally (not to mention the deal maybe).

Not cool to donate not working things. Maybe it's like recycling though, people seem to recycle based on wishful thinking, well I wish this could be recycled, I don't like to think of it going to the landfill. Yea sure, and people recycling stuff that's not actually recyclable is just making the recycling system which is already questionable even more dysfunctional than it already is. Deal with it, what's done is done, junk just needs to go to trash ...

[kib]

There are so many thrift stores in Tucson, I don't think anyone can afford to offer disgusting merchandise. I am a fan of Savers / Value Village. Of course you always have to take a closer look when things are second hand, but their items are pretty much always clean, and I think they discard the worst of the donations immediately. I do agree with ApatheticNM, it's hard to throw things in the trash but someone has to do it eventually, it's just not appropriate to toss it in a donate or recycle bin and "hope for the best". There is one store in town that has some real junk but that can be useful on occasion. When I donate there, I always attach a note to anything that's not in ideal condition.

[Teacher Terry]

We have many thrift stores and I never see dirty items or junk.

[SiouzQ.]

The Savers in Santa Fe lets some pretty questionable looking stuff out onto the sales floor; I always look very carefully at clothing to make sure there are no rips or stains. With housewares, they seem to have a lower standard. However, I have found good stuff at reasonable prices but it helps to know what things are priced new and decide if the used one for $2 less is actually worth it. Most items that end up there are from lower-end big box stores anyway; the good brands end up in the higher-end consignment shops which have in my opinion, pretty over-rated prices as well. It seems that in my area there is no middle ground in the thrifting market compared to when I lived in Michigan.

[kib]

It seems that in my area there is no middle ground in the thrifting market compared to when I lived in Michigan.

Weird how different it can be. I tried picking up what I thought was a no-brainer item, a pair of jeans, near my Mom. Every place I could find looked like all the clothes came out of grandma's attic, and not in a good way. Wrinkled, mothball smelling, or worn threadbare, and strange out of fashion things like jeans with pleats at the waist. I can understand why some people turn their noses up at the concept of thrift stores if that's what's available.