Holiday shoppers flocking to thrift stores for bargains

Kathy Cullins was at Caring Hands Thrift Shop in Yorkville picking up some ornaments for her Christmas tree.

“I need just a few more for my tree,” said Cullins, who recently moved to Hinckley after living in Montgomery for 43 years. “I shop here because I love what they stand for and their prices are cheaper than some other stores.”

Thrift stores like Caring Hands are seeing their fair share of holiday shoppers as people search for ways to cut costs. According to one national survey, U.S. consumers plan to spend an average of $985 on holiday-related items in 2023, less than the $1,006 reported in 2022.

Caring Hands is a ministry of Cross Evangelical Lutheran Church and School in Yorkville. Caring Hands assistant manager Katie Bivins said she understands why people would want to do their Christmas shopping at a thrift store.

“I think a lot of people are just trying to be more wise with their money,” she said. “A lot of our shoppers are looking for Christmas decorations along with toys and books for their kids.”

Everything the store sells has been donated.

“Our donors are very generous to us,” Bivins said. “We get a lot of new items and a lot of items that don’t look like they’ve ever been used, clothing with tags on them and things that are still in boxes. It’s great that we can offer that to our customers.”

Along with operating as a thrift shop, Caring Hands also helps out people who are facing a variety of challenges, including those who are getting back on their feet after being homeless.

“They can come get kitchenware or furniture if we have it,” Bivins said. “We’ll give that to them. We also help out fire victims that have lost everything and work with a lot of families that have taken in foster children and they need clothes.”

The Corner Community Thrift Shoppe in Sandwich also has been seeing many holiday shoppers. The Sandwich Church of the Nazarene operates the store, which first opened its doors in October.

“We had a woman who came in and said she was here to do Christmas shopping for her husband,” Sandwich Church of the Nazarene pastor Matthew Jones said. “We’ve also seen parents purchasing gifts for their kids such as toys and clothes.”

The Corner Community Thrift Shoppe provides gently used items at affordable prices.

“One of the amazing things that we’re seeing is how many of our donations are still new and in the box or clothes that have tags on them,” Jones said. ”It’s just been neat to see people doing their Christmas shopping here.”

The holiday-related items at the store are selling faster than he would have imagined.

“People are coming here and they’re seeing displays with Christmas decor and they’re jumping on it,” Jones said. “And the Christmas stuff that people have donated to us has been just really, really lovely. It’s been fun to watch people take those items home to help make the season a little brighter for them.”

The thrift store has seen steady business since it first opened its doors.

“We’re still seeing a lot of traffic and every day, someone comes in and it’s their first time,” Jones said. “I just talked to a lady just a minute ago who was in here for the first time and she said it was a lot more than what she thought it was going to be. We are constantly seeing new people.”

Mixed Market Thrift store in Oswego also has been seeing a good number of holiday shoppers. The store in mid-September opened in a bigger location.

“They’ve been coming in,” said owner and Oswego resident Denise Weszelits. “One family said that everything they’re buying each other is coming from a thrift store. They were happily shopping for the Christmas stuff.”

She noted that thrifting is a popular thing to do, even among young people.

“What I’m finding with our local high schoolers is that they are actually loving to thrift as well,” Weszelits said. “This generation is definitely cost conscious and it’s very chic to thrift instead of being taboo. So that’s working out for us.”