The Conscious Shopper: clothing

Showing posts with label clothing. Show all posts

I Need...Shoes

>> Sunday, November 15, 2009

First off, let me say that on the spectrum of Things That Make a Big Difference to Saving the Planet, shoes are pretty far down there. But if you, like me, are trying to live as sustainably as possible, shoes do matter. Because we all own a pair (or two or three or four).

So why should you be conscious about your shoes?

1) Because of what shoes are made of...

Tanning leather uses many toxic chemicals such as mineral salts, formaldehyde, coal-tar derivatives, and various oils and dyes, some of them cyanide-based. Also, the leather usually comes from animals raised in factory farm settings.

On the other hand, fake leather shoes are made of plastic - generally PVC, the evil king of all plastics.

2) Because of how shoes are made...

Most shoes are produced in countries with poor environmental and labor standards (or with less enforcement of those standards). Workers labor under harsh conditions for little pay (in many places, well below a liveable wage) and are often exposed to toxic substances.

3) Because there are so many shoes on the planet...

According to Simple Shoes, 12 billion pairs of shoes were produced worldwide in 2004 with a projected production of 20 billion shoes in 2010. In 2005, Americans purchased 1.4 billion pairs of shoes - approximately four and a half pairs of shoes per person. That's a whole lot of shoes!

Okay, now here's what you can do:

BABY STEPS

Donate your oldie-but-goodie shoes to a thrift store.
Recycle your athletic shoes through Nike's Reuse a Shoe program. Says Nike: "Since we started the Reuse-A-Shoe program in 1990, we've collected more than 24 million pairs – in other words, enough to create a chain of athletic shoes that goes all the way around the world more than five times. That’s a lot of kicks kept out of the landfill." And that's just the number of shoes collected, a minuscule amount of the number of shoes that are bought (and tossed) every year.

JOGGING STRIDE

Purchase fewer shoes. I have to admit, I've never been the type of girl to go ga-ga over shoes, so I really don't get the shoe hoarding habits of so many women. I'm not going to judge you if you're that type of girl - I have my own questionable habits (Diet Coke) - but maybe you could cut out one or two pairs?
Buy quality. Investing in good shoes is not only eco-friendly (because you'll be shopping for shoes less often) - it's also a money saver. It might seem counter-intuitive, but in general, spending more for a quality product will save you money in the long run. Think of your shoes as an investment for your feet.
Repair, not replace. Locate a good cobbler and make your quality shoes last.

MARATHON RUNNER

Look for shoes made from eco-friendly materials. Many conventional shoe companies have started manufacturing a "green" line. Or you can look for a sustainably-commited company like Simple Shoes, which produces shoes with recycled tires, recycled plastics, organic cotton, bamboo, hemp, and other earth friendly materials.
Buy used.

Tips for the Budget Conscious
Quality or eco-friendly shoes can be pricey, so I've got one important tip for you: Shop the sales! A couple months ago, I bought some flip flops from Simple Shoes for $10 (regularly $40). I wish I'd waited to buy my hemp EcoSneaks, which I bought at full price but saw on clearance a couple weeks ago for half price!

The other budget conscious route is of course to buy used. But I've found that finding used shoes can be touch and go. Shoes are an item that people wear until they're falling off their feet, so good shoes don't usually end up at the thrift store. I've found better selection at consignment stores, but they're also more expensive - often the same price as new shoes on sale but not in new condition. I've had much better luck with used shoes for my kids.

Where I'm At
I've been able to get my dress shoes at the thrift store, but my everyday sneakers I bought new from Simple Shoes. I've also got my eye on some TOMS. My kids almost always get used shoes.

Photo by Ella's Dad

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Spotlight on Raleigh: Children's Consignment Stores

>> Friday, May 15, 2009

After my post about thrift stores in Raleigh, a friend directed me to two children's consignment stores in the area: The Children's Orchard and Kid to Kid. I was pleased to find a good selection of quality used clothing at both of these stores, particularly much more choice in the shoe department.

Like thrift stores, consignment stores sell used goods such as clothing, furniture, home decor, toys, music, videos, musical instruments, and much more. However, consignment stores differ from thrift stores in several ways:

Consignment stores sell used items for profit rather than for charity. When a person places a used item with a consignment shop, he retains ownership of that item until it sells. At that point, both the store and the original owner of the item earn a portion of the proceeds from the sale.

Consignment stores tend to be considerably more expensive than thrift stores. At both The Children's Orchard and Kid 2 Kid, the clothing prices range from about $3 (for t-shirts and shorts) to $15 (for suits and fancy dresses). These are about the same prices that I was paying when I bought most of my kid's clothes new and on sale at Target, JC Penny, or The Children's Place Outlet. But consignment stores also have end-of-season sales, so if you can plan ahead for the next year, you can find some pretty rockin' deals.

Consignment stores have consistently higher quality items than thrift stores. Thrift store shopping is like being on a treasure hunt - if you keep looking and looking, eventually you'll find good quality, stylish clothing hidden amidst all the junk. But shopping at a consignment store is more like doing your regular clothing shopping - you can hit a couple of stores on a weekend and have an entire wardrobe assembled. For someone like me, who's not the biggest fan of thrift store shopping (or shopping in general), that factor can make used clothing shopping seem much more appealing.

As a final point of interest, I should mention that both of these consignment stores are chain franchises. Franchises provide a way for someone to start their own business with less risk by using a business model that someone else has already used successfully. But franchises also contribute to the monoculture of American stores and don't support the local economy as fully as a truly locally-owned consignment store would. Currently, this is a minor point for me, but depending on your values, it may be worth it to you to seek out some other consignment stores in the area.

Because of all of these factors, I'm still leaning toward thrift stores as my primary source of children's clothing, using consignment stores to fill in the gaps with hard-to-find used items like shoes and jeans that aren't butt ugly. And my kids are pretty psyched about the better toy selection.

Do you have a favorite consignment shop?

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Spotlight on Raleigh: Thrift Stores

>> Sunday, February 1, 2009

It's funny the things you end up missing about past places you've lived. Of course, I absolutely miss my old friends the most, but after that, the thing I miss most about Silver Spring, MD is the Unique Thrift Store and Value Village. It's two thrift stores housed in one building making it a gigantic Walmart-sized warehouse of every used item your heart could possibly desire.

Okay, maybe it's not quite that big. But I can say this...When I lived in Silver Spring, I broke the number one rule of thrift store shopping, which is "go often, weekly if possible." I made a trip out to the Unique Thrift Store and Value Village about once a month, and I was still always able to find exactly what I needed. Since we moved, we've been back up to Maryland three times, and I've made a point of popping into my favorite thrift store each trip. And I've found just what I wanted every time.

Now that I'm in Raleigh, I have to make more of an effort to thrift store shop. Luckily, I have four thrift stores within a five mile radius of my apartment, so I can make a quick stop at each one on my way home from running errands. I keep an ongoing mental list of things I need, and I can do a walk through of a thrift store looking for items on my list in five to fifteen minutes.

Goodwill

Location: 321 W Hargett Street

Revenue goes to..."education, training, and career services for people with disadvantages, such as welfare dependency, homelessness, and lack of education or work experience, as well as those with physical, mental and emotional disabilities."

My Humble Opinion: Of all the thrift stores near my apartment, this has the biggest and best clothing selection. The clothes are organized by color and style, making them easy to browse, and they have a nice selection of children's clothes. There's even a dressing room. I wish though that there was a bigger shoe selection and that the boys' and girls' clothes weren't all mixed together.

Cause for Paws
Location: 1634 S. Saunders St.

Revenue goes to..."Second Chance Pet Adoption, a non-profit animal rescue organization which has served homeless animals since 1989."

My Humble Opinion: This store has a rundown, dirty feel, the clothes are more dated than at Goodwill, and I hate how they have all the kids clothes thrown into one big bin, so you literally have to dig to find anything. On the other hand, they have a large selection of non-clothes items, including large pieces of furniture, appliances, TVs, dishes and other sundry kitchen items, decorative items, and toys. They also seem to be having a sale every time I drive past, and from what I've observed, their prices are cheaper than Goodwill and the Salvation Army.

Tryon Hills Thrift Store

Location: 329 Tryon Rd.

Revenue goes to..."the N.C. Children's Promise, the fundraising arm of North Carolina Children's Hospital."

My Humble Opinion: This store is small but nicely organized and has a variety of items, including a nice selection of kids clothes and shoes. Larger furniture pieces and bikes are in the back. They have periodic sales, and on those days, they get pretty crowded. And don't forget to leave your hangers on the rack! They announce that over the intercom about every fifteen minutes. :)

Salvation Army Family Store

Location: 205 Tryon Rd

Revenue goes to..."the many outreach programs managed by the Social Ministries department."

My Humble Opinion: This store has the smallest clothing department of all the thrift stores near my home, but the biggest selection of furniture, including couches, entertaiment centers, dressers, bedframes, etc. Like the Goodwill store, the items at this store seem to be in better condition than at the other two thrift stores. I found a like-new Pack N Play there a couple weeks ago. Score!

Shopping at thrift stores is a win, win, win activity. It's good for the environment because it keeps usable items out of landfills. It's good for the pocketbook for obvious reasons. And it's good for the community because revenues from thrift stores are used to help local charities. So get out there and discover your local thrift stores!

And if you live in Raleigh and know of a thrift store like the Unique Thrift Store and Value Village I discribed above, please please please let me know!