When I heard my local charity shop was running a kilo sale, I got very excited.
As someone who loves second hand shopping for the uniqueness of my finds and has an appreciation for lower and more ethical consumption, I always enjoy finding new ways to second hand shop.
In November I attended this event run by my local Salvation Army unsure what exactly to expect and was greeted by around fourteen tables stacked 1 meter high with clothes which were kept this way as the hard-working volunteers were constantly topping them up.
It was separated into men’s and women’s with no other order except having been checked for stains and holes.
This set up reminded me of the jumble sales my primary school used to run, a highlight of my youth where I spent hours finding treasures while setting up for the public.
After taking this in, it was time to start digging which I have to say is not a walk in the park – but well worth the time for the price for £2.50 a kilo.
There was an odd selection of many clothes at the extremes of sizing and some still with tags!
I focused on tops as it is easier to get them to fit and managed to collect two shirts, a blouse, a boys t shirt, and a fleece which all totalled at £2.50.
My bundle may have looked feeble compared to some determined shoppers who were walking away with shopping bags full and having spent £15 on 6 kilos.
This twist on the mobile kilo sales we have all seen from vintage resellers allowed a space for affordable and everyday clothes to get more use.
Along with the enjoyment and thrill, ultimately saving perfectly good clothes from landfill is incredibly important to me along with the added benefit that the profits went to a charity.
I am a long-standing advocate of the sustainability; community minded nature and affordability of charity shops and I love how events like this can encourage a new demographic of people to visit.
I encourage everyone to think twice about buying new and even talk to your local charity shop about holding an event of this kind.
