How to browse the second hand shops? Mini tutorial

 Every year people become more aware of their ecological nature. This kind of awareness is the attitude of a person who is responsible for the environment, having reliable knowledge about it. When looking for ways to save our planet, we are becoming more and more ecological - not only by not using plastic packaging anymore but also by not buying clothes from popular chain stores. Due to the great "boom" in being "eco", there is a real fashion for buying clothes in second-hand shops, also called second-hand shops. How to explore such places to hunt for something really cool? Here is a mini-guide to successful second-hand purchases!

The clothing industry is one big marketing mechanism. Brands compete to sell customers the latest collections of their clothes - especially the most popular chain stores. Of course, it is not the case that buying clothes in them is the worst evil in the world. If from time to time you buy something from a well-known chain store, nothing will happen - sometimes each of us wants to become the owner of some fashionable accessory or something that is particularly eye-catching. It's not that bad! However, if you spend a fortune every month on the most fashionable clothes from the stores in the mall, you should think about yourself. Have you just fallen into a dangerous trap of consumerism? Do you just throw away your old clothes just because you bought more fashionable clothes from them? Obsessed with buying is nothing but losses - both money and time.

In this whole machine driven by the clothing industry, it's not just about ourselves. A lot of clothing companies do not have factories locally in their country. Most often, large clothing brands use factories located in poorer countries, where people make clothes for well-known chain stores for literally pennies. They work hard for little wages. In poorer countries, hardly anyone cares about the environment and its welfare - indeed, to some people ecology seems to be a mere whim of wealthy people. That is why clothes are made of the worst quality products. By buying clothes sewn from chain stores in this way, we do not support the fight for the environment, but only make the whole situation worse. So what to do to be "eco" also when it comes to the selection of clothes? Use second-hand shops, i.e. second-hand shops! Many of them operate not only stationary, but also online. Shopping in such places will allow you to take care of ecology, and therefore may have a positive impact on the entire planet.

Buying in second-hand shops has become popular not only among people who support ecological solutions to save the planet. Second-hand shops are also visited by fashion lovers who are looking for extraordinary solutions and do not want to look the same as people dressing in chain stores. Finding clothes in a second-hand shop is great entertainment, as well as a good challenge for every person who tries to wear them. You have to make an effort to find real gems among the piles of clothes. It turns out that second-hand clothes shops aren't just ordinary second-hand shops. You can find really valuable treasures in them, which are sometimes worth not hundreds or even ... thousands of zlotys.

In second-hand shops, you can find branded clothes from the collections of even the most famous fashion designers in the world. That is why you can look really fashionable and unique when you buy second-hand clothes! If you're looking for a way to stand out from the gray crowd and not look the same as most people you pass by every day, check out second-hand shops regularly! There you can find great clothes that will distinguish us on the street and emphasize our personality. It is worth remembering that in second-hand shops there are really great quality clothes - with a good composition, comfortable and interesting in terms of style. Custom-made items often end up in second-hand shops. So it is worth rummaging in this type of second-hand clothing stores to find real "gold" among clothes.

Adrienne, who runs a lifestyle channel on Youtube, in one of her videos gave viewers valuable advice on finding clothes in second-hand shops. How to browse the store to find designer and fashionable clothes? Here are some of Adrienne's most interesting tips that should help any fledgling on your "lumpy adventure".

• When looking for designer clothes, one cannot focus solely on the women's department. Adrienne clearly emphasizes in his film: "If you are looking for designer clothes, go to the men's section!" It very often happens that the men's department is home to items of popular fashion brands that cost up to several hundred zlotys in a signed store. If you only look at the brand when shopping, there should be quite a few original things in the men's department. Of course, a lot depends on the type of second-hand shop and the day it is stocked with new clothes.
• "Shop on the day of delivery!" - Adrienne thinks that's when the best clothes can be hunted. True, it may be a bit more expensive, but there is always a chance to catch real gems in a second-hand shop.
• The Youtuber also advises to browse through all the clothes on hangers. Adrienne says, "It's monotonous and long, but it helps me find a lot more interesting things than if I check them out in different places in the store."

Ania Gemma runs a YouTube channel on minimalism, ecology and ethical choices. In one of the films about buying clothes in second-hand shops, she says about herself: "I immodestly think that I am the queen of buying second-hand things." Here are some tips from Youtuber on how to go shopping and choose things to be really happy with them.

• "Don't buy fast!" - if you are not in a good mood, it is better not to go shopping, so as not to buy something unnecessary, which will end up in the wardrobe anyway. It's also best not to take whatever you get.
• Ania Gemma also advises you not to be influenced by the size of the clothes. The tags often have a size assigned to a given piece of clothing. However, it may not coincide with the dimensions of the person who buys the clothes. Therefore, it is worth trying to measure your clothes and see if it is worth buying.
• "Read the tag!" - it is very important if such a tag is sewn into the clothing in the store. This way, you can find out what the garment is made of and how to care for it.

Angelika Kosmala, who also runs her YouTube channel, has some tips for second-hand explorers. The Youtuber immediately points out that she does not go to sales herself, where you have to pay several dozen zlotys for, for example, 1 kilogram. He believes that it is unprofitable. He tries to go to high-end stores on days when it's the cheapest or when the price per kilo drops.

• "Don't be ashamed of wearing clothes." - then you have the impression that everyone is watching us, which does not allow you to focus on choosing clothes. There is a strange stereotype in our country that second-hand shoppers are poor. Why? It's hard to explain. Meanwhile, wealthy people dress in high-end stores, as well as stars we know well from television.
• If you have patience, you can go to second-hand shops, where baskets of clothes are placed in the center. Often you can find real gems in them. However, it is a demanding and time-consuming job. When viewing things on hangers, it is important to carefully swing the hanger over the hanger. This is how you can find fashion treasures. Often, among the hangers, you can find branded things that someone, for example, hung on purpose in order to buy them on the day when the price of clothes per kilo drops.
• "Don't limit yourself to buying, depending on the season, for example, buying only winter clothes in winter." - Angelika admits that in the winter she stocked up a lot of things for the summer. Not searching seasonally, then she bought about 40 pairs of shorts! In order to organize everything and prepare it for the next season, the clothes she has hunted down in stores are kept in cardboard boxes. As a rule, most second-hand shoppers look for clothes for the current season. It is worth using this fact to find real treasures!

Buying clothes in second-hand shops is no shame. By buying second-hand clothes, you can help the environment by giving clothes a new life. After all, it is not difficult to buy a cheap and slender t-shirt from the network, which will fall apart in the wash and you will have to throw it away, right? Buying in second-hand shops, however, is not as obvious as it may seem for everyone. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when shopping at a second-hand retail store.

• Never assume that you will end up with a super booty every time. Shopping is not always successful - but it is the same in every clothing store.
• Be patient when buying from second-hand shops. Don't rush, just spend at least an hour leafing through the hangers. Never focus on a specific purchase.
• Locate all the stores in the area and see which one has the best merchandise. Sometimes it may turn out that only one or two of them will have clothes that are really in great condition, branded and varied. In some second-hand shops, it can also be much cheaper than in others. Many of them have promotional days and days of fresh delivery. Look for such places!
• If the store is smaller, it will be best to look at clothes hanger by hanger. In large second-hand stores, focus on individual departments - only, of course, if you don't have time to browse the entire inventory.
• Can't you sew? So do not buy damaged items that require alterations.
• Scavenging the men's and kids' departments - assuming you're a woman, of course - is fine! This is where the real treasures often hide between the hangers. Also, the fact that a piece of clothing hangs on a given department does not mean that it has to fit specifically selected people. Wear whatever you want and what you feel good about - whether it's a floral dress, wide men's sweatshirt or sports shorts.