Charity shops – they have always been around, and they always will be around. Charity shops are a great way to shop sustainably, as well as gain access to a large assortment of goods – whether you are looking at clothes, furniture, or decorative/ miscellaneous items.

Due to being second-hand, however, putting some people off such worry is not needed, everything is kept in either fantastic or near-fantastic quality. Due to such, items compared to the original retail price is astronomical. A dress originally £50 now only £10, or a cabinet worth several hundred pounds reduced to merely tens. For those earning a lower wage, or not at all, such as students, these prices are very beneficial. Or simply those interested in ‘thrifting’ as the term is used in the USA - as well as becoming popular slang amidst young adults and youths.

In recent years, there has been a surge in charity shop usage, rather it has been recognised as a much more ethically correct way to shop. Making headlines on social media, somewhat becoming a ‘trend’. Due to inflation upon the economy, as well as (referring to clothes) fast fashion creating an undeniable wreck upon the environment in hope to keep up with what is ‘popular’ and of the ‘season’. A way to conquer these issues, again, are charity shops.

Izabella Campbell Chorley, a sixth-form student, is seen frequenting the charity shops she comes across, explaining ‘I go charity shopping every few weeks actually, with or without friends, it’s cheaper and you can find some really great items, well clothes even more so, that you wouldn’t normally see in your every-day shop’, continuing on to saying ‘it’s a much better way to shop for amusement as well as economically and helping the environment’.

If more people chose to shop at charity shops, a lot of clothes and items are then re-used rather than ending up in landfills or simply drifting across the sea, as it is so seen. Sky News so helpfully states ‘more than two tonnes of clothing are bought in the UK each minute’ and that it is estimated ‘each week 11 million garments end up in the landfill’, a study of a thousand people by Oxfam.

In Warminster alone, you can find several charity shops – such as: the ‘British Red cross’, ‘Barnardo’s’, ‘Children’s Hospice’, ‘Blue Cross Shop’, and more. Each contributing to a different charity, helping those in need, even better as shopping normally will never benefit as much as shopping in charity shops do.

Buying second-hand is neither ‘disgusting’ nor ‘bad quality’ as some people seem to think, but a great way to help the planet as well as find hidden gems to add to your collection.