TAMPA — Our wallets have been feeling it.
“We all know the prices of everything are going up so much. Everything from electric to groceries to everything is so much higher even now than it was a year ago or even two years ago,” said Jodie Whitehead, owner of Once Upon a Child North Tampa.
It’s why shopping secondhand has become increasingly popular for families, especially for back-to-school.
Tampa Bay 28 visited several thrift stores to show you some of the options available.
“Labelswap is an upscale thrift and resale store… We have a wide variety of not only brands and trends, but sizes. We range from XXS all the way up to XL…You can find an outfit regardless of what your budget, or your style, or your size is. We’re pretty inclusive here,” said Samantha Cano, marketing and social media manager of labelswap.
She said labelswap has been a popular option for back-to-school shopping, and they’re offering extra savings.
“We’re actually offering 10% to teachers and school staff this month just by showing a valid school ID,” said Cano.
With a range of clothes, shoes, purses, and price points— Cano believes shopping secondhand is a great way to help families save money, while allowing kids to get the clothes they want.
“I feel like with kids, teenagers, not only do their sizes fluctuate often, their style fluctuates often. Trends fluctuate often,” said Cano.
At Once Upon a Child North Tampa, they’ve seen more families come in for back-to-school shopping with recent rising prices.
“This has become such a great staple of the community to be able to buy items for your kids that are gently used but still in great condition for a fraction of the cost you pay at regular retail,” said Whitehead.
Whitehead and her team at Once Upon a Child have been preparing for the back-to-school season for months.
“We buy gently used uniforms and khakis and backpacks all throughout the year and we back stock it,” said Whitehead.
Giving parents variety on many items kids need for the first day.
“When they come they can see what they need and get it for a fraction of the cost,” said Whitehead.
At Tampa Thrift, managing partner Ambar Pimentel is also in support of secondhand shopping.
“We are a store for the community. We’re a store that has accessible pricing and always a vast variety of product. Ranging from anything like clothing, shoes, accessories to household items... Secondhand is a great option for shopping back to school. I mean not only are kids always outgrowing their clothes right, it’s definitely a great option for parents to find amazing pieces at an accessible price,” said Pimentel.
She told Tampa Bay 28 they’ve been busy with families getting ready for the start of the new school year.
“People were literally just grabbing by sizes and throwing it on their carts,” said Pimentel.
Shopping secondhand is also the more sustainable option.
“Not only is shopping secondhand really great of your wallet, it’s really great for the planet and giving back to your local community,” said Cano.
Another benefit of shopping secondhand is that many thrift stores will pay you for items you no longer want, so you can even make money as you shop.
“We buy, we pay cash on the spot every day when customers bring items in,” said Whitehead.
For even more of a discount, many thrift stores are offering sales in the final weekend before school starts.
“This is the weekend before school. So all of our uniforms even this weekend, we’re going to be putting on sale which is great,” said Whitehead.
“We have a level up sale happening this weekend. So that means that tags that are normally 50% off which are our teal tags, right now. Will be 75% off. And then our purple tags that are 75% off will be 95% off,” said Cano.
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