I've Been Every Type of Secondhand Shopper
field notes from the consignment store
Today’s stacking paper newsletter is guest authored by Viv Chen. Her iconic publication, The Molehill, ranges from practical guides on buying jewelry that’ll get you all the compliments, to exploring how 90s fashion is affecting our culture to this day.
It’s 11am on a Saturday morning and I’m at one of my favorite consignment stores in Oakland.
I’m greeted by a staff person who looks like an avant-garde goth runway model (shaved head, drapey black tunic thing with moth holes, skirt over pants). The candle that’s burning smells like incense and cedar. I have been secondhand shopping since I was in high school; I feel at ease in a space like this.
I’m not shopping for anything specific, but the curation is good so I’m walking in with an open mind. Last time I was here, I bought two things: a pair of silvery-gray silk pants with metal sequins on the hem, and a sheer black slip dress with major layering potential.
Aside from the clothes, I like coming here just to be in the mix and see how people are shopping secondhand. It’s interesting to observe what trends are resonating, whether they’re just browsing or buying for a specific occasion, and their dressing room thoughts if they try on pieces.
A sheer pink blouse catches my attention, so I float over to it. I think it’s silk, but I’m not entirely sure.
While I check the tag for fabric composition, a gaggle of girls appear from around the corner. They seem like close friends, maybe college students, based on how they’re all dressed in slightly different variations of the same low rise baggy jeans and crop top combo, like a modern version of the Spice Girls.
They’re extremely talkative as they zip from one rack to the other, pulling out pieces and beckoning for the others to take a look. I know this dynamic well: they’re social shoppers.
The activity is more about bonding and interacting, and less so about making a purchase. I overhear them discussing a “cool but expensive” boucle miniskirt, and how they could “thrift something online for less.” We love a confident thrifty queen!
I make my way over to the denim section.
As I start browsing from the left, a woman with curtain bangs, pinstripe overalls and clogs starts browsing from the right. We are bound to do the awkward little dance where we meet in the middle and switch sides. I notice that she’s a brand name shopper, based on the way she’s checking for the logo on the back pockets or the tag on each pair of jeans.
This strategy is familiar to me, because I used to shop this way when I was young and didn’t know how to gauge quality or construction from hand-feel.
In my head, there were certain brands that were reputable or desirable, and that was what drove my purchasing decisions. Admittedly, I ended up with a bunch of clothes that weren’t really my style simply because I wanted to wear a “cool” brand.
40 minutes have passed, and I’m trying on a few items in the dressing room. After slipping on a vintage dress with a zigzag pattern, I step out to look at myself in the “big mirror.”
My dressing room neighbor is a curly-haired woman with an enviable stack of gold bangles on one wrist.
She’s shopping for a wedding guest outfit, and the first option she tries on is a simple pale blue dress with thin straps and a flowy skirt. I can’t help but gush “you look AMAZING in that.” It looks like it was made for her, and I think she knows it too.
She grins and says “yeah, this is the one! I’m not even gonna try on the others.” The epitome of decisive shopper behavior, she marches over to the register to pay.
I admired her resolve and certainty. The appeal of being a decisive shopper is the underlying assumption that you’re so in sync with your sartorial taste and your budget that it’s easy to make decisions when shopping.
Every type of shopper makes spending decisions differently, and I think everyone is a combination of all three.
In my experience, the biggest pro of being a decisive shopper is saving time and money because you know what you’re looking for, rather than getting distracted by the act of browsing and buying more than you intended.
There was a time when I was proud of myself for walking into a consignment store while reminding myself, “I’m looking for a full-length graduation dress and my budget is $100.” It turned out nothing fit my criteria at that store, so I waited it out until I found one online that checked all my boxes.
Don’t get me wrong though, I go on social shopping dates because it’s fun to hang out with friends. There is pleasure to just browsing and having conversations with each other about clothes, and seeing each other try things on. Admittedly though, I do tend to get caught up in the moment and buy things because I see my friends are. Recently, I was out shopping with a friend for nothing in particular, and she found a little handbag with a pink flower button clasp. The fact that she thought it was cute stoked my desire for the handbag, despite the fact that I hadn’t noticed it on my own. I had to talk myself out of buying it. For me, this is the biggest con of social shopping—falling to subtle moments of peer influence and risk overspending.
Shopping by brand name has its benefits and drawbacks as well. I definitely shop by brand name when I’m searching for something specific. It helps narrow down my search and be specific with my shopping criteria. Also, if you end up reselling your clothes on the secondhand market, I have found that a brand name piece typically retains more value than one without. In this case, it can be a wise financial decision. However, there have also been situations where I buy something just because I was enamored by the brand or designer—and I’m left with a sense of purchase regret after the initial honeymoon period wears off, and I realize I don’t actually like the item itself very much.
The takeaway here is that while there is no singular or optimal way to be a shopper, there are modes of shopping that can make you more or less prone to overspending vs. saving. It’s normal to experience some purchase regrets; these are all learning experiences. I try to look back on my money mistakes with compassion and empathy for my younger self.
Shopping is human, and it’s messy. Embrace it.
JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Member FDIC.
©2026 JPMorgan Chase & Co.
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