LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The average person will spend more than $1,000 on the holidays this year. That number keeps rising, but a lot of shopping are fighting the trend.
Consumer finance experts expect more people to shop in thrift stores when buying holiday presents. Brandon Lamb, a store manager for a Goodwill store in West Little Rock, said he has noticed an increase in shoppers compared to years past.
“It’s a pretty good jump from last year,” he claimed. “People are trying to go cheaper.
“I’ve seen a few new customers that haven’t come in before. They donate, say, ‘we’ve never shopped here.’ They come in, they shop, they’re shopping now.”
Since all the items are donated, people can save a lot of money doing their Christmas shopping at thrift stores. Lamb said thrift-store shoppers also believe they can find a greater variety of items than in most stores.
“Everybody looks to give that unique gift,” he stated. “They want something special that you can’t get anywhere else.”
According to a survey by Accenture, the number of people trying to spend less on holiday shopping this year is up four percent. At the same time, the survey found that 48 percent of respondents planned to give a second-half gift, and 56 percent said they would be happy to receive one.
“I’ve had people come in specifically to look for specific things,” Lamb mentioned. “Ugly Christmas sweaters; vintage; dress up, nice clothes.”
Lamb said lots of shoppers look for and find clothing with the original tags still on, so they can give a never-worn piece of clothing at a resale price.
He has also seen lots of people drive up, donate several bags of items, and then park, come inside, and begin shopping. “They drop it off and they come back in and buy more than they donate,” he said, “which is great this time of year, because we get a bunch of donations.”
But if someone is still looking for the perfect ugly Christmas sweater, Lamb suggests they hurry.
“We always have the big hype for the ugly Christmas sweaters,” he said. “They lasted…I probably put 50 out and they probably lasted about four days.”
Lamb said another wave of donations always come in during the last week of December. “After Christmas, up until the 31st, we get a ton of donations,” he said, “everybody getting their year-end tax receipts.”
Shoppers looking for anything from N*SYNC bobblehead dolls to pianos can find them in Goodwill stores. Goodwill also has jewelry available for sale on its website.