Winnipeg thrift stores say business is booming due to rising inflation

As rising inflation has more Manitobans looking for alternate ways to save money, some thrift stores say business is booming.

“We’re busy and summer is a busy time for us, but we have noticed an increase in volume,” Prairie Crocus Thrift Store board member Candy Anaka-Pare told Global News.

“I think it’s inflation and the price of inflation, but also it’s the trend of thrifting and reusing and not sending to landfills,” Anaka-Pare said.

“So we’ve noticed a huge increase in that demographic of 17 to early 30s. People are mindful of that.”

Anaka-Pare said they’re seeing a wide variety of clientele, coming in for an array of items — especially parents looking for clothes and toys.

“We sell a ton of toys, even housewares, because we are a throw-away society. And I’m guilty of it, we’re all guilty of it. We want new and better and shiny,” she said.

She also said people looking to save money need to be mindful of what they’re purchasing, especially when it comes to online shopping.

“Don’t buy on a whim. Think about your purchases,” she said.

“We get a lot of women’s clothing that still has tags on, so I think it’s spontaneous buying.”

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Jocelyn Kotlarchuk, who works at second-hand children’s clothing store Once Upon a Child, said the shop is also seeing more business.

“We have gotten busier with the inflation prices and all that,” she said.

“We’ve noticed a lot of people just coming in and they’re just like, ‘You know what? It’s cheap!’ But it’s a good cheap right?”