A Boomer and GenXer Walk into a Bar
Wit and wisdom, some smart assery, and a Mother and Daughter questioning “Are we even related?”
A Boomer and GenXer Walk into a Bar
Thrifting Through Generations: From Hidden Gems to Dumpster Diving Dilemmas S:1 E20
Picture this: a shared love for thrifting that bridges generations, bringing together mother-daughter duo Jane and Bobbi, and even Bobbi's children. This episode promises a heartwarming exploration into how thrifting has intertwined with their family traditions, offering not only budget-friendly fashion finds but also cherished memories. With a touch of humor and insight, we tackle the debate on thrifted gifts and how they are perceived across different generations. You'll learn how attitudes towards thriftiness have evolved and why some folks wear their thrifted finds with a badge of pride.
On a more intriguing note, we venture into the world of thrift store reselling, a practice that has sparked its own share of controversy. Jane and Bobbi share personal tales of flipping thrift finds for profit, providing a firsthand look at the ethics and economy of this booming trend. Is it a fair game or a greedy grab? Join us for an episode that celebrates the charm and resourcefulness of thrifting, while posing thought-provoking questions about its impact on culture and community.
email: boomerandgenxer@gmail.com
Welcome everyone to today's show. A boomer and a Gen Xer walk into a bar, coming to you today not from the rabbit hole studio, but from Rabbit Run, since we are still on the road. You, as our listener, will experience some wit and wisdom, some smart assery and a mother and daughter questioning. Are we even related? My name is Jane Burt, my co-host is my daughter, bobbi, and for the next several minutes we are here to talk about. Guess what we're going to talk about today, bobbi? Something I think that you love to do writing.
Speaker 2:No, we won't be riding motorcycles. No, what is it?
Speaker 1:it's going to be thrifting and thrifting thrifting, something I love to do too, but you know what? There's been a lot of controversy about thrifting and I want to talk about this, and also I want to touch about on about dumpster diving. So yeah, yeah, so uh, the reason I'm bringing up thrifting is, first of all, I love to thrift. You do too, right, bobby? Oh yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean raising four kids. You can't unless you're a millionaire. You can't raise four kids without thrifting, at least at some point.
Speaker 1:So this is funny, this is how much thrifting Bobby does, and I know that she does it. Um, her daughter came to my house and spent the night and, uh, sometimes I buy the kids school clothes, right, I take them out and I shop and we buy school clothes and it just depends on who's around and who needs it and whatever else. It's not like I get them all together and go come on, we're all going to school shopping and anyway. So Bobby's daughter was at my house and I said hey, listen, let's go get you some clothes for school. And she goes, okay, and she goes where do you want to go? And at that time I said let's just go to the mall and let's look around.
Speaker 1:And God love her, she was let me see, this would have been Lacey, and she was probably 15, maybe 16 at the time. And she said Grandma, if we go to the thrift store, I can get a lot more stuff for the money. And I was just shocked and I said, yeah, you bet you can. And I said I just wanted you to have, you know, something new, some brand new clothes. And she goes I don't care about that, she goes. You know, I can. Just, it just doesn't cost as much and I can get just as nice stuff. Just because it's been worn before is no big deal. And I thought I can hear Bobby's mouth talking to Lacey and now Lacey passing this on to me. So you've obviously had those conversations with the kids, right.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. I mean, I had, you know, my three older ones. They were all under five years old at the same time. So going through clothes was, I mean, it was an enormous task, you know, and I have four kids total and by the time my youngest was, you know, needing clothes. The other ones were already so outgrown of them. We had gotten rid of them where they had been destroyed.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Cause you had quite a gap between kids too.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. And so I mean, and I just I love thrifting, I mean you can find, you know you go to the rich neighborhoods you can find brand new clothes with the tags still on them that you know people just didn't even wear.
Speaker 1:Right, and you know, joey, your your middle daughter. Um, she also did the same thing. I think it was her birthday, and I said, let's, you know, do you need any clothes or anything? And she goes. No, not really, she goes. I could probably use a couple pairs of jeans, and I go. Where do you want to go? And she goes is there a thrift store around? And I was. You know, I was just shocked because you know the two oldest grandboys, you know I spent $100 and $150 for a pair of jeans for them. And here's your daughter saying hey, you know, I'll go to the thrift if they have a, you know, some type of designer tag on them. So good for you, yeah, but I will say.
Speaker 2:I will say, though, you know, when it comes to school clothes, I do try to get them one. You know at least one or two brand new outfits, and they usually have brand new shoes, Right.
Speaker 1:Right and they get them throughout the year. I don't want anybody to think that you know your kids are going without shoes or clothes or anything like that. I mean, these kids get, get brand new stuff throughout the year. It's not like they don't, but it was just. The conversations were very heartwarming. I will say that, and I've learned through thrifting that, yeah, I've gone to some of the more ritzy neighborhoods. You know to go to the Goodwill there or go to the thrift shops, because I've always said you know if you're poor you have garage sales, if you're rich, you give your clothes and stuff away, and so you know they give them to thrift shops or they give them to the Goodwill or the the salvation army or whoever it is. And, uh, it's kind of nice to see. But there's been a lot of controversy around thrifting and what do you think it is, bobby, that has been so controversial?
Speaker 2:well, I know that it might be something to do with what my daughter, joey, did bring up, because, um, we were talking about thrifting not too long ago. And she goes oh, you remember that gift that I got, yeah, yeah, when I went to the thrift store? She goes that sign that I got her for her kitchen. That's, you know, it was about drinking wide, but wine better than you cook food, or right, you know something like that. And I said, yeah, she still has that in her kitchen. She goes yeah, I got that at a thrift store and got, gave it to her and yeah, and I was excited for it.
Speaker 1:I mean, it wasn't like I looked at it and frowned and so you kind of just touched on what some of the controversy is. So there was a article or there was a news thing or a reel or something, where a daughter-in-law bought her mother-in-law uh, something from a thrift store for her birthday and gave it to her, and the mother-in-law said we'll be sure to include the receipt, like she's gonna take it back. And you know, the daughter-in-law was like, well, you know what? Do I tell her that it was thrifted? I don't really know.
Speaker 1:And I thought, wow, first and foremost, you know, my, my whole thought has always been if you're going to give somebody something, it's out of the kindness of your heart, it isn't because you feel obligated to give it to them, because if that's the case, stop, just stop. I don't. When I buy stuff for people, I for years I have not. Now, for years and years I have not bought anything that I have felt obligated to buy somebody something for. You know, it's always been oh, I'll buy this out of the kindness of my heart. And I feel like they do too. Um, I feel like, you know, they, uh, they pick things out for me. Now, if you're running to the store and going oh my gosh, it's Bobby's birthday tomorrow and I don't know what to get her, I'll just get this and I throw it in the cart. Well, leave it at the store folks, because right, if that's all the thought that you put into it. But this girl, I guess you know, I don't really know what she oh, I do know what she bought.
Speaker 1:She bought her a pair of shoes and you know if, if they were like new or or hardly used um, who cares? But I, I don't know would you have told somebody that you had thrifted the gift before you gave it to them, or would you just give it to them, I guess?
Speaker 2:it would depend on my audience. Okay, so if, if I knew it was going to be well received, that it did come from a thrift store, I absolutely would tell them that. You know, hey, I picked this up at so-and-so thrift store. You know, knowing that maybe they want to go to that thrift store because this is in such great condition, I wonder what else they have, right?
Speaker 1:So let's say that it is not that situation, right? So let's say that it is not that situation. Let's say that you know, would first of all, would you buy something from a thrift store that you felt? You know, I don't really know them that well, but you know I'm going to buy them something and now it's their birthday. I got invited to this birthday party and I'm going to go, but I don't really know how they would react. Party and I'm going to go, but I don't really know how they would react?
Speaker 2:Would you say, hey, I bought this from a thrift store. I don't know that I would even get them something from a thrift store. And here's why, you know, if I get a gift from a thrift store for somebody, usually it's something that's like vintage, or you know something that you can't get somewhere else, like an original you know record that they would love. I really would have to know that person and know their tastes in order to know what to get them. You know, if I didn't know them that well, I would probably get them maybe a card and like a gift card to Starbucks or something you know, just something real generic. Okay, if I knew them well and knew that it would not be received well, that it was from a thrift store, I wouldn't tell them.
Speaker 1:You would do it, but you wouldn't tell them. Yeah, you would buy it from the thrift store, but you wouldn't tell them.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1:Okay, so I have a little bit of different take on that. I guess I am pretty proud to thrift and your grandma, my mother, um, and several people back in that era that they grew up in saved a lot of stuff. And in our household when I was growing up, we had jars, we had, you know, butter dishes. I mean that that's how we, that was our Tupperware.
Speaker 1:it was you know a country crock, uh, container or something like that. And so my parents grew up in a time period where you had to save everything that you possibly could and reuse it, and I think all of those people were ahead of their time. Now I made fun of them. I mean, we did, we as kids made fun of them. It was like, oh my gosh, you know they're saving this crap and why are they saving all this stuff? And now I look back and I think they were ahead of their time.
Speaker 2:Well, and a lot of the stuff now is made to be disposable, whether it be after one use or 10 uses or a year. It's actually made to be more disposable where back then I mean you're talking like you know these thick glass bowls that are beautifully made and these you know. Even Tupperware back then is made different and has survived all the way you know to today and is very coveted. You know if you can find Tupperware from you know back in the early years. So I think that a lot of it was built differently, even like if you look at silverware, I still have silverware pieces from my grandmother on my father's side that I can't find silverware today that to buy that even compares to it yeah, I think things were probably made better.
Speaker 1:You know, as, as corporations uh, choose to make more of a profit, of course they start cutting the materials and they start cutting the quality of what we're receiving, and that's anything from a pair of tennis shoes to a bag of potato chips. I mean, they're doing their best to cut costs and just make a profit, and that's their main objective. But I would say that I am proud of thrifting now and I'm happy to do it Now. Now I buy a lot of stuff from the thrift store. Do I walk around and tell everybody I got this from a thrift store? I do not. If somebody says, hey, that's a beautiful bowl that's in your, you know, in your cupboard, in the, in the living room, on the, on the bookcase, and it's just beautiful, um, um, I wouldn't say, oh, thanks, I got that for 50 cents at a thrift store.
Speaker 2:You wouldn't tell him that.
Speaker 1:No, I mean I may, it just depends on how I felt that day. But I mean I would just say thank you, I'd go yeah, isn't that cool. Because that's why I pick it up is because I think it's cool, and so I probably wouldn't. Now don't get me wrong if it was you and you said, hey, mom, that is a really cool bowl in there, I go yeah, I got it for 50 cents, you know. Then it's a different story. But if it's somebody else walking through the house and says, hey, that's cool, I probably wouldn't say anything. I just take the compliment and go.
Speaker 2:I guess I'm different there because, like you and I, you know we have our thrifting stuff. But like if somebody in a checkout line at Walmart looks at me and says, wow, I really love those pants, I'd be like $2 at the thrift store.
Speaker 1:See, no, I wouldn't do that. I would just look at it and go thank you. You know, because of if somebody thinks that it looks really good on you and it looks trendy and expensive, I'm good with that. I don't need to tell you it cost me two dollars. I'm not. I'm not going to do that. I'm going to let you think that. You know, hey, I'm hot stuff right here in this outfit. But yeah, I will say this I would never buy something from a thrift store for a wedding gift. I would not do that.
Speaker 2:Unless it was like you really knew the couple and they were really into vintage things.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's a different story, but I mean, in general, I would not. If it's somebody's birthday, I probably wouldn't, unless it was yours or somebody that I knew really, really well. And let's say that there was a. You know you were into vinyl albums and you said and I found one that I knew you would like Just presenting it to you. You would obviously know that it was vintage and I know it would really make you happy. But I think that's thinking through. You know, would this really make them happy? Is this something that they're truly interested in? And if that's the case, I'm happy to say I got this at a thrift store and I saw it and I know you collect these and I was so excited and I hope you are too then I would um, I otherwise, you know.
Speaker 1:I mean, I don't see anything wrong with finding a nice charcuterie board at a, at a thrift store, cleaning it, what, what do you think they are? Charcuterie board? You call them charcuterie, charcuterie board, you call them charcuterie, charcuterie board and cleaning it up as long as it's in good shape and then buying you know, some nice things to put with it. I don't have any problem with that. I would do that and I would think it would be cool if somebody thought of me to do it that way too, because I love doing charcuterie boards, right? So I would love it if somebody thought you know, gosh, she really likes this.
Speaker 1:So I I think that there's a. You know, there's probably some conditions. Now let me ask you this, though there's a. The controversy that's coming up now is that people are buying these things from the thrift stores and they're, and they're, they're flipping them for profit. Oh yeah, you know, they're finding things that were given away. They're finding name brand things and they're flipping them on eBay or wherever. They're reselling up thread or whatever it is, thread up, whatever it is. And one of the things that you know, we've talked about goodwill before, and people think that goodwill gives money away to people. They don't.
Speaker 2:Goodwill does not do that, and they're also one of the most expensive thrift stores.
Speaker 1:They are They've kind of caught on to what's going on and they're going to take advantage of it. But Goodwill, what they do for the community is they do offer to train people to make them productive citizens and help them get hired for jobs and things like that, but they don't give their money to anybody. Let's not act like you're taking your stuff in there and, oh, you're really helping somebody because, let's face it, there's always a help wanted. Sign on the goodwill store and they'll take whoever they can get.
Speaker 2:So, um so for for going in and like finding these things and flipping them, I I can't say that I'm against it because I've done it. I'm I'm not against it.
Speaker 1:I'm not against it at all, but that's some of the controversy, you know. My whole thing is is if somebody else doesn't want it and you want it and you're willing to pay that price, who cares exactly? I mean, if you put ten dollars on it and somebody else gets, you know, a hundred dollars out of it, who cares?
Speaker 2:well, you know that store didn't get it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, that store didn't get that. You know. If you sold it for a hundred, you know they only got ten dollars for it. Who cares? They could have put a hundred dollars on it, they could have taken the time and, you know, posted it on all of these different sites. I don't care that somebody makes a profit over that stuff and as a matter of fact, I've been. We I bought a, uh, huge vase at the Goodwill in Urbandale Iowa and I bought it for, I want to say, $12.
Speaker 2:And it was just huge and I thought wow, the one that's in your wall in your entryway or back entryway, or something that you were showing us.
Speaker 1:that one, yes, the one that's with the checkers. I bought it for like $12. And I'm thinking we're going to use that in the Georgia house, okay, so I'm going to transport that thing all over hell and back and so I'm carrying that thing with us for months and we get down here and I start looking on eBay and stuff. That thing sold for like $150. And I thought, well, that's a heck of a deal. You know, I bought it for us. Now if I sell it at a garbage sale for, you know, $15 and somebody makes a thousand dollars off of it, I don't care. I had an opportunity to sell it for that and I didn't.
Speaker 1:And so I know a lot of people are angry of that. And the other thing is because the resale business for thrifting went from like 28 billion dollars is that hard to believe? 28 billion dollars in thrifting? Uh, yeah, I believe it in the past five years up to about 62 billion. And the reason for that is because, like, the goodwills are catching on and saying, oh, this is name brand, it's no longer going to be a dollar fifty in our store. We're going to charge 22 for it instead. So they've kind of caught on and I know people are getting mad and they're saying, oh, they're raising their prices. Now.
Speaker 1:One of the things that I could see being problematic with that is a lot of people who don't have money go to the goodwill and look for clothes right a lot of the people who just flat out don't have it, um, are looking for places to buy the things that they absolutely need, and so, you know, raising the prices in those types of stores, I think, can be a little bit greedy, I guess I would say I don't know yeah, I mean I see that and I also see like where they'll get like a donation of things from like dollar general and they'll have the original dollar general price tags on them and their goodwill's asking like a dollar more than the original price tag.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I'm just like wait a second yeah, that's, just that's not how this works yeah, that's just wrong.
Speaker 2:I think that's what I mean if I, if I go in, like let's say, I go in and I find a pair of like miss me jeans, you know, in a goodwill, that's in amazing shape. You know the zipper works, there's no stains or anything on them. If they want to sell them for 25, that's still a hell of a deal from what you're buying for new, or even, you know, on poshmark or something from another reseller right so you know, I mean, if they're not gonna, so what?
Speaker 2:they don't put five dollars on them? I, I mean, I get that. You know people want to be able to afford those name brands, but at the same time I guess I'm for it Because you know the sustainability and things like that. We need to start looking into that more, because these clothes now are made to be thrown away and we just it's ridiculous yeah, yeah, no, I I agree with you there.
Speaker 1:So let me get into the next topic then that's kind of associated with this or kind of um goes along with. On in the same line is dumpster diving.
Speaker 2:So I love it. I can't tell you how many times I've been a trash panda at 3 am with a headlamp and gloves, on behind the tractor supply because they're remodeling their showroom and they're throwing out full bags of animal food and brand new knives and things like that. Boy, I'll be up in it. I don't even care.
Speaker 1:I haven't done any dumpster diving in a long time. Well, I take that back when we were looking for boxes to move. Um, I was getting into dumpsters to get the boxes and it was like what's that, what's that? And I did take some things out of the dumpster hey listen, it's not beneath me. And for these, these people, to say you know, that's our private garbage and you need to stay out of it. You can't be dumpster diving. You threw it away. If somebody else can use it, why wouldn't you let somebody else use it Now? You did what the corporation told you to do you threw it away so they can have their tax write off, because that's exactly what they do is write that off.
Speaker 2:Tax write-off, because that's exactly what they do is write that off. Yeah, and the thing that makes me the maddest is when you have these dumpsters full of this. You know these items and they purposefully destroy them so that people who do dumpster dive can't use them. That just irritates the hell out of me, because it's like you don't got to be like that you know right, like they throw paint on them or something and donate it up.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely, and instead, they rip them apart and throw them in the dumpster, unnecessarily right and and again.
Speaker 1:You know why they throw it in the dumpsters? Because they get a write-off. Okay, they get that as a loss for their corporation. But once it goes into the dumpster, you know who cares. Who cares as long as somebody else can use it. And why wouldn't we want to recycle that? Why wouldn't we want to upcycle and let somebody else, you know, get it? And I don't care if somebody is making a profit off of it. First come, first serve. I don't even care, because I remember years ago, pier 1 Imports. I don't even know, because I remember years ago, um, pier one imports.
Speaker 1:I don't even know if they even have those stores anymore, but I remember going dumpster diving in that uh dumpster one time and there was a side chair like you would have in your bedroom and it was super nice and it was brand new tags, everything's on it, and looked at it and all it was. It just had a little dirt mark on one of the arms and I and it was like 300 and some dollars and I pulled it out of there, took it home, cleaned it up. It was great, you know. So I'm not against that either. Now would I dumpster dive and give those away as gifts? No, no, I probably wouldn't do that.
Speaker 1:But yeah, thrifting you know I'm pretty proud of thrifting sometimes and again, I think you're absolutely right. I think it really depends on who it is and how close you are to them. But you know, when I give you something, it is coming out of the kindness of my heart. I'm not doing it because I feel that I have to, because I don't feel that way anymore. I don't buy you something because I feel like I have to. I buy you something because I think that you will like it or I think that it's something that you absolutely need. And if I didn't feel that way, I wouldn't buy you anything at all. And I'm hopeful that people don't feel that way. I wouldn't buy you anything at all, and I'm hopeful that people don't feel that pressure to buy other people's stuff when they absolutely don't have to. It's out of the kindness of your heart and that's it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so yeah, I agree, I agree, and yeah, hey, if, if anybody out there, you know, has a cool thrift store, finds that, uh, their mother--law didn't want, you can just send them in to me.
Speaker 1:We would take them. That's right and we would be grateful. Yeah, we would be very, very grateful for that. So, yeah, so we are pro-thrifting both of us. I don't know that we agreed on who gets to get a thrifted gift or not, and that's okay. We are both pro dumpster divers. Absolutely, absolutely. We are both pro recyclers. I love recycling it. I mean, it's good for the planet, it's good for people, and gosh, why wouldn't you do it? And, um, you know, if, if, if you want to get rid of your junk, get rid of your junk. If you want to sell it, sell it. That's cool too. But you know, just let somebody else have the opportunity to use it. And I've put a lot of stuff out on the curb and with a sign that says free, and I will tell you that stuff goes and I don't care what they're doing with it, I don't care if they sell it I don't care what they do with it, as long as it's out of my garage, so exactly.
Speaker 1:Well, what do you think, bobby?
Speaker 2:well, I think that's all the trash talk that, uh, we're gonna be having today, and this truly was trash talk it was, but you know we really do appreciate everybody joining us here at the Rabbit Run Studios. We really appreciate if you follow us, like us, share us with your friends, you know, head over to your favorite listening platform and rate us or just follow us, because that always helps.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 2:If you do have positive feedback or if there's a topic you want us to talk about, we've got our email at boomerandjenexer at gmailcom. We also have our Facebook page, which is A Boomer and a Gen Xer Walk Into a Bar the official podcast. If you have hate mail, well, you can put it in the dumpster and hopefully, we don't find it later and we're not going to retrieve it.
Speaker 1:We're not diving for any of that stuff.
Speaker 2:Yep, so until next time.
Speaker 1:I'm Bobby Joy and I'm Jane Burt and you're stuck with us. We're going to get that right sometime on the rabbit run, aren't we? Maybe one time we'll actually sync up Peace out Later.