With inflation continuing to squeeze people’s budgets, and environmental concerns at top of mind, sustainable shopping is gaining steam.
From used clothing to appliances, more and more consumers are opting for second-hand as a way to save money while reducing their environmental impact. Trae Bodge, smart shopping expert and founder of TrueTrae, joined TheStreet to discuss this trend and share shopping tips for savvy consumers.
Related: 5 money-saving shopping tips
Full Video Transcript Below:
CONWAY GITTENS: And let’s talk about sustainability. What are the trends that you are seeing around consumer demand there?
TRAE BODGE: So consumer demand is on the rise with sustainability. We’re trying to be more mindful. We’re trying to do our part to help the planet or not do as much damage to the planet. And so I’m seeing a lot of great products in the sustainable arena, whether they’re being made with recycled plastic bottles or they’re encouraging reuse instead of buying new things like refillable water. Bottles and water free products in the home for cleaning products and things like that. So I’m seeing a lot of activity there. And then that kind of leads into my next tip about buying second hand. That’s a big trend right now. It’s suddenly cool to buy second hand. So I’m really glad to see that. I’ve been a thrifter for a very long time. My family and I all do it together and I’m glad that it’s cool now to buy second hand because there’s a great way to save money and also give products. Another life and live a bit more sustainably.
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CONWAY GITTENS: So as a shopping expert, what are the tips for doing it right in terms of second hand shopping. Because you could do you know, we all see those commercials where somebody’s driving down the street and they see a couch on the street and they take it home and then they say, does it smell well. So what are some of the tips to doing it?
TRAE BODGE: Well, Yeah. So there are a couple categories that I hesitate to suggest when you’re talking about secondhand, and that is those soft furniture items like your mattress, an easy chair, a couch, because you never know what’s living in there. You don’t know where it was before. So I recommend avoiding those things. But clothing, I will buy used clothing all day long. It’s a great way to give things a Second Life. Like we said, electronics is another one that I don’t really love so much because you can’t really test it at the Goodwill. For example, if that lamp is working or that, you know, CD player or what have you. So I’m a little hesitant with that. However, if you are looking to buy electronics, there are a lot of online sites where you can buy them in their inspected and warranted npb.com is a great one. They specialize in camera and videography equipment. They’re all warranted and inspected. So you know that you’re buying that camera, you’re giving it a second life, you’re saving significantly. But it’s been looked over very, very carefully. So that’s what I would look at. If you’re going to buy electronics.
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