Thrifting. It’s a word many college students have become incredibly familiar with.

Whether it’s someone telling their friend how they got pieces and parts of their outfits from the local Salvation Army, or if it’s heard in passing conversation, thrifting is being discussed among groups of eager college students.

The act of thrift shopping has become a way of life for many college students, but why has it become such a phenomena recently?

The thought of thrift shopping did not cross many people’s minds too long ago.

It was once regarded as a last ditch effort to find something remotely nice looking, but now? College aged people flock to thrift stores.

Sam Szura, a freshman nursing student, weighs in on this. “I think it’s cool that you can go around and find vintage stuff, it’s unique.”

Which is absolutely true. Going into a thrift store, there’s always that air of mystery, an ambiance that is lacking in a corporate clothing store.

From clothes to knick-knacks to furniture, one can expect a wide variety.

Another reason might be the cheap prices.

Going to the mall is discouraging; especially when there’s only $15 dollars in your wallet and that sweater is $27.99. In a thrift store, there could be a sweater with an uncanny resemblance hanging on the rack for only $4 dollars.

Rather than being sad over the overpriced sweater, one could be overjoyed about getting a similar piece of clothing for much less.

Low prices are the perfect way to lure in the college crowd. There’s nothing better than the feeling of not spending as much money as one anticipates.

One Wilkes student says that, “[college kids] are broke…Salvation Army has great deal.”

There’s also a thrill involved with thrifting. There’s a history to the things one buys, it hasn’t been mass manufactured, starched, void of life.

There’s character in the clothing, in all things nestled in a thrift store. The items have personality, something one can’t find in a brand new sweater.

Thrifting is an adventure, the act of going to the store not knowing what one might find especially appeals to the younger crowd.

Cost efficiency and exploration mark the exhilaration college aged adults find in thrifting, not to mention escaping the cookie cutter department store stigma.