Ten “Come Backs” to Rude Insults About Thrift Stores

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Some people just don’t “get” thrift stores. Okay, so you’ve got Macklemore (or however you spell his name) rappin’ about how cool thrift diving is. And it’s generally accepted! In fact, when you thrift dive nowadays, you get extra “cool” points.

But even though it’s considered hip and trendy now to buy other people’s used junk and then rock it, some people are still clueless.

And some can be downright MEAN.

And I’m sure if you’re as thrift store obsessed as me, you’ve come across that ONE jerk who says the most insulting things to you about thrift stores.

When that happens, shock them.

Give them something to REALLY talk about! Hell, have a little fun with it!

Here’s a list of 10 creative things you can DO or SAY to people (or even friends!!) that think they’re doing you a favor by insulting your thrift obsession:

 

10 come-backs to insults about thrift stores click to read

 

INSULT #1: “That’s gross that you wear other people’s used clothes!”

COME-BACK #1: “Oh, they did me a favor! They broke in these jeans for me. New clothes just make me itch.”

INSULT #2: “You’re just collecting junk.”

COME BACK#2: “Yeah, all this ‘junk’ only earned me an extra $5,000 this year on eBay when I sold it to people like you searching for ‘vintage’ treasures.”

 

INSULT #3: “Thrift stores stink.”

COME BACK #3: “It’s actually a special scent that management sprays inside to keep people like you away.”

 

INSULT #4: “You shouldn’t tell people where you got that from.”

COME BACK #4: “I also shouldn’t tell people that I know you, now, should I? But I just can’t keep my mouth shut.”

 

INSULT #5: “You’re just cheap!”

COME BACK #5 “OMG, we have so much in common! Your ex-boyfriend said the same thing about you when he woke up with you the next morning after your first date! Well, whatdaya know!”

 

INSULT #6: “I didn’t know you were so poor.”

COME BACK #6: “Yeah! I mean, after I spent all my money on my iPad, Nikon DSLR, and iMac, I can’t afford anything!!”

 

INSULT #7: “Don’t you ever buy anything NEW?”

COME BACK #7: “Yes. I plan to buy some new friends as soon as we’re done this conversation. Are we finished yet?”

 

INSULT #8: “You’re going to bring home BED BUGS!”

COME BACK #8: Immediately insert scratching of various body parts here. “No I’m not. I heard that bed bugs can’t survive on anything but mattresses.” Insert imaginary picking of little bugs off your shoulder and flick at the offending jerk.

 

INSULT #9: “Please don’t start buying UNDERWEAR from thrift stores, okay??”

COME BACK #9: “Underwear?? Who wears UNDERWEAR anymore?? That’s soooo ’90s!”

 

INSULT #10: “You’re going to end up on ‘Hoarders.'”

COME BACK #10: “Oh, you didn’t know?! TLC has this new “Hoarders At Home” challenge! I’ve submitted my application! The winner gets a $10,000 shopping spree to the Goodwill!! Cross your fingers for me!!”

 

 

Now You’re Armed and Ready….

If anyone dares to mess with your thrift obsession, you have some pretty cool “come-backs” to put them in their place šŸ™‚

I’m curious to know what sorts of ignorant comments you’ve received about thrift stores and how you’ve responded to them. Leave a comment below to add to the discussion!

 


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52 Comments

  1. I get complaints from my husband and stepson a lot about my furniture projects.

    One comeback I use is: “YOU call it JUNK – I call it INVENTORY!”

    Another one to my husband is: “You save for retirement YOUR way, I’ll save for retirement in MY WAY!”
    (that comeback is also useful for books =)

  2. I’ve never heard these before-but I guess there are people who think this way. I just feel like the furniture is special because it was loved before me, maybe not by my grandma but somebody else’s:). My thrift store furniture has allowed us to save a ton of money. These pieces are so well made they last forever and can be easily refinished or reupholstered if I want to update them. Case in point-many of my pieces were my mom’s flea market finds from 25 years ago. She reupholstered/refinished them at that time and they still are beautiful and useful to this day!

    1. Hey, Cindy! Oh wow, that’s awesome that many of your pieces of furniture belonged to your mom from HER flea market finds! I hadn’t thought about how, as parents, we’re potentially buying these great pieces that we can pass down to our kids. I’ve got 3 boys and I’d love if they kept some of the better things I have found and refinished. They’re young now, but when they’re older, how cool would that to see one of my pieces in their house. Thanks for the great insight!

  3. LOVE LOVE LOVE this blog!
    As for Thrift Stores? ALL IN….clothes and all.
    As for clothes? I go in for the well maintained high dollar…the reason being? The frugal me agrees with the above posts concerning such stores as Macys, Dillards, Belks, Nordstroms, etc. When you go in and “try” on a garment?
    1- You have no idea if you are the first person who has tried it on.
    2- If it doesnt fit and YOU put it back? IT. IS. NOW. USED.
    3- If YOU purchase it? Were you thefirst person to try it? Is it used? Let that sink in.
    4- I have purchased brand new with tags on clothes at thrift stores.
    5- Funny how we lookat people and love ehat they wear buthave NO CLUE where they purchase their clothes.

    SUCH a crazy phenmenon to me. Yet, when I go in? Men are in there hoarding the RPL shirts..lol OR Izod…they dont care. They have no shame.

  4. One woman that I know snidely commented at church that I spent all my money on my wardrobe. Most of my church-quality dresses and skirts are from the thrift stores I frequent. I really don’t know if she believed me when I told her about that. By the way, I get complements almost every week at church.

    I do much, much better shopping out the thrift stores than I do even at Kmart, Walmart, or other cheapo
    stores. I find JJill, Coldwater Creek, Talbots, Chicos, etc all the time at one of the high-end thrift shops.
    Last week I found 3 JJill pairs of pants, 3 JJill skirts, and 2 JJill tops ! And that was at a low-end thrift
    store ! I have 6 coats that I thrifted. Two are wool and very cozy. Three are trenches (love them) and one of them was $1 when a thrift store closed. It’s an adorable dusty pink trench.
    I could go on and on. I have a friend who is a germaphobe and she is thoroughly repulsed. That is OK with me, she does things that I don’t like. So what ? I shrug off the opinions of others and am not concerned about them. I love the hunt and I love the reward of a plentiful wardrobe. I don’t have to max out credit cards on clothes.
    Also, there is another woman with a blog who is doing fabulous things with thrifted clothes. Check
    her out at ReFashionista. Her name is Gillian. You are the furniture, etc diva and she is the clothing diva. I think you two should collaborate !
    Love what you do—Bye for now

  5. Too funny, Serena! Thanks for the laughs.

    I tell people,
    ” I’m a muli-tasker shopper:
    -I LOVE shopping for a bargain,
    -I LOVE saving the planet for future generations (aka Repurposing),
    -AND I LOVE shopping at non-profit thrift stores to HELP PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY!”

  6. Hi Serena, So sorry about your Grandma, even when you know it’s coming, it’s still a shock.

    I do for sure get a lot of my items from Thrift Stores, as to me it seems Goodwill is way over priced for the things that I am looking at, especially compared to our Thrift Store pricing. The Thrift Stores (alias “Re-Sale Shops”) actually are setup to help out the community differently. One is for women who need financial help, another one is for cats, another one is for dogs. So I love that my thrifty purchases are going directly to help. These stores have volunteers running them, which is awesome too. Goodwill helps also, but sometimes the finds in Thrift Shops just plain gets my adrenaline going for some of the cutest and unique finds that are out there!! Awesome!!

  7. What’s your comeback to a husband who doesn’t want “dead people’s clothes and things” in the house?

    1. OMG, hahaha!!! Holly, that is hilarious!! Okay, you can always say, “What?? When *I* die, are you going to throw my clothes out, too???” HAHAHA

      1. Or, maybe you will say, “Does that mean you don’t want anyone wearing a DEAD GUY’S best clothes after YOU die?”

        Or: “Pick the spot for the clothing bonfire after YOU die.”

        Love this post….thanks for the comebacks, Serena. Most of my compliments about the way I look come from people who like my thrifted clothes. Lots of nice labels on my outfits!!!!

  8. Oh my Lordy. So funny. Now I hope I can remember ????

  9. Christine says:

    Found you via Pinterest … again!
    I was laughing about these insults. So.. typical.
    Being dirt poor after a divorce, I watch people’s jaws drop when I tell them I’ve rebuilt my house (after a fire) completely from thrift store and resuse center materials and pieces.
    And
    1) I did it, built it, stripped it, reconfigured it, painted, antiqued or stained it, sometimes SOLD it, sometimes changed my mind and gave it away, and/or just made it happen by my SELF.
    2) Didn’t need my idiot ex- [read: man] to do it, and
    3) I like it (so stuff it) and you’re just (incompetent) jealous.

    Come back for #4 I love: “Ahh, I believe you probably mean ‘I shouldn’t tell people FROM where did I got that,’ correct?”

    Love your irreverence. We could be friends!

    1. Christine says:

      In my rant, I forgot to mention I’m a construction materials hoarder. I make Lowe’s or HD’s building materials and home & garden centers look like amateur collections. I seldom have to buy anything these days! šŸ™‚

      Love the toilet thing, too.

    2. Yes, we could definite be friends! So sorry to hear you had a fire, but it sounds like you turned it into a “WIN” for you in that you got to rebuilt with the stuff you like!
      And you are correct, propositions should never come at the end of a sentence, but my blog is informal and I never speak that way in everyday conversations. Only job interviews! LOL

      1. Christine says:

        Oh – I took it that the insulter was preposition ending. As they are wont to do.

        Just came back from picking up a CL credenza, and a load of Freecycle lumber that used to be a shed.

        SCORE!

        Merry Christmas!

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