Every small business owner has something like that – that one little thing they’ll probably be explaining for as long as they have their business. Or longer – I’ve stopped trying to explain that my parents’ gelato shop is different from the ice cream store they ran for over 20 years – I can’t imagine how many times they’ve encountered that confusion.

For us, it looks like that one little thing will be the difference between our store and a thrift store. And we’d be happy if we had to answer that question for the rest of our lives.

How are thrift stores and consignment shops alike?

Thrift stores and consignment shops share some similarities. Both primarily sell pre-worn clothes, accessories, and often household items. Both offer items at significantly lower prices than brand-name retail stores, and both are great ways to reuse and recycle.

How are they different?

The ways thrift stores and consignment shops differ can be group into three categories: source of goods, product quality, and pricing.

Source of Goods

Unlike a thrift store donation, merchandise in a consignment store has been placed there by consignors who would like to make some money from the sale of their unwanted items. The consignment store covers the overhead of rent, utilities, marketing, staffing, etc. Once the merchandise is sold, the consignor will split a percentage of the selling price with the store.

Product Quality

Consignment stores tend to carry a higher quality assortment of items than thrift stores – favoring like-new or very gently used items. Consignment store owners can hand-pick the items in their store, and individuals choose to consign items with resale value.

Pricing

By being selective with the merchandise they carry, consignment stores are able to charge higher prices than thrift stores. Prices may be comparable to buyout stores like Ross or TJ Maxx. All of the items in a thrift store were given to the store for free, and many of the staff may be volunteers. Thrift store prices are often comparable or just a little higher than garage or yard sales.

Both consignment stores and thrift shops involve serendipity, the thrill of the hunt. But consignment stores offer a higher quality assortment of clothes and other items at bargain prices, and offer consignors the opportunity to make money from their unwanted items.

We like thrift and consignment stores, and think there’s a need for both. We support the Hope Center, a new thrift store in town at 1212 Pullman Highway, right next to Tri-State. Their work directly supports those in need in the Palouse area.