Everyone knows that consumerism is a problem in the United States, but what about mass manufacturing? The way I see it, we should let people be consumerists, but be consumerists for the things that are already on this earth instead of supporting large corporations and manufacturers.

Don’t get me wrong, I love going to Target and walking to look at all the new fashion trends and supplies. But lately, I’ve been thinking, what’s the point? There’s a Savers thrift store less than a mile away where I could look for furniture, clothes, and so much more for a fraction of the price. So many companies produce more and more products, but there’s an insane amount of those products that just end up in thrift stores or landfills a short time later.

I think a large part of the manufacturing trends lately is the fact that minimalism is in style. But minimalism is defined by simplicity, not boringness. Minimalistic design can include having very little furniture, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be great pieces of furniture. At thrift stores, you have the opportunity to find well-crafted, diverse pieces of furniture; rather than your matching white mirror, nightstand, and table all cheaply made and bought for ten dollars from a local chain store.

I would say I’ve been a “casual thrifter” since high school, but this year it’s been my only form of shopping for clothes. Whether it be at Savers, the Boys’ and Girls’ Ranch, The Arc, Uptown Cheapskate, or even Ragstock at the mall where they sell recycled clothing, I’m always able to find affordable and cute fits in the Fargo-Moorhead area. Not only are these clothes way more affordable, but I’m also not supporting the mass manufacturing of clothes.

I’m not trying to tell anyone to boycott large stores, but I would just like to shed light on the fact that if we all started thrifting and trading goods and items, a lot of space and money could be saved. I just wonder why so many tangible items are being produced at a large scale when there are already plenty of similar belongings sitting in thrift stores around the country. In an ideal world, consumerism could come to an end, but unfortunately, people love stuff. My wish is that people could learn to love used stuff, and slow down mass production one thrifted good at a time.