KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As nearly half of shoppers turn to creative solutions to manage back-to-school expenses, thrifting has emerged as a popular strategy, according to a 2025 survey by Bankrate.
With inflation still affecting budgets, many families are finding thrifting to be a savvy way to stretch their dollars.
Mary Orndoff is a frequent customer at Arizona Trading Company, a resale shop located in the Crossroads district.
With two nieces in college, she swears by the savings she obtains from secondhand shopping.
"The savings are just unbelievable," Orndoff said. “You can save, I would say, on a monthly basis, on a back-to-school basis, you probably could save in the range of $500.”
Oscar Schmidt, the store's buying manager, has noticed an uptick in parents and teens visiting the store.
"Especially when your child is growing, it's hard to keep buying clothing that they just keep growing out of," Schmidt said. "We provide the ability to do that at a price that doesn't break the wallet."
Bankrate's survey also found that 30% of back-to-school shoppers say inflation has altered their purchasing habits. Although inflation has begun to decrease, prices remain 23.7% higher than pre-pandemic levels.
Stores like Arizona Trading Company offer a cost-effective alternative.
"We offer such a wide range," Schmidt said. "We are pretty much the cheapest place in the metro. We have several dollar racks,"
Educators also feel the benefits of thrifting.
Carter Taylor, a teacher and legislative chair for the American Federation of Teachers KC 691, appreciates the affordability of shopping resale.
"Teachers don’t have a lot of money, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t also want to show up every day feeling great at work, wearing comfortable shoes and clothes we can move in," Taylor said.
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