Joy of Consigning by Clare

Joy of Consigning by Clare - February 2024 Scholarship Essay

My favorite hobby is what helped me decide to major in business. Driving to the consignment shop, I was on a mission to find the perfect summer wardrobe. With two bags full of used clothes from last year in the backseat of my car, I pulled into the always-crowded strip mall parking lot. My hands were so full that a man walking by held the door open for me to go to the front desk and drop off my old clothes, ready for a new life. As I walk past all the racks, I head toward one in particular hidden in the back right corner – the sale section. To me, Used and unwanted clothes ranging from $3-$7 have no less value than any other clothes in the store. For a person willing to put in the time and creativity to go through all of it, you could find the perfect summer sundress for $6, your new favorite blue sweatshirt for $3, or a skirt that looks way cuter if you wear it as a shirt for $5.

Shopping second-hand makes me feel like I am contributing to both the environment and the economy. Some people have a hard time getting rid of old clothes they’ve had for years, but I enjoy going through my closet and picking out clothes I haven’t worn in months because I know there is someone out there who would appreciate it more than I do, and I can get something new too.

I have tried to understand why I enjoy consignment stores so much. The act of swapping clothes in exchange for credit, to spend on other clothes, reminds me of the circular flow model of the market economy from AP Macroeconomics. Knowing that I am not contributing to the production of new clothes and not having to throw away my old clothes is a significant value I learned while taking AP Environmental Science. My face lights up when I see an employee wearing a shirt I brought in weeks prior.

It may seem crazy that shopping can translate into my future, but it has helped me discover my attention to detail, decisiveness, and resourceful decision-making. This may make some think that I desire a job in retail, but what I really want to do is study mathematics or economics. I love the study of math and the attention to detail in each step of the problem-solving process. I love to learn about the world’s economy and study why people spend their money the way they do. All of these things tie back to my favorite hobby, whether it be giving or receiving clothes, I love supporting my most treasured small business consignment shop.