Thank you Jennifer. I live in Australia and I do, occasionally browse the thrift stores, mostly because I can't cope with the rag industry that prevails today. What happens to people in third-world countries, people who have no option but to work in the industry, upsets me greatly, and so, I'd rather give to charities than to stores that profit from people's misery.

I haven't found that charity stores here are super-expensive here, though there are a few that only sell brand names, and they tend to be expensive. I have bought some beautiful stuff there. I tend to buy classic styles, so they tend not to date.

I think people are generally coming to the idea that as long as we buy the cheap stuff, the more people in the industry will suffer. Not a good thing.

Thank you for your perspective on Op SHops, as we call them here. Very well-written.