When was the last time you went shopping at an ukay-ukay?
When I was in college and freshly out of college, I thought I wouldn’t shop anywhere else but at our local thrift stores. Dingy, dusty and inconveniently located as they may be, putting up with all the discomfort felt completely worth it every time I left with a plastic bag full of clothes that I paid no more than P500 for. Why buy clothes anywhere else when you can get a new-old dress for only P150 and a top for P80?
This year, I’ve shopped at a thrift store no more than three times, and during each visit I was in a mad hurry to get out of there. In fact, the last time I was at a thrift store, I took one look at the endless racks of clothes and thought, “I’m not doing this.”
I never thought the day would come where I would lose my taste for ukay shopping, but so many things have changed since I graduated from college.
I got serious with my full-time job
In the last four years, I was a part-time student, part-time freelance writer, and part-time blogger. I had daily responsibilities, but my work was so light that I could drop the day’s tasks if I wanted to and make up for it the next day without feeling any strain. I had all the time in the world to scour thrift store racks diligently. All that disappeared with my new full-time job and a newfound sense of grown-up responsibility.
I have a running theory that the more serious you get about your work, the less appealing ukay-ukay shopping becomes. Taking a quick shopping break in the middle of the day is suddenly a lot less important than meeting your deadlines and impressing your boss. Doing your sideline work after your day job is a bigger priority over spending your money on thrift store clothes. And doing nothing on weekends is a more appealing option than spending hours digging through secondhand clothes in a hot, humid store.
Finding a gem amidst all those racks requires so much of your time and effort, and when you have better things to do, ukay shopping just doesn’t seem worth it anymore.
People started discovering ukay stores
I wouldn’t actually mind going out of my way to hit a thrift store if I knew I’d find something to fall in love with. Unfortunately, with everyone flocking to ukay stores for their cheap fashion fix, the pickings have become so slim. My favorite haunts are now major disappointments because all they ever seem to have are the droopy, faded, leftover pieces that nobody else wants. I can never seem to catch them when they have new items in stock. And when I do…
Ukay store owners jack up the prices
Now that ukay stores have a market of people who are willing to spend, owners have become bolder about raising their prices. New dresses can cost as much as P300, which is ridiculous when you consider the unpleasant atmosphere, the sanitation of the clothes, and the amount of effort spent digging through the racks. Ukay owners have also learned to identify brands and designers, and charge a premium for them. On top of that, they have been less generous about giving bulk discounts. If I’m going to spend this much time, effort and money on secondhand clothes, I’d rather just buy brand new.
I’m not going to say no if my friends invite me to go ukay shopping, because all the inconveniences become more bearable when you’re shopping with someone. But hitting thrift stores is definitely no longer my first option when I feel the need to replenish my wardrobe. Or maybe I just need to find new thrift stores to shop at, preferably one that other people have yet to discover.