As youth unemployment rates rise and the possibility of finding a great job after graduation declines, more students are turning to vintage and consignment store shopping to fuel their retail therapy needs.
Consignment shopping allows people to sell their clothes at the store, while also finding great deals.
AMHStyle is a vintage and consignment boutique in Ottawa that has seen a rise in young customers.
One of the owners, Joanna Hughes, says this is because customers just aren’t as financially stable as before, which is forcing them to find other ways to continue their shopping habits at a discounted price.
She says the amount of young shoppers has increased by 20-25 per cent.
“The quality and labels are here and on consignment so it is an easier and cheaper way to shop,” she says.
Since the summer, employment in Canada has stalled. Less than 15,000 jobs have been created in the last six months, according to Statistics Canada.
Meanwhile, the unemployment rate among youths aged 15-24 is 14.5 per cent, according to a Feb. 3 release from the Labour Force Survey.
This means students graduating with an undergraduate degree may find it more difficult to find work right away, compared to previous years.
Furthermore, unemployment generally decreases with age, according to Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, meaning young people are more likely to be unemployed than older people.
For many students, this is a harsh reality given high tuition and living costs.
As a result, vintage and consignment shopping has become popular among students because it offers an easy way to save money without sacrificing style.
Valerie MacIntosh, the owner of The Clothes Secret, a consignment shop in Ottawa, says she’s seen a large increase of students from Carleton University, the University of Ottawa and Algonquin College visiting her store.
“Students are starting to really see [consignment shopping] as an alternative to regular shopping,” MacIntosh says.
Ottawa has an abundance of vintage and consignment shops — one only has to walk down Bank Street to see how many there are in this city.
A quick skim of Ottawa’s yellow pages for consignment store locations reveals 20 shops in the city, making it possible for students to spend their dollars in a cost efficient way.
“There is something for everybody, whatever your price range,” she says. “If you are looking for expensive brands, you can afford them even if you are in school.”
Among youth, consignment shopping is a whole new trend, Hughes says. Students use vintage and consignment clothing to stand out in the crowd with a unique sense of style.
“A lot of people are looking for more one-of-a-kind pieces,” Hughes explains. “Buying vintage and consignment helps this process.”
Rashed Ahmad, a fourth-year Carleton anthropology student, says he agrees. Many of his friends make trips to Value Village for what he calls “treasure hunting.”
“There are many things you can find in consignment stores that you just can’t find in the malls and big department stores,” he says.
“It is a really good way to save money and still have a sense of your personal style — whatever it may be.”
These stores often carry more than clothes, he says, so students can get great deals on household items and furniture such as tables and couches.
Rather than paying high prices, consignment shops make it easier to cope with unemployment and a stalling economy.
As MacIntosh explains, many recent graduates come to The Clothes Secret in search of clothing appropriate for job interviews.
“People graduating are using consignment as a source of clothes for interviews,” she says.
“It really helps to stretch the dollar and make things go just a little bit further.”
