The thrill of saving money: Maritime thrift shops seeing sharp increase in sales, new clients

It’s a hobby that’s seen a spike in popularity in recent years, but these days it’s not just trend-seekers looking for retro glam flocking to thrift stores.

More people are turning to second-hand shops as a necessity, trying to save some money under cost-of-living pressures.

“Everywhere they turn, they're seeing more for fuel. They're seeing more for heat. For all of those necessities. How can I make my dollars last better?” asks Ted Troughton, the Salvation Army’s managing director for National Recycling Operations. “When they come into a thrift store they realize that there's a lot of great products, a lot of amazing donations that people bring in and it's an opportunity to make that dollar go further.”

Troughton says the Salvation Army has seen a large and consistent increase in sales at their Thrift Store locations year-over-year, since the pandemic.

And the uptick in traffic isn’t just from their regulars.

“We're up from pre-COVID times, probably close to 15 per cent in our transactions and sales through our stores. So we're seeing, you know, quite a demand and quite a need,” he said.

Troughton noted they’re seeing the uptick in store locations across the country, but even more so in the Maritimes.

In light of the increased traffic, he says they’re looking for more donations – everything from clothes, accessories and footwear, to household items like dishes and decorations.

The Salvation Army says they’re able to ensure about 95 per cent of what’s donated avoids the landfill – last year, that amounted to about 85 million tonnes saved.

It’s not the only second-hand location seeing an increase.

Furniture at a thrift store. (Laura Brown/CTV Atlantic)New Brunswick’s Habitat for Humanity’s CEO says business at their three Restore locations has also seen a consistent uptick in sales.

Already in 2024, Peter Kendall says they’re experiencing between five and 20 per cent – and that’s on top of the increases they saw last year.

“There's no question there’s more need for affordable options for individuals that just need a decent piece of furniture or they need to do some renovations to their home,” he said. “And this gives a much more affordable way to do that.”

And the money goes back into the community.

Clothing at a thrift store. (Laura Brown/CTV Atlantic)

The Restores cover all staff and overhead costs so that 100 per cent of monetary donations can be put toward building homes for those in need.

Which are also in more demand.

“We're currently in the process of finishing five homes, two here in Fredericton, two in Miramichi and one in Moncton. And then we have eight more homes that we're starting here over the next couple of weeks and months,” he said.

They’re also planning to open a fourth Restore location in Miramichi this year.

For the Salvation Army, the money goes toward a number of social programs.

“Whether it's rehabilitation or food banks, modern slavery, human trafficking prevention, all those areas. So when you're donating and you're shopping at our thrift stores, you're creating funds for that,” Troughton said.