'Paying for the pound is a lot better than paying for the piece': N.B. thrift stop charges for weight rather than style

A new thrift store in Saint John, N.B., doesn’t charge you like a traditional retailer.

Weigh Up on Rothesay Avenue charges customers based on the weight of their merchandise, rather than per item.

At just $2.99 a pound, the new shop is breaking the scale with traffic coming in the door. Owner Charlotte MacFarlane never expected things to be so busy so quickly after their grand opening on October 22.

“It’s been a bit of adjusting and I am definitely working about 14 hours a day, but it’s been fun,” MacFarlane says.

“My parents have always owned different thrift stores and auctions, and I always loved thrifting,” continues MacFarlane. “I wanted to do it a little bit different so I opened Outlets just down the road. We buy all of our product in bulk so we had a lot left over and we didn’t really know what to do with it. Most people landfill it so e figured we would bring it down here to try and get something out of it so it doesn’t get tossed out.”

Customers have to sort through bins of clothing to find their thrifty trends. Clothing, movies, and other merchandise is available for purchase, including some high end brands.

“There are tons of really great brands that get down here like Levi and American Eagle,” MacFarlane says. “A lot of vintage items as well that don’t sell there so you can get a really good deal.”

“I like the bins, and the fact that it’s a lot easier than Value Village and all that kind of stuff,” says customer Josh Moore, who bought a coat, jacket, and t-shirt for under $15. “You just pick through, see what you like, put it in a bin and come on up, pay for it and leave.”

“Paying for the pound is a lot better than paying for the piece.”

Fellow customer Sarah Hopkins is also high on the pay for pound idea.

“I’ve got a big garbage full,” laughs Hopkins, who spent $51 on numerous items. “I was just finding things and just tossing them in. If it doesn’t fit me it will fit my sister of my friend or somebody. Especially when you have multiple children and growing teenagers, it’s nice to be able to buy something at a lesser price.”

Another unique aspect of Weigh Up focuses on a clock in the stores centre that resets every 40 minutes. When the clock hits zero, all the items in the bins around the store are emptied, and refilled with brand new merchandise.

“Everything gets taken out of them and we completely refill it, nonstop all day everyday,” MacFarlane says. “If you come one day, the next day everything will be brand new. You will never see the same thing twice.”

The store does not accept donations, and is open seven days a week.

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