REPORTING. “It’s so advantageous”: in Toulouse, the second hand is very trendy
Report in Toulouse, where the second hand is a real success.
Rue Alsace-Lorraine in Toulouse, Pimkie made an astonishing bet: three weeks, half of the store since has been dedicated to second-hand clothes. In this space dedicated to second-hand fashion and called “the RE.love shop”, blue panels, placed next to scales, explain the concept. Customers can choose from a wide selection of second-hand clothes – well presented on shopping centers – for the price of € 35 per kilo. “It already existed in several stores in France, especially in Bordeaux,” explains the store manager. “The second hand is so trendy!”.
The initiative serves an ecological commitment. “By 2030, the brand has set itself the goal of having only clothes made from recyclable or second-hand materials”. But also has a financial advantage. “It is cheaper for us than creating our own clothes.” And the feedback is positive on the consumer side. “It works very well,” says the manager. “The customer has a unique piece, that’s the cool side of the thrift store, so it appeals to you!” Especially since the concept held a new clientele in the store, “who come only for that”.
“Products for cheap”
A craze for the occasion that we also feel recently on the side of Emmaus Saint Aubin, which has seen an increase in attendance, especially since the Covid-19. “It has been a few years since the second has experienced a boom, via sites or stores,” admits the manager. “Consumers are turning to the opportunity because they cannot afford to buy new. We have a lot of students who come to furnish their apartment. But also people in difficulty, who have lost their jobs. Many complain that life has become too expensive “. Others also come on principle, “because they like the fact of not throwing”.
Among the departments, we meet a mother and her daughter, barely in their twenties, who tell us that they are “just getting” on the second hand. “We discover a little what is on offer”. The click? “The cost. Life is expensive. And we realize that we can have products for cheap”, explains the mother. “And that limits the waste”. For her part, the young woman is a fan of Vinted: “I buy a lot of clothes, books and manga. The prices are very advantageous. You just have to be a little more patient to find what you are looking for.”
A few streets further on, at La Glanerie, a Toulouse association that rehabilitates waste and sells it in its shop, the line at the cashier is always full. The saleswoman struggles to find two minutes to answer our questions. “Since confinement, it does not stop,” she confirms straight away. “Some people come every day. On Wednesdays, there are even children who come alone with their pocket money to buy books or games.” Consumers of all ages and all social categories. “There are people who have small means and for whom it is a necessity to come. For others, it is really a militant act”.
As for the Cash Toulouse store, which buys and sells a lot of electronics, in particular cell phones, the clientele is a little less there. “In 2019, there was a big boom compared to other years”, explains a salesperson. “Then it calmed down a bit with the arrival of the Covid-19”. The reason ? Customers have found other ways to cope with the lockdown. “They order a lot on the Internet, via second-hand sites, such as leboncoin, BackMarket or Rakuten, and come a little less in store”.