When 33-year-old Pete Barth was in college, shopping at second-hand clothing stores was just something he did—"like changing the tires on his car." He looked at his budget and decided he could save a lot of money by shopping for clothes at thrift shops.

"Even new clothes are fairly disposable(用后即丢掉的) and wear out after a couple of years," Barth said. "In thrift shops, you can find some great stuff whose quality is better than new clothes."

Since then, Barth, who works at a Goodwill thrift shop in the US state of Florida, has found that there are all kinds of reasons for shopping for second-hand clothing. Some people, like him, shop to save money. Some shop for a crazy-looking shirt. And some shop as a means of conserving energy and helping the environment.

Pat Akins, an accountant at a Florida Salvation Army(SA)(救世军)thrift shop, said that, for her, shopping at thrift shops is a way to help the environment.

"When my daughter was little, we looked at it as recycling," Akins said. "Also, why pay 30 dollars for Et new coat when you can get another one for a lot less"

Akins said that the SA has shops all over the US—"some as big as department stores. "All of the clothes are donated(损赠) ,and when they have a surplus(盈余) ,they’ll have "stuff a bag" specials, where customers can fill a grocery sack with clothes for only 5 or 10 dollars.

Julia Slocum, 22, points out, however, that the huge amount of second-hand clothing in the US is the result of American wastefulness.

"I’d say that second-hand stores are the result of our wasteful, materialistic culture," said Slocum, who works for a pro-conservation organization, the Center for a New American Dream. "Thrift shops pr that waste from going to landfills(垃圾填埋场) ;they give clothing a second life and provide cheaper clothing for those who can’t afford to buy new ones and generate(生成)income for charities. They also provide a way for the wealthy and middle classes to shed(摆脱)some of the guilt for their level of consumption."