Poppin’ tags

I’ll be honest, I still have no idea what “poppin’ tags”  means, and I have never  invested in a broken keyboard, skeet blanket or anything I would classify as old-man clothes; however, I do appreciate the value of a good deal.

I do not typically listen to Macklemore, nor do I necessarily support his language choices. That said, I totally agree with the overall message of the song – that bargain shopping is f…abulously awesome, and no one in their right mind should ever pay designer price for a T-shirt.

As a broke college student, I can’t even afford to pay $20 for a nice blouse, much less $50 for a T-shirt. As the song says, “Let’s do some simple addition. $50 for a T-shirt, that’s just some ignorant [spending].” He definitely didn’t say “spending” right there, but you get the point.

I’ve always been a fan of hunting down good sales, but in the last few years I’ve expanded my bargain shopping to secondhand stores like Plato’s Closet and even the lowest-end thrift stores such as Goodwill. True, it’s nothing fancy or name-brand, but it gives you the immense satisfaction of being able to say of your cutest outfit, “Yeah, I got that for $2.” Quality and price will differ depending on the store and the location. However, as a benefit of living in a rather wealthy suburban city such as Edmond, the local Goodwill provides a great variety of gently-used, name brand clothes. Even though shoppers may have to dig through racks stuffed with 80s castoffs and plus-sized floral muumuus in order to find these “come ups,” that’s just all part of the charm.

I had plenty of opportunities to shop while abroad: In London, I toured the many lavish rooms of Harrod’s Department store – the height of British fashion and WAY out of my price range. In continental Europe, we ran into H&M department stores on nearly every block; it became a joke and eventually a habit to stop into the local H&M in every city we visited. In addition, the opportunity to buy a souvenir T-shirt or hoodie loomed at every turn.

However, the best clothes I bought in Europe came from – you guessed it – the local thrift shop. Just a few blocks from my hotel, this shop offered a small and varied selection, and I was able to purchase a blue H&M shirt and a yellow blouse for three Euros apiece (Macklemore would be so proud).

For many people, shopping defines their travels, and they can so easily be carried away by European fashion. It’s great to say “I bought this in Europe,” but it is equally great to be able to say you didn’t break the bank just on clothes. The same is true for shopping in America: don’t get carried away on name brands. “Pop some tags” if you have to. Sometimes the previously-loved clothes become the most loved clothes in your wardrobe. If nothing else, at least you didn’t pay much.

00