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Thrifting

Thrifting

Date: Dec 14 2007

Themes: Fashion

Intro

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2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

Think of that favorite sweater or pair of jeans you’ve had for years. What if you lost it or it got worn out? Would you be able to replace it at a store?

Believe it or not, your best bet would probably be a thrift store. Thrift stores sell used clothes and household items. They’re also called secondhand stores. You can find things there they don’t make anymore.

A lot of thrift stores are run by churches and charities. People donate things they don’t want anymore to the store and all the money the store makes goes to the charity.

Listen to Marni and Jason talk about thrift stores.

Dialog

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Marni

Marni

Jason

Jason

Marni:  So I got these shoes at a thrift store, a new thrift store that opened up recently.

Jason:  A new one?

Marni:  Yeah.

Jason:  Cool.

Marni:  There’s always new thrift stores opening up. You ever notice that?

Jason:  Really?

Marni:  Yeah. I think this area is very thrift-store oriented.

Jason:  Definitely. It’s cool because you can get things from the past that you can’t get anywhere else.

Marni:  It’s true.

Jason:  Like, I’ve get these really big blue gloves that I use for biking that are really waterproof but like, no one makes like, tacky blue gloves anymore, you know?

Marni:  Yeah, you basically have to find that kind of stuff at thrift stores.

Jason:  Yeah. The only problem is the effort it takes to find it. Going through the entire thrift store in search of that one treasure.

Marni:  You can’t go in lightly. You have to be ready to commit and sift through everything. I kind of love it. I have to be in the mindset of going and thrifting but I find if you’re up for it, you find great stuff.

Jason:  It just takes a long time. It’s really dusty sometimes.

Marni:  I know people who wear gloves. It kinda makes sense because sometimes you’re like, “Who was wearing this before? It could be some skanky old guy.” And yeah…like, you know, “Who was sitting on this before and what did they do on this couch?”

Jason:  Eh, it’s the same as a hotel or restaurant or something.

Marni:  I guess, but I figure a hotel at least you’re paying for it so hope that maybe somebody else was a little more…Yeah, now I’m kinda creeped out about hotels too. I’m probably just never gonna go to one again. Only stay in five stars. Yeah. that’s not gonna happen.

 

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Discussion

Marni’s shoes came from a new thrift store. Jason is surprised that a new thrift store opened because they’re often very old and dingy. But Marni reminds him that people in Portland (where Marni and Jason live) are particularly interested in thrifting.

Jason likes thrift stores because you can get things there that aren’t available at new stores anymore. He has a favorite pair of gloves from the 80s that he got at a thrift store.

The only problem, he says, is that since every item in a thrift store is unique, it takes a lot of searching to find anything you like. Marni says that if she gets in the right mood she enjoys searching through a thrift store. She knows people who wear gloves when they go to thrift stores because you never know where the items came from.

Furniture, particularly couches, can be a little sketchy, since the people used to own them might have done…well, who knows. It’s probably not best to think about it.

Jason points out that thrift store couches aren’t any different than furniture in a hotel room. Marni thinks about it for a second and decides she’s a little afraid of hotels too!

Have you ever found anything really great at a thrift store? How would you feel about sitting on a secondhand couch?

 

Comments

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whnext

whnext

Australia

nice job

01:28 AM Dec 14 2007 |

whnext

whnext

Australia

people should go to thrift stores at least once :). you may find great stuff here though it takes the effort. i got a bag several years ago and it's still fashionable. it's really nice :)

01:27 AM Dec 14 2007 |

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