Students’ Association Thrift Store pop-up supports students facing rising costs

As the cost of clothing and basic necessities continues to rise, the Students’ Association hosted a pay-what-you-can thrift store pop-up to help ease financial pressure on students.

The SA Donation Thrift Store on Jan. 20 in the E-building offered affordable clothing, accessories, household items and Algonquin College merchandise to students.

This pop-up is held once per semester during the week to maximize the amount of students to attend. This semester’s event, the recent four-hour thrift store, saw a steady stream of students.

Abby Muir, food cupboard coordinator with the Students’ Association, said the initiative was created in response to the rising costs that students continue to face.

“Since regular thrift stores have upped their prices like crazy, having something that is this affordable is a good thing,” Muir said. “We found this was a good way to be sustainable, but also have students get stuff that maybe they wouldn’t be able to afford otherwise.”

All items at the pop-up were donated by students, staff and alumni before being redistributed back to students. Shoppers were encouraged to take what they needed and pay what they could. Muir said the initiative has grown over time and continues to see strong demand.

“I feel like 80 per cent of it goes,” she said.

Leftover items are stored for future pop-ups, and items which remain after several events are donated externally.

In addition to affordability, the thrift pop-up promotes sustainability by reducing clothing waste and reliance on fast fashion. Some students said the environmental aspect of the event was just as important as the cost savings.

“There’s so many clothes that already exist in the world. I don’t need it to be new,” said Katina Szilvagyi, a first-level baking and pastry student. “It would be nice to contribute to that life-cycle of things.”

Students from multiple programs said rising prices have made it increasingly difficult to afford clothing and basic necessities.

Sarah Grace, also a first-level baking and pastry student, said the pop-up provides a practical alternative to buying new items.

“Instead of buying a brand new sweater that’ll be over $50, I can buy one that’s really comfortable for way cheaper,” she said.

Grace added that she would like to return in the future and donate items as well.

For some students, the pop-up offered opportunities beyond personal shopping.

Eva Deyell, a first-level medical radiation technology student, said the event helped her manage living costs while also allowing her to find a birthday gift.

“It’s a fun thing to do and also there’s some good, affordable stuff here,” she said.

Ozias Blumetti, a fourth-level robotics student, said budgeting is especially important while receiving OSAP. Blumetti said the flexible pricing at the pop-up makes a noticeable difference compared to traditional thrift stores.

“At normal thrift stores, you could have something that has a massive rip on the side that’s not supposed to be there but the tag is non-negotiable.”

All students interviewed said they were able to find something they liked or needed at the pop-up.

As attendance continues to grow each semester, the SA Donation Thrift Store remains an accessible and sustainable resource, helping students manage rising costs while encouraging community support and reducing waste.