Pride
My spouse wears dress shirts, slacks, and a tie to work every day. He’s been wearing the same collection of 8-10 shirts for several years now and many of them are beginning to show their age. A few have frayed collars, one or two are just about transparent from repeated washings and wearings, and although we have in the past slowly replaced a few as they became unwearable, it is time for us to do that again and we don’t really have a lot of money sitting around to spend on dress shirts. But it needs to be done, because my spouse needs to look presentable at work.
So I came up with the idea to go to the Goodwill store and see if they had anything in his size. My spouse completely balked at the idea. I tried to sell him on it by presenting it as supporting the Goodwill charity organization by buying their merchandise (our Goodwill store has ads on TV and everything ~ “Good Deals Good Cause, Goodwill” to encourage the everyday consumer to shop there) but still he was very against the idea.
It all comes down to a matter of pride. My spouse is a very proud man. Not in a hugely negative way - but he doesn’t want to accept handouts or help unless he has no other choice. I don’t know if it is a difference in upbringing - I have no qualms about shopping at Goodwill and have in the past for the kids, except I found the kids clothes overpriced compared to yard sales. Or maybe it is just a difference in outlook, but whatever it is, my spouse fully admitted he was being silly about it, but he really wasn’t happy with the idea.
Yesterday, the Goodwill store was having a 50% off all merchandise sale, which they have every few months, and I told my spouse to just trust me and he didn’t have to wear anything I bought. I went over to the store and found two shirts in solid colors and his size that looked practically new (in fact, one of them could have been new, it didn’t even look worn). Both were brands my spouse already wears, and I also found a tie to match both shirts. The shirts were $2 each and the tie was $0.75 (because of the half off sale). With tax I spent just over $5. I brought them home, and asked my spouse again to trust my judgment- and gave him the shirts. He looked at them, complained a little about the color of one of them (because he is just like that) and said he had no tie to match them. I then produced the tie and he agreed it might match.
Later I made him try on the shirts and tie - both look very nice on him and are in, as I pointed out to him, WAY better condition than most of the shirts he already wears to work on a daily basis, and he agreed to wear them and even admitted that he liked at least one of the shirts a lot. And the other is acceptable. Because neither “look” like they came from Goodwill.
I told him to just tell any coworkers that remark on the new duds that his wife shopped for him. They’ll never know the difference. 
And for $5 my spouse has the beginnings of a whole new wardrobe.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Related entries for your reading pleasure:
November 18th, 2007 at 5:48 pm
I make it a habit to check out not only the Goodwill store, but a couple thrift and consignment shops as well on a regular basis. I got a great sweater last week for $2, looks perfectly fine, and I can wear it to work. The better thrift stores will weed out the clothes (one local church takes all donations but they ruthless weed out the less than stellar clothes) and you can find some great buys. At the end of last season I got a calf length wool overcoat for $5. Cost me $10 to have it dry cleaned and two buttons fixed. It’s perfect for when I have to dress up for work functions in the winter. I don’t have to wear my ski jacket to business meetings!
I don’t consider shopping at Goodwill a hand out, I consider it a thrifty way to shop!
November 18th, 2007 at 6:16 pm
That’s excellent! Micah’s similar about Goodwill, it makes him feel uncomfortable to think he’s wearing other peoples’ clothes. And maybe a bit of feeling to proud for castoffs (especially since he grew up very poor).
So far no success on that front but when he needs a new dress shirt I might be able to get some stuff for him. Or, if nothing else, for the flannel shirts he likes to wear around the house.
November 18th, 2007 at 8:52 pm
haha! That’s good he was finally okay with it. I would have just bought it and not told him where I got it from. Maybe you should try that trick Mrs. Micah?
jkjk That wouldn’t be very nice would it?
November 18th, 2007 at 11:48 pm
Fantastic story - I’m totally with your hubby on this one, I just don’t know if I can buy and wear something from goodwill.
In my mind, people shop at goodwill because it’s the only place they can afford - not because they want to. It’s basically a soup kitchen for clothes. I know I’m being a snob and stupid when I say that but that’s what I think.
When it comes to kid’s clothes, I will trade with friends, strangers - whatever, buy from yard sales, it doesn’t matter. The idea of doing the same with my clothes - I can’t fathom.
Mike
p.s. - I like the way your hubby thinks (even if he won’t read Bach)
November 19th, 2007 at 10:13 am
Well the hubby wore one of the shirts and the tie to work today so he’s over it (for now). I am sure if I do it again he’ll feel exactly the same way he did this time - uncomfortable. I am sure Mike he COMPLETELY appreciates your comment. he was afraid people would judge him as a snob.
I don’t disagree exactly that Goodwill might be the soup kitchen of clothes, except they aren’t free. I think the fact I have to pay for them makes me okay with buying them. If they were free I would probably not go get them. Funny, huh?
Reality is though, we don’t have $30-40 per shirt to drop on comparable shirts right this second. We’d come up with it if we had to of course but it wouldn’t be pretty. For me this was a good compromise solution. But we still need another shirt so we may be actually store shopping anyway.