CHILDREN’S ORCHARD: Many Parents Now Including Resale Shops as Part of Back-to-School Shopping Hot Spots

Many parents know that their kids outgrow clothing and equipment so fast, it just makes sense to go to Children’s Orchard and purchase apparel, shoes, and equipment that are gently-used and like-new. The truth is, the store is full of pieces in great shape that have hardly been worn. Just like with your kids, the inventory comes from parents with kids that have outgrown their clothes before they even come close to wearing them out! Source: wxyz.com Getting your kids ready for school can cost you hundreds and in many cases, thousands. The reality is that saving money is the goal. We recently found thousands of families that are apart of a resale revolution and it’s growing in popularity. Families we found are saving on everything–from sports equipment for their kids, to shoes and gently used clothing. The National Retail Federation estimates that families will spend more than $24 billion dollars on back to school shopping this year. And while that number seems exorbitant, research tells an interesting story. Jennifer Pater is a mother of two and a teacher. Her kids, Avery and Aiden, are growing. Being under 10 years old, they grow more every day than most kids and that often calls for complete wardrobe changes and from season to season, changes to their sports equipment and gear. “We definitely have a budget so we try to stick within that budget,” Jennifer Pater said. On the day we caught up with her, she was busy reselling clothes her kids had already grown out of, clothes she says she bought from the resale store Children’s Orchard in Sterling Heights. Leslie DeArmant has worked at Children’s Orchard, a resale boutique store, for more than 16 years. “Everyone wants to save a buck and you can definitely do that here,” she said In fact Pater tells me she can walk out with a bag full of gently used name brand clothes for either one of her kids for about $30. She tells me to keep in mind that often that same $30 will only get you a nicely printed new t-shirt elsewhere. “We’ve been coming here for about 4 to 5 years. We come a couple of times a month to grab things that look great and are very inexpensive,” Pater tells Action News. Her son Aiden is 7 years old and with all the sports and extra-curricular activities he’s involved in  she finds herself at the store often buying sports gear because he grows out of it so quick. She sells back what he can’t wear anymore. Inside the Children’s Orchard store you could say the old adage fits in well, that saying, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” That’s true especially in their eyes. “We have a lot of people that sell to us to make money to buy the next year’s school wardrobe,” DeArmant said. DeArmant has seen the resale revolution grow. She’s seen the influx in parents wanting to stretch that dollar increase. She’s seen the growth in the number of parents focused on reducing waste by way of recycling and making money. According to America’s Research Firm, a consumer research group, 15% of Americans will save money by shopping in a resale store this year. That percentage is only expected to get bigger as more and more of you learn about the savings. The day our crews were in the store we found more than a dozen families coming and going. Some just stopping in to sell, others looking to buy, some believe it or not were doing both. In our findings, we learned many resale stores offer savings for those who choose to buy and sell right there on the spot. “Most of our customers do shop in here and they can earn 25% more if they take store credit,” DeArmant said. And what’s not to love about saving even more money doing business in the same place, right? “They’re amazing that they can come out of here with a bag full of clothing for $25, $30. The savings are amazing,” DeArmant tells Action News. First Research found that resale stores across the country will boast an estimated annual revenue of upwards of $12 billion this year. Their report also found that with more and more families aiming to stretch their dollar, especially with those who have kids growing, the number is expected to grow. They say it’s not surprising. Pater who is a teacher agrees and says she believes if more parents knew of what you could find at various resale stores, the resale revolution and back to school shopping would be redefined. “I’m a teacher nearby,” Pater says. “So I know a lot of the other teachers that I work with and Moms definitely come and sell a lot of their items and shop here a few times a month. We’ve always had a great experience with it.”