Introduction to Discretionary Spending
Death of the entertaining budget: Americans say that their discretion spending has dropped by 42% last year, according to a recently carried out survey. The survey of 2,000 American adults showed that many are looking for opportunities to save in the current economic environment, since more than half of the respondents (52%) showed that they are concerned about the condition of their finances.
Current Economic Environment
According to the results, two thirds (66%) of the Americans turn regularly to compensate for their budgets these days. In fact, almost every one of six (17%) even as often as once a week, with Z shopping more every week (28%) than other generations.
Second-Hand Shopping
And in 2025 sparingly, not only is an inpatient shopping experience, since the study found that almost every four second-hand buyers (22%) like to do this online. The survey was carried out by Talkers Research and commissioned by Mercari, an online marketplace, for the national savings day, and showed that more than a quarter of the Thrifter (26%) bought from second hand buying last year.
Reasons for Second-Hand Purchases
In the "Why" behind this climb, almost three quarters (72%) stated that they buy second -hand to save money. However, many respondents have additional motivations for second -hand purchases. Half of the thrift (51%), however, applies to the second -hand shop because they enjoy the thrill to find good business. Far -four percent relish are looking for unique, unique things, and 28% are looking for collective items. And for 30%you can simply enjoy the mood of economy shops.
Popular Second-Hand Items
Clothing (71%) is the most popular goods that are economical this year, followed by home culture (45%), books (40%), household goods (39%), shoes (31%), collector’s pieces (30%) and furniture (26%). And the respondents estimated that 34% of their things were bought on average.
Thrifting as a Hobby
"As the data show, it is economically multi -dimensional," said Jeff Lebeau, Vice President of Growth at Mercari. "It is something that people blame nowadays, but for many it is also a hobby. It is not only an affordable option for buyers due to financial restrictions, but also thrifter for fun and to find unique shops. From clothing to books to furniture, they have the most when they enjoy the procedure when procedure."
Self-Care and Thrifting
Sergeant shopping is also what most second-hand buyers (57%) consider as self-care, and gen z (70%) is the most likely of all generations to mark savings as part of their self-care. In order to examine the typical excursion, many Thrifter (37%) make the experience more than a concern by beating several shops in one day. Twenty -nine percent also like to meet with a friend, and a quarter (25%) said it is a must to enjoy yourself with a coffee or drink.
Best Second-Hand Finds
And from inexpensive but very valued objects to unique designer designer offers, Thriftter has really achieved great in the past. In the survey, the respondents asked to share their best second-hand offers so far and to determine that many have gone away with hidden gemstones, including vintage and designer clothing, retro video games, collector’s pieces, antique furniture and almost new technology.
Joy of Thrifting
"It is not unusual to go with a killer deal of economical economical," said Lebeau. "This is part of the joy of saving – looking for something and finding that is perfect for you, at a price that you can afford. And with the rise of online savings, American consumers now have more options than ever discovering incredible bargains."
America’s Best Economy Victory
Many thrifters have shared their best second-hand finds, including:
- A vintage leather jacket that looks timeless and qualitatively high, originally costing around $300, but found for $40.
- A copy of a favorite book that was given to a friend.
- A rare video game that was purchased for $25.
- A decoration sign from 1974.
- An old swink bike that was exactly the same as the one driven as a child, bought for $10 and restored to be worth a decent amount of money.
- A designer jacket that would have cost more than $200, but was bought for $34.
- Tools that usually cost more than $200, but were bought for $40.
Methodology
Talker Research interviewed 2,000 Americans of the general population; The survey was commissioned by Mercari and managed by Talkers Research between July 24 and July 29, 2025 and carried out online.
