You’ve heard of the Slow Food movement – the idea that you spend time preparing food from scratch as opposed to the chemical/fat/sugar laden fast food – right? Well I think thrift shopping could be called Slow Shopping. It’s inherently so – because you’re not going to get what you want, you’re going to see what you’ll find. And if there is something you want, you’ll invariably have to wait for it. You just have to be patient.
That was the case for me, when I decided that I wanted to collect Olympic merch from the 2010 Olympics. I thought I’d have to wait a lot longer but within 6 months of the games ending, I started seeing Olympics stuff in thrift shops – especially shops in Vancouver.
So there’s a couple of things I have to confess here – I did get a new Canada t-shirt in 2010 but I waited until the games were almost over and then got it at 75% off. The problem was, I almost couldn’t find one in my size and lucked out getting a child’s extra large that fit. (That felt good, gotta tell ya.)
In a fit of patriotism, I didn’t wait this time around and went out and bought a $30 Canada t-shirt before these games began. Given that my other t-shirt has been in the wash EVERY WEEK for the last 4 years, I think I’ll probably get my money’s worth out of this one. (still. $30 for a t-shirt, “I call that getting swindled by big busssssinessss”)
Here’s a sampling of the 2010 stuff I’ve found in the last 4 years.
I’ve seen quite a few other items – one of those great volunteer gortex jackets (unfortunately in XXL or I’d have bought it for sure) a Canada shirt like my red one, only in black and I’m still kicking myself for not buying it. The mascot stuffies are everywhere. The MCC Abby East Thrift shop had a bunch of Olympic themed stuff out last week – especially kid stuff, including a cowichan sweater like this:
What am I still looking for? I’m hoping I’ll find one of these jean jackets from the 2012 Olympics.
Have you found any Olympic merch in your travels? Which country do you think has the best outfits?