The clothing industry, in today’s globalized economy, is like hot dogs. It’s better not to know how the sausage is made.
That, among other things, has led to a growth in thrifting. And in our latest installation of Beef Week, Bella Ross explores the ethics of the thrifting economy.
The scene opens:
“A fashion-forward group of teens and twenty-somethings formed a line outside the Goodwill Outlet Center, a mid-sized warehouse in East Village that could most accurately be described as a cross between a thrift store and a landfill. The clothes here are arranged in bins – not a hanger in sight – and can be purchased at a rate of $27 for 15 pieces, or $2 a piece.”
“Real bargain hunters know this sacred place as ‘the bins.’ If you’re smart, you’ll wear gloves.”
Ross introduces us to the bin boys — “effectively the gentrifiers of thrifting” — who elbow their way through the bins looking for the best vintage wear to flip.
“The beef between those who thrift for themselves, particularly for affordability reasons, and the flippers of the world is real,” Ross writes. “The vintage vultures are an easy target, but are they really to blame?”
Not exactly. As the thrifting economy has grown, so have greed and competition. But it’s not just that. The world is awash in cheap clothes — leading to increased labor costs for sifting the bins.
“All of this consumption has placed traditional thrift stores in the middle of a dizzying death spiral.”
If you don’t read the full story here, you’re missing out.
Get ready for more beef. We’ve got an exciting week of content for you about the many conflicts and rivalries in San Diego. Read our Beef Week stories here.
The Learning Curve: Splitting San Diego Unified in Two?
Mark Powell, a former board member of the San Diego County Board of Education, recently proposed splitting San Diego Unified in two, in an op-ed for the Union-Tribune.
Powell thinks the district should be split into one district for elementary and middle schools and another for high schools. This would cause less segregation than splitting the district along geographic lines.
Powell cites East County as an example of a place where split districts like this work.
But as education reporter Jakob McWhinney reports, the high school students in East County actually perform worse on standardized tests than those in San Diego Unified.
Read the Learning Curve here, where McWhinney explores the rest of the argument.
Progress Report: Big Gains in Dual Enrollment
Over the last five years, dual enrollment in college courses at San Diego Unified has skyrocketed. That’s great for San Diego students, because those who take dual enrollment classes in high school are more likely to graduate college, reports our Jakob McWhinney.
Since the 2019-20 school year, the number of enrollments has grown from 7,691 to 12,659.
While the gains are great, they haven’t benefited everyone equally.
“In particular, Black and Latino students are generally underrepresented,” McWhinney writes.
Read the full Progress Report here.
Help Wanted: New Council President
San Diego Council President Sean Elo-Rivera dropped some news last week during a recording of the VOSD Podcast. He’s not going to seek the Council president seat again.
“Three years is a good run — unorthodox to do it for three years. We’ve got multiple folks who are ready to step into that position and do it well,” he told us.
For the latest Politics Report, our Scott Lewis writes who may be interested in the gig. Lewis also digs into some fascinating voter data.
The Politics Report is available exclusively to Voice of San Diego members. To get access, become a member here and subscribe to the weekly politics newsletter. Read the Politics Report here.
VOSD Podcast: Elo-Rivera also joined our crew to dish on the city’s most pressing issues. Listen to the full episode here or wherever you get your pods.
In Other News
- Victims of the January floods are finding it difficult to tap into the holiday spirit this year. Fox 5 reports that many families are still recovering and rebuilding. One man told the TV station that his family is living in the garage while he repairs the rest of the home.
- An orca gave San Diego boaters a show this week when it launched itself at least 20 feet into the air while chasing a dolphin. Watch the video here. (For the Win)
- If you have baby carrots in your fridge, you may want to check them or toss them. One person in San Diego got sick as a result of a nationwide E.coli outbreak linked to organic carrots from Grimmway Farms, which are sold by multiple brands.
The Morning Report was written by Will Huntsberry and Andrea Lopez-Villafaña.
Link broken to Thrift story.
Hi, David. Thank you for letting us know. We fixed it.