More Seattle-area shoppers are turning to Evergreen Goodwill amid economic uncertainty

Monica Nickelsburg

Monica Nickelsburg

September 03, 2025 / 8:00 am

Seattle Public Schools students return to the classroom today, and the uncertain economic climate has more families turning to thrift stores for their back-to-school shopping.

Seattle is home to the biggest Goodwill in the world, according to Evergreen Goodwill, the nonprofit’s Northwest arm.

At the SODO store, foot traffic is up about 9% compared to this time last year. A spokesperson for Evergreen Goodwill said that’s about double the increase they’re used to seeing.

Jennifer Le Zotte, a historian at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, who wrote a book on thrift culture, said this rise in demand for secondhand goods i

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