National retailers have a new plan to attract customers: used clothing. Nordstrom began selling secondhand apparel, shoes and accessories online and in its New York flagship store on Friday, the latest attempt by the 119-year-old company to appeal to changing consumer tastes and capitalize on one of the few bright spots in retail. It joins Macy’s, J.C. Penney and Madewell, among others, in carving out a place for used clothing, shoes and handbags alongside new ones.
Secondhand sites such as ThredUp, Poshmark and the RealReal have become destinations as eco-friendly alternatives to fast fashion. As resale goes mainstream — the market is projected to triple in three years — department stores have become an unexpected next step to woo younger shoppers. “We want our customers to feel good not only about what they’re buying, but how they’re buying it,” said Olivia Kim, Nordstrom’s vice president of creative projects.
The secondhand offerings take up space once filled with Burberry, a luxury British clothier, at the Manhattan store. Nordstrom also is buying back customers’ used clothing, shoes, jackets and accessories, which will be cleaned and repaired as needed before being sold. The company will pay as much as 60 percent of an item’s resale value, in the form of a gift card. The initiative, known as See You Tomorrow, also will accept merchandise by mail.
On the website, the mix of resale items listed Friday ranged in price from $7 for an Adidas tank top to a $2,557 Pamella Roland evening gown. There also were designer options for men — Moncler jackets, Versace loafers, Tumi wallets — and Burberry rainboots for children.
Consignment shops, thrift stores and garage sales have been around for decades. But analysts say the mash-up between traditional retailers and used-clothing purveyors is pushing the limits of how, and where, secondhand items are sold.
“The resale business is the trend of the moment,” said Mark Cohen, director of retail studies at Columbia Business School and the former chief executive of Sears Canada. “But whether this idea of bringing it into the mainstream department store has legs or not, well, that remains to be seen.”
Macy’s and J.C. Penney have partnered with ThredUp to sell secondhand items in their department stores, while Madewell is offering used pairs of its jeans for $50 a pop. Neiman Marcus, which last year took a stake in the high-end resale site Fashionphile, collects “preloved” handbags and jewelry. Even the Kardashians have gotten into the game; they offload their Max Mara jumpsuits, Valentino handbags and other designer apparel on Kardashian Kloset.
“Through extensive research over many months, we know consumers appreciate new brands,” said Michelle Wlazlo, J.C. Penney’s chief merchandising officer. “The customer demand for secondhand is strong.”
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