Closing the Door On The Closet 

By Cami Beiter ~~~~ What was that scrambled mess-of-a-quote George W. made some 12 years ago?  “Fool me once, shame on…shame on you.  Fool me…you can’t get fooled again.”  After the fourth time, you think I’d learn…or put my foot down. With each experience of selling my daughter’s gently used clothing to Plato’s Closet, (her wallet) and expectations were always short changed.  But like a love sick teenage girl, I kept thinking, maybe the next time will be better.

According to their website, Plato’s Closet buys and sells the latest looks in brand name gently used clothing accessories for teen and twenty-something guys and girls. Re-selling clothing has become a hot trend. You need to be choosy in what you present to a consignment or resale shop. 

For us, this is a familiar routine.  Peyton would clean out her closet of shorts, jeans, shirts, sweatshirts, shoes, boots and scarves…All items that either no longer fit or didn’t tickle her fancy.  She’d separate, wash, dry and fold the items, placing them in bags or large plastic bins.  When our schedules were free, and the planets were aligned just right, we’d venture off to Plato’s Closet.  

I could see the excitement in her eyes. Even though I’d told her not to get her hopes up, I knew they were rising.  She was planning a much anticipated trip to visit her cousins.  A few extra bucks would come in handy.  I had to be the realist, reminding her of the previous experiences with Plato’s Closet.  I was hopeful the reminders would keep things in perspective. On our last visit to Plato’s, she brought in three bags of clothing.  After all her washing and organizing, they were only interested in a blue pair of Coach shoes…which I had given to her 5 minutes before we left the house.  They didn’t take one item.  

My daughter is a remarkably gifted thrift shopper.  She scours for sales, uses online coupons and random shopping apps on my phone.  She thrives on the hunt, and revels in the thrill of a treasured find.  She’s found Izod Lacoste shirts with the tags still on, Burberry sweaters, Gucci T-Shirts, Lulu Lemon Yoga apparel…all second hand and in fabulous condition.  She zeros in on brands such as Gilly Hicks, Vineyard Vines, J Crew and Banana Republic.  Shopping at consignment stores and second hand shops is something we enjoy doing together.  It’s a way for us to spend quality time, save money, improve our wardrobe and chat about full retail price vs. second hand.  Even at 13, she knows and understands the value of a dollar. 

So back to the closet… We walked in at 8 p.m.  Since they close at 9, it gave us plenty of time to turn in her two bags of clothes.  We filled out the paperwork, showed them my I.D.  The employee told us it would take 25 minutes. Great!  Peyton and I separated and walked around, thumbing through the racks upon racks of clothing.  At about 8:45, we went to the counter to check out.  The employee lifted a plastic bin and said, “This is all we could take.”  I gazed at a pair of ankle boots.  “We’ll give you $9.00 for them.”  I looked over at Peyton.   She nodded.  “Okay.”  I gazed at the two bags of clean, laundered clothing.  The two bags full of Abercrombie & Fitch long sleeved tops, Hollister sweaters, Nike running shorts, J Crew jeans, a pair of UGG slip ons, Under Armour work out gear, etc.  This was our fourth experience with Plato’s Closet where they had only taken between 1-3 items.  I asked the salesperson why only the boots.  She gazed at a small piece of paper and read, “Stains and we don’t take kids clothes.”  Kid’s clothes?  Peyton hasn’t worn “kids clothes” in three years.  Sweetheart…she’s taller than I am and wears my shoes.  I had just spent the last 45 minutes looking at some pretty sorry excuses for “gently used” clothing.  Really??  Fool me once, shame on…shame on you.  Fool me…you can’t get fooled again.

We hauled the clothes back to the car.  As I opened the trunk, Peyton said, “Mom, they didn’t go through this bag.  The clothes are still folded and organized the way I put them in.  They haven’t been moved.”  It was at that moment, I looked at Peyton and said, “Honey, I think we learned an important lesson.  Plato’s Closet obviously doesn’t want our business, but the new yogurt shop next door does.”