Thrift Store Trend

[Anchor Lead]

In today’s close up, we’ll introduce a handful of stores where a little money can go a long way. Thrift shopping is gaining steam throughout the country. Let’s take a look.

[Pkg]

A long line is formed from early morning outside a store.

[Soundbite] "I live in Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do Province. It took me an hour to get here. I'm so excited."

The door finally opens. Customers each receive a vinyl bag. And the competition begins to pick out the coolest clothes out of the various options faster than the others.

[Soundbite] "I definitely need to buy this."

The bags fill up in no time and they go on the scale.

[Soundbite] "It's 10,000 won($8.9)."

It's less than 9 dollars per kilogram. The price is determined according to weight. This customer has shoved in five suits, but weighing just one kilo, the price tag is 8 dollars 90 cents.

[Soundbite] Kim Jong-eun(Clothing Store Manager) : "Importing large amounts of clothes reduces the cost and also helps in the variety of pieces. This is how we are able to offer low prices."

At this store, over 20-thousand different products are sold. But their cost is less than half the street price. Some are even a whopping 95 percent lower. This customer has taken out a pile of items on the counter. In terms of market price, the total easily reaches 90 dollars.

[Soundbite] "It's 79,500 won($71)."

[Soundbite] "I bought all of this for the price of a spoon and chopstick set."

What is the secret to the affordable price?

[Soundbite] Kim Gwang-yeol(Store Owner) : "We get our goods through auction from unfortunate sites such as fires, car accident or flooding. There was a fire just a while ago at a logistics center in Songpa-gu district. We brought 180 tons of articles from that place."

The packaging may be messy but the product inside is brand new with no defects.

[Soundbite] Kim Seok-hun(Customer) : "The products went through mishaps so wouldn't they bless me in return?"

There's also what's called a dumping street, home to a cluster of 30 stores with low prices. Here at this shoe store filled with some 100-thousand pairs, prices are said to be more than 80 percent cheaper than elsewhere.

[Soundbite] Choi Hae-woo(Runs Shoe Store) : "When I was a teacher back in the days, I remember students not willing to show off their shoes if they weren't of a well known brand. So I decided to open a shoe store to sell brand name sneakers to students at an affordable price."

Many people buy several pairs.

[Soundbite] "I bought shoes for my family for the Chuseok holiday!"

Today we let you in on rock bottom shopping and mega discount stores where just a few dollars go a very long way.