DOOR COUNTY (NBC 26) — Secondhand stores say they’re seeing more people walk through their doors lately and it comes down to affordability.
With everyday costs adding up, shoppers are looking for ways to make their dollars stretch.
According to a new study from Credit and Talker Research, nine in ten Americans say the country is in the middle of a cost-of-living or affordability crisis.
Watch below to learn more about the cost-of-living crisis and how it's impacting stores locally:
“I don’t see it slowing down for quite a while," Sherry Young, the manager at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore, said.
At the Habitat for Humanity ReStore on the east side of Sturgeon Bay, you can already see the impact.
“People are realizing their disposable income isn’t what it used to be, so you really have to think about every dollar," Young said.
Young says shoppers are turning to affordable options, like secondhand stores, to make their money go further.
The survey pulled 5,000 Americans evenly across states and generations, and 87 percent of them say we’re living in a cost-of-living crisis.
It also shows that keeping up with bills is a real challenge for many Americans.
More than half 52 percent struggle to pay rent on time, and 50 percent say buying basic necessities like groceries is difficult.
On the other side of the bridge, the Sunshine House Resale Store is noticing the same patterns.
“We are seeing people that need those basic items. They need their clothing, their shoes, and their kitchenware,” Pam Kramer, Sunshine Resale store manager, said.
Kramer says a lot of shoppers are waiting for bigger checks like tax returns before buying larger items like furniture or household necessities.
“They may come in for a bigger-ticket item, like maybe a piece of furniture or a TV, that might be a little more than a pair of pants," Kramer said.
According to the survey, just 44% of Wisconsinites say that living in Wisconsin is affordable.
