The holiday season is upon us, and what better way to show a loved one you care than with a “new” vintage item chosen specifically for them? Chances are someone you know would love a first-pressing of a favourite vinyl record, an oversized gold-link necklace, or even a statement ashtray for their pre-rolls.

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It’s a feel-good thing all around: not only do you get to gift something that’s one-of-a-kind and sustainable, but it’s also a way to support local business.

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Shopping with vintage sellers puts money directly back into your local economy—it’s estimated that for every $100 spent at a local retailer, over 60 per cent stays within the community. (For example, in British Columbia, it’s $63, according to retail advocacy group LOCO BC.)

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Supporting small businesses

Small Business Saturday, which falls on Nov. 27 this year, is an annual event originally created as an answer to the major shopping days following American Thanksgiving—Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Now a social media hashtag, #SmallBusinessSaturday encourages shoppers to patronize small businesses and services in their local communities.

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Here in Canada, independent owners, associations and municipal governments have campaigned for consumers to shop locally during the holidays over the past few years as well, especially in 2020 as businesses struggled to stay afloat during extended COVID-19 lockdowns.

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But this year, the siren call is louder than ever after the Retail Council of Canada (RCC) released the results of its 2021 Holiday Shopping Survey conducted by Leger.

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More than 2,500 people across the country participated in the poll, with 78 per cent of respondents indicating that shopping locally is important to them. But only 13 per cent said they would actually purchase gifts from local or independent retailers this holiday season—down from 16 per cent in 2020 and in contrast to the 53 per cent who said they’d mostly shop at big box retailers in 2021.

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“While shopping locally in general can help to bypass the delivery delays, plus reduce the cost and environmental impact of additional shipping and packaging, it won’t necessarily eliminate the out-of-stock problem. Shopping locally for vintage products, however, can.”

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The numbers were slightly better in Deloitte Canada's 2021 Holiday Retail Outlook, with 53 per cent of more than 1,000 shoppers reporting that they want to support local or small businesses during the holiday season.

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But the pull of big-box e-commerce reigns there, too: 62 per cent of Canadians surveyed by Deloitte said they’ll be turning to Amazon as their primary holiday shopping destination in 2021, with 62 per cent reporting that the convenience of shopping from home is why they prefer Amazon.

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(Good news for those bargain hunters: there are many local vintage and secondhand sellers who have an online presence!)

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Bypassing supply chain shortages

The reluctance to shop locally this year is a bit perplexing, given the widespread media coverage of the state of global supply chains, which have been squeezed over the last two years due to the fallout from COVID-19.

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Nearly two-thirds of RCC’s survey respondents said they faced gifting challenges in 2020 due to items being out of stock, long delivery times and shipping delays. And 47 per cent of respondents said they would attempt to combat the 2021 supply chain issues by considering shopping at local retailers — a big gap from the 13 per cent who said they’d actually shop local.

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News outlets have been warning shoppers for months that it will be more difficult to shop for gifts this year.

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Container ships are stuck in ports because there aren’t enough logistics workers to unload them, prices for raw materials are skyrocketing, shipping costs have increased, and there have been a variety of natural disasters affecting the transportation of goods, including the ongoing flooding of B.C.’s Lower Mainland that has cut the Port of Vancouver off from the rest of the province.

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While shopping locally in general can help to bypass the delivery delays, plus reduce the cost and environmental impact of additional shipping and packaging, it won’t necessarily eliminate the out-of-stock problem.

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Shopping locally for vintage products, however, can. They’re already all out there in your local marketplace, ready to be browsed with just a few taps on your favourite social media platform or at a bricks-and-mortar store.

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Overcoming stigma

Vintage is considered cool and trendy these days, but there’s still some social stigma around giving secondhand goods as gifts.

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However, a recent report titled “Thrift for the Holidays,” conducted by GlobalData for online consignment brand thredUP, shows that perceptions are evolving: among 2,000 U.S. consumers polled, 72 per cent of Generation Z respondents said they are open to receiving a secondhand gift, compared to 66 per cent of consumers overall.

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And 62 per cent of consumers said they believe buying secondhand apparel or fashion gifts is more socially acceptable now than it was five years ago.

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Nearly half of respondents said they are considering alternatives such as thrifting in response to those aforementioned global supply chain issues. And when asked the top three reasons they’re considering secondhand goods, participants said better deals, the desire to shop more sustainably and the opportunity to give a unique gift.

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Depending on what you’re buying, vintage may not be a better deal, but it’ll satisfy the sustainability and rarity criteria. And while thrifted gifts may mean a shift in mindset for some of the people on your holiday shopping list, surprise them with a perfect vintage piece that speaks to their style and you may find it goes a long way to changing their attitude.

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That thoughtfully selected item that you had to hunt to find shows you truly care.

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Are you gifting vintage or secondhand items this holiday season? Let us know in the comments!

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