A lucky cyclist has found a woolen gem sitting unclaimed, unloved, and undamaged resting peacefully in a recycling bin.
Folks who find valuable items for free or cut prices often go viral online. Their experiences are enviable for many reasons. Thrifted items can provide quality at cut rates, reduce carbon footprint, and provide a unique thrill that only bargain hunters know.
In this case, a cyclist found a wool Pendleton blanket in a recycling bin on the side of the road. In their post to the subreddit r/ThriftStoreHauls, the blanket is clearly displayed in all its glory.
Remarkably, the official branding is intact. It is a white blanket with multicolored stripes on either end and belongs to the Glacier National Park collection.
The blanket retails for $199.00 on the Pendleton website.
Of all their thrift finds over the years, the original poster wrote that, "this one is the most surprising."
Thrifting is a manner of consumption that benefits both consumers and the environment. Shipment and production of new products incur costs in terms of raw materials, capital, and pollution — these costs do not exist with much of secondhand shopping.
The streamlining is noticeable not only in the environment, but in the price tag. Thrifting allows consumers to save big on high-quality items.
Not only does it confer positive benefits, but it also eliminates the waste associated with fast-fashion practices. Atrocious anomalies such as the massive trash field in the Atacama Desert are the result of single-use fashion, and thrifting is a great way to avoid contributing to such waste.
Folks interacting with the post displayed emotions ranging from jealousy to disbelief, but almost no one questioned the quality of the find. One person who did, after pointing out it's inspired by an older Hudson's Bay Company design, said: "What you have here is a wool blanket made by Pendleton in the style of a Points blanket using the classic HBC colours."
The prevailing sentiment, however, was one of positivity and jealousy:
"Oh man I want to find one so bad! Congrats!" commented one individual.
"This is absolutely one of my white whales!" wrote another. "So stinking lucky!"
"I saved for months to buy this brand new years ago," recalled a wistful user. "You are so lucky! Enjoy it."
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