Exercise 2. Complete the text with missing words

Secondhand clothing is becoming popular. All over the U.S., shops that sell it report ________ up by as

much as 100% over the past two years. Much of the increase ________ from a new sense of _________.

People will pay more today for used better _________ clothing than for cheap, poorly made new

__________.

To serious bargain ___________ the merits of used clothing are old __________. Mrs. Neff, a professional

singer and music teacher, discovered secondhand clothing stores 15 years ago. She started buying only

evening wear for her concert performances, but before __________ most of the clothing she _________ for

herself, her husband and two children was coming from ____________ shops.

Stores that sell secondhand clothes―as opposed to antique apparel, which can be very __________

indeed―fall into two categories: ___________ stores and ________ shops. Resale stores are ________-

making enterprises and merchandise is sold on ___________, with half the selling price going to the item's

__________ owner.

Thrift shops are _________ operations for the ____________ of schools, hospitals and other charities. They

depend on donations for their __________, which is usually a jumble of clothing, furniture, jewelry, books,

bric-a-brac and small appliances.

At resale stores, most ____________ is made up of unwanted garments left off by individuals and is

between one and three years old. But sometimes ___________ stores and __________ use resale stores to

___________ brand-new samples or excess _____________.

As a rule, prices start at one-fourth to one-half of the original __________ price. Most resale shops further

__________ prices on unsold ___________ after a couple of months. Then leftover garments go back to the

_________ or onto a sale table where they may sell for just a few dollars.

At thrift shops clothes are from a few months to a decade old; though they require that goods be clean,

__________ shops will accept torn linings and other ____________ defects. Prices are generally lower than

in resale stores. And while __________ only sometimes works in resale stores, prices in thrift shops are

generally ____________.

The biggest savings at secondhand stores are on famous name ____________ clothes. Although some

designer lines have ___________ in quality in recent years, often these clothes are good __________ at

secondhand ____________.

Finding a good secondhand store can be as ____________ as sifting through the merchandise once you're

there. Looks are sometimes no _________ to value.

Secondhand stores aren't for shoppers without time or ____________. Buying used clothing is not always

practical for women who work, since better thrift and resale shops tend to be located in __________

neighborhoods, inconvenient for lunch-hour shopping. On Saturdays the selection is often ___________.

Sizes on labels or price tags may be ____________: secondhand clothes have frequently shrunk or been

altered. Mistakes are ____________. Most shops have strict no-________, no-__________ policies. If a

secondhand blouse does not _____________ the outfit it was bought to go with, well, better luck next time.

While clothes that fall apart or colors that scream "mistake" as soon as you get them home are obviously

hazards, there are subtler dangers to buying secondhand clothes. Thrift shops can become an

___________.