Marie Kondo’s Netflix Show Sparks Surge of Donations to Thrift Shops
By Ryan General
“Tidying Up With Marie Kondo” has apparently made such an incredible impact on its viewers that thrift store donations are going through the roof, some outlets claim.
The Netflix series, which is based on Marie Kondo’s popular 2014 book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up,” stars the Japanese organization expert showcasing her unique style of cleaning and organizing called the “Kondo Method.”
The new show has reportedly made people get rid of any household items that don’t “spark joy” and encouraged others on social media to donate discarded stuff.
People have been donating their unwanted items to libraries, thrift shops, used bookstores and Goodwills since the show made its debut on January 1, CNN reports.
According to Beacon’s Closet store manager Leah Giampietro, donations have been pouring in despite January being a usual slow season for donations.
“They have been really large bags. Ikea bags, suitcases or garbage bags. It’s really hard to estimate the amount but it has been a ton of stuff, but I can say thousands of pieces a day,” Giampietro was quoted as saying.
“People are determined to clean up their homes.”
Ravenswood Used Books, a Chicago bookstore, posted on its Facebook page that they received two months worth of donations in just two days.
“Because Marie Kondo’s TV show on cleaning has begun running on Netflix, we took in a month’s worth of books in 2 days,” Ravenswood Books wrote on Facebook. “The good news is, we have a LOT of new books. The bad news is, we need a nap! Phew!”
“We’ve been in this location for four years, and people would walk up and down the street, and never noticed us before,” Ravenswood owner Jim Mall told CNN. “I think a lot of people are now beginning to know us.”
While donations have certainly increased in many places, attributing the phenomenon to the success of the Netflix show might be premature, according to Goodwill’s public relations and multimedia manager Malini Wilkes.
“Activity (at our stores) is often strong the first week of January anyway,” Wilkes said. “People have New Year’s resolutions, people have time to get their boxes together, that kind of thing.”
Wilkes also admitted that the company initially noticed the show’s influence after reading about it online so she reached out to different local Goodwills — which are independently managed — around the country to verify.
“Some local Goodwills have seen an increase in donations during the first week in January compared to last year, but others say that they have not seen a significant jump over last year,” Wilkes said.
“Unfortunately, at the current time, it’s too soon to determine the impact from the Marie Kondo show.”
Meanwhile, some people are just looking forward to the show bringing in more donations so they can snag some valuable stuff on the cheap.
Featured Image via Instagram / mariekondo and Facebook / ravenswoodusedbooks
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