Ever since Shein and Temu grew in popularity, I’ve seen fast fashion take over almost every store I walk into. If you’re not familiar with fast fashion, it’s clothing that mimics new styles using cheap quality material to be sold at cheap prices. It sounds appealing when you hear it, but the clothing doesn’t last long. After a few washes, the material starts to wear out quickly or the seams come apart after you’ve only worn it a few times.

Before you know it, it’s clear what you really paid for.

Fast fashion is often called the “throwaway culture” because of how quickly these pieces are produced, worn, and then thrown away. According to the United Nations

Environment Programme, more than 92 million tons of unwanted clothing end up in waste every year globally. That also includes stores that throw away clothes from previous collections to add their newest ones in. I’ve bought clothes from stores just for them to last me less than a year or so. That’s when the realization kicks in that fast fashion means clothes need to be replaced constantly.

If you’re a student like me on a budget, you know that you want to get good quality for as little as possible. Spending $12 on a piece of clothing may seem smart at first, but the material just doesn’t last long. Meanwhile, investing $30 in one piece of clothing seems expensive upfront, but will last you longer. The truth is, we think we’re saving money this way, but we keep falling into this cycle of replacing poorly made clothes all the time.

When I started noticing these types of clothes in stores, I never expected it to get worse over time. Stores are now filled with mass-produced and trend-based clothing. It’s getting harder to find durable and long-lasting clothing because retailers want to compete with Shein and Temu. Instead of focusing on quality, they’ve prioritized quick and cheap clothing that could fall apart in your hands. You walk into a store and all you see are racks of clothes that are meant to be sold fast and replaced soon. Sometimes I walk out of stores upset because I can’t find one piece that’s worth spending my money on, and I can’t be the only one who feels this way.

But let’s be honest for a minute. With trends changing constantly, we also feel like we always need something new to wear. We buy things because they’re “in” right now, only to wear them a few times and then toss it into our closets when the trend dies.

These days, thrift stores feel like the smarter option because why spend money on decent quality clothing when you can spend on better quality at the same price? You can find tons of high-quality clothing that were sold in the past by high-quality stores.

Plus, it’s reusing clothing instead of contributing to a landfill where most of us eventually throw away our unnecessary clothes.

Now I’m not saying you can’t treat yourself to something trendy occasionally. I believe we can all have fun buying the latest clothes to express ourselves, but I am starting to think twice if something I want is worth it for the price, the durability, and if I’ll ever wear it again a year from now. If the answer is simply no, then I leave it. At the end of the day, what you buy should be worth every penny.

If it feels like more stores are closing lately and malls are looking half-empty, it’s not your imagination. Across the country, thousands of stores from major retail chains like Macy’s, Party City, and Carter’s to supermarkets and pharmacies such as Walgreens and CVS have closed their doors.

Bankruptcy, rising tariffs, inflation and the rise of online shopping have driven these closures, leaving communities across the U.S. facing higher costs and difficulty accessing many everyday goods.

For shoppers and NECC students alike, this has become a familiar sight.

Dariellys Medina Duran said she found it shocking to see one of her favorite retail stores closing. “I have noticed various stores closing lately and one of my favorites was

Forever 21,” she said. “To my knowledge, the company was doing very good and making sales. So, the closing felt unreal to me.”

Medina Duran said shoppers, including herself, will have to turn to the closest nearby alternative.

For many NECC students, the closures have meant relying more on online shopping.

Allora Ramos said the shutdowns in retail stores have made it harder to find affordable clothing. 

“I think all the stores being shut down has made it very difficult for people to easily shop for affordable clothing,” she said. “A lot of brands advertise online shopping  now, but I feel like this is more difficult and it makes you spend more money than you would inside a store.”

Ramos said stores like Forever 21 offered cheaper options that were easy to find and closures like these will change the type of stores students will have to rely on.

For other students, the closures have affected not just availability, but accessibility as well. 

Observer Campus Life Editor Pheonix German said their family relied on Walgreens for essentials and they were disappointed when they found out a Walgreens near their  home had closed. 

“That store wasn’t only for other items but also a pharmacy too, so it would affect a lot of people if it’s no longer accessible,” German said.

The concern about accessibility is one many students share.

Ramos said online shopping may seem convenient, but it can be less accessible for some communities. “People who rely on physical stores will definitely be affected by store closures and accessibility is more difficult online,” she said. “It’s harder for some communities to see sizing or accessibility online.”

The high prices across stores have shoppers holding on to every dollar. 

Medina Duran said inflation and tariffs are making even basic purchases harder for families. 

“Tariffs and inflation are making shopping very difficult for low-income families who like to treat themselves once in a while,” she said. “Prices are going very high, which gives peopleno choice but to stick to the necessities.”

Other students have noticed the same trend.

“Everything is more expensive and less accessible,” Ramos said. “These prices make it hard to even find basic things like a T-shirt or jeans for cheap.”

As prices continue to rise, German said they expect the shift toward online shopping to continue. 

“Most stores would end up moving online, especially because the pandemic changed people’s shopping habits,” German said. 

“Some people might find benefits in that rather than going to a store.”