If you’re ready to clean out your closet and donate old clothes, you might want to consider giving them to a department store. Stores across the country are taking used clothing and giving discounts to purchase new clothes.
Lisa Freeman, co-host of the "Hot Shopping Tips" podcast, says you can donate any brand of clothing to H&M, and the company will give you a 10 percent discount on new clothes.
“Madewell, which sells jeans and other clothes, will take back your jeans and give you a $20 credit towards a new pair of jeans," says Freeman. "Your old pair gets turned into insulation for low-income housing.”
Similar to Madewell, there are certain stores that only take their brand of clothes as a donation. The store Eileen Fischer is an example of one.
“They give you $5 for every Eileen Fischer piece of clothing you send back to them, which is really cool because they turn those clothes into other clothes.”
There are plenty of stores that give discounts for donations. Levi’s gives a 20 percent discount and The North Face offers a $10 credit to put toward your next $100 purchase.
However, Nordstrom, REI, Charming Charlie and Ann Taylor will take your used clothes to donate, but they do not offer a discount.
Freeman says they work with Givebackbox.com. If you buy from them online, you can use the shipping box to send your donations back for their program.
If you want to give back to those in need in your community, the best place to donate is Goodwill.
“All the clothing and other items that you donate to Goodwill go to supporting local employment and job training programs in your area," Freeman explains. "Of course, you will get a receipt so you can get a tax credit.”
Most department stores give a tax credit too, but you might have to go online to get it.
