Teen starts reselling thrift store clothes after being told to get job, parents get upset.

Being a hard worker will only help you in life, and even the most privilege benefit from understanding the meaning of a hard day's work. If nothing else, it makes you grateful for what you have.

However, the phrase 'work smarter, not harder' also exists for a reason. A lot of our world is rigged by loopholes, so if you can figure out how to leverage yourself into more money in less time, that's a skill in itself.

In a popular post on the AITA subreddit, a teen asked if he's wrong for getting creative with his parents' request to get a job.

He wrote:

AITA for telling my parents I won’t get a part-time job?

My [16m] parents recently have been telling me to start making my own money to pay for unneeded stuff like expensive clothes and nights out with friends, which, fair enough. They told me to get a traditional part-time job— working at a store, or a restaurant, or babysitting, or whatever.

I decided those sounded time-consuming and boring, so decided to utilize my good taste in clothes to make money in a more hands-off way.

I used money I have already— remnants of birthday money, mostly— to go to a thrift store and buy clothes I knew would be in trend right now and sell them, either online or to people I know, then withdraw some of the money for personal spending and put most back towards buying more stuff.

This is optimal, because now (as of a month after starting), I’m making pretty good money, for very little work (1-2 hours every weekend at a thrift store, then another 1-2 hours to pose for photos modeling the clothes and post them online), and even that little amount of work is something I find fun. So all in all, seems better than working longer hours at something I’d find boring for similar pay.

My parents are angry because I took what was supposed to be a ‘teachable moment’ about hard work and just ruined it by finding a way to make money that’s not hard work at all. They demand in order for me to learn about hard work, I quit this and get an actual part-time job.

I see no logical reason to— as I said, what I have going is quicker and much more enjoyable than a part-time job, for similar amounts of money earned. To put it simply, why would I work more hours, doing something I like less, just for the same amount of money. Sounds irrational, right?

They think I’m TA and being lazy here. I agree that there’s a certain amount of laziness involved, but if my system works, it works. AITA?

The thread quickly filled up with all sorts of feedback.

UnfortunateDaring wrote:

NTA - that takes more motivation and ingenuity to come up with an out-of-the-box entrepreneurial method to earn money. They should motivate you to find more strategic ways to accomplish your goals. I would be proud of my kids to do something like that. Good work.

strawberry_luv1234 wrote:

I don't think anyone is an AH here. As a parent, I can see why they would want you to get a more traditional job. Usually side gigs like this aren't great in the long run, and it is hard to stay on top of an ever-turning trend market.

A regular part-time job for a teen generally teaches responsibility, how to interact with people, time management, punctuality, etc. I think it is great that you found a way to make money doing something you like. Your teen years are supposed to be the time where you learn who you are, have fun, make memories, etc. My parents wanted me to focus on this and school rather than working.

If I wanted money for something that wasn't a necessity (for example, dance tickets) I'd earn it by doing chores around the house, babysitting, etc. It's not irrational. A little lazy, yes. You are doing work and learning responsibility so I would just try to let it go for now.

CottageWhore420 wrote:

I’m going against the grain with YTA. DePop has been a thing for a while now, it’s hardly being an entrepreneur. You’re going to secondhand stores to buy donated items so you can resell them at a higher price. It’s not a very moral when you consider that those clothes were donated with the intent to go to someone less fortunate, not so some kid can profit off of his shopping addiction.

Everyone should work in the food industry or retail at least once in their life. It builds character, teaches time management, and it would do you good to serve others rather than just yourself.

Low-Butterscotch3257 wrote:

Ugh no. You people are who make thrifting hell. You know nothing about the clothing or brands. You provide NO SERVICE. You don't alter or repair, dye or mend. No.

Life_Is_Good199 wrote:

NAH. Your parents are an older generation and I understand their point of view. I absolutely love what you are doing and applaud your entrepreneurial spirit. I would offer this one piece of advice, if your gig is going well and it starts to generate more than $600 per year and you are not filing taxes, you could find yourself in trouble with the IRS.

Conducting business online is trackable and if you are using a service like PayPal to collect your money, PayPal starts reporting deposit activity over $600 per year to the IRS. The Small Business Administration has a division called SCORE.

Their services are free and you can get assigned a free business coach who can help guide you through the tax thresholds and understand how long you can keep this income under the table and when this has crossed the threshold into small business and tax filings.

NavrasJueventa wrote:

YTA - As a person who has had no choice but to buy from thrift stores I find it disgusting that you are buying clothes and upselling them when they could be better served being available for people who cannot even afford Walmart.

Clearly, no one can agree on this hot-button topic. Which is why we need you to weigh in with your thoughts in the comments.