I have been guiding in Edinburgh, my home city for over ten years. The idea was born when so many of my client visitors asked me where the best charity shops where located. This was the seed of the idea.
The one I vividly remember was a woman on tour from Texas. She was on her second visit to the UK. She had discovered charity shops on her first visit. For her second she came with an almost empty suitcase and got her holiday gear in charity shops in London. She said it was hard to buy the right clothes in her hometown suitable for the UK, and what was available was expensive and she wouldn't need it when she got home. She bought what she needed, what she liked she kept, what she didn't she had laundered and re donated to a charity shop before returning. Saves money keeps luggage weight down. And a great concept to promote.
As I began to research I became aware of the many positives there are to this tour concept.
Visiting charity shops, thrift stores in the US, helps sustainable tourism because it recycles goods and therefore helps reduce carbon footprint. It is ethical shopping. And no shops are the same. So it's also great fun.