Have you ever seen your neighbor put something out on their curb to throw away and thought, "I could use one of those"? If so, stooping could be something you can get into.
Stooping is the practice of scoring great deals on items by scouring neighborhoods for what's being given away. In New York City, it's pretty common practice. It's so common, in fact, that groups have started creating accounts to alert others of possible scores.
The couple behind @StoopingNYC on Instagram spoke with Inside Edition, remaining anonymous, about their experience. They started the account in 2019 after noticing how many things they saw on curbs around the city while taking walks with their child.
Masharzi McCann is one of the people who has reaped the benefits of their cool finds. She's decorated her entire apartment that way. "I like to think of it as a person who, number one, all of us that are following the page, we look online, we see things. It's like a determination. Like, I'm going to get it. No matter what, I don't care what time it is, how far it is," she said of becoming a self-proclaimed Super Stooper.
"When I first joined, I was doing the most. I was traveling to Brooklyn. I was going to Queens. Wherever I saw, because I was so excited."
"I am subscribed to their notifications," she continued.
"If it's within 25 minutes, I'm definitely going to do it. Also, the biggest thing is, you have to set yourself up. Be OK if you don't get it. Anything after that, I would only recommend doing if it's the weekday. If it's the weekend, it's stooping weekends. All weekend, I feel like people all day are like, 'We don't have anything else to [do].' We're like … 'What can I grab?'"
Stooping isn't just economically sensible. For some New Yorkers, it's about finding unique items that have a history. It's also about sustainability as home goods have become a fast-fashion-like industry. With all of those reasons in mind, it's no surprise it's spreading to other cities around the US.
