Administration manager Joan Koh buys more than 20 new bras a year. But instead of throwing out her old ones, she trades them in for a discount on a new set.

This year, the 40-year-old has already 'recycled' 10 bras at Skyla Intimates, a new lingerie boutique.

The shop is just one of several retailers here that have jumped on the trade-in bandwagon by offering a significant discount on their wares if customers bring in an old item.

Earlier this year, Royal Sporting House offered a 25 per cent discount on a new pair of shoes if you traded in your old running or training shoes.

And EpiCentre stores sliced as much as $1,000 off a new Apple computer if you brought in an old notebook.

Now, at least four other retailers are offering similar deals.

Skyla offers a $10 or $15 rebate when you bring in an old bra. Samsonite offers a 40 per cent discount on products in the Freeminder Flex range when you trade in luggage of any brand that is larger than a 45cm duffel bag.

The 22-outlet World Of Sports chain, which first offered a trade-in promotion in 2005, gives customers a discount of up to 65 per cent on Teva products if you bring in your old sandals or slippers.

And at Levi's, trading in any brand of denim jeans will get you $50 off a new pair that costs more than $100.

Such promotions have proven to be crowd-pullers.

Since Skyla started the trade-in deal on Sept 10, it has received more than 500 bras.

Its director, Ms Vera Tay, came up with this promotion based on feedback from her customers. 'Many of them told us that they have too many bras, so we thought we should encourage them to 'clean up' their wardrobes,' she says.

Branding is another reason retailers are rolling out such marketing tactics.

Ms Loretta Urquhart, commercial head of Samsonite, says: 'We want to give customers a chance to own Samsonite luggage at a special price, so the best way is to get them to trade in their old ones.'

Since the promotion started in the middle of last month, they have received a few thousand pieces of used luggage.

To customers, there is an added appeal in the goods exchange - all used items in working condition received by Skyla, Samsonite and World Of Sports are donated to the Salvation Army.

Levi's will sell the old jeans it has collected at Takashimaya Square from Oct 27 to Nov 1 to raise funds for the National Parks Board's Plant-A-Tree Programme. Unsold pieces will then be donated to the Salvation Army.

Says Ms Koh: 'Instead of throwing away things you no longer want, you can trade them in and do your bit for charity.'

Unfortunately, not all the items that customers trade in are usable.

Only half of the more than 4,000 pairs of sandals and slippers collected by World Of Sports during their promotion in 2006 could be worn, says the chain's marketing manager, Ms Cindy Chui.

At Skyla, some of the bras brought in were completely unwearable. Ms Tay says: 'I could call them cleaning cloths. They were so discoloured and out of shape, you couldn't even tell they were bras.'

But the store did not and will not stop customers from bringing in such lingerie, which are thrown away.

'It's their choice,' she adds.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times.