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Thrift Store Shopping
THRIFT STORES – CLOTHING
Today, as promised LONG AGO, I am going to dive into the ways to get the most bang for your buck at Thrift Stores for clothing purchases. I will elaborate on other items in a future post.
The basics. Get organized.
1. Know brands
My rule of thumb is not to buy used clothing from a discount chain. If I want to buy from a discount chain cheaply, I’ll hit the clearance rack and buy it brand new.
I’ve compiled a large list of popular brand names in .txt format that you can download and take with you. The first section of the list has popular name brands, the second section has high fashion brand names, which are a sweet find if you can get them at a thrift store!
2. Know sizes by INCHES
A size 8 can be a 6 or 10 sometimes depending if an item was stretched or shrunk. Know your size in inches.
You can get a Free Tape Measure from:
Or if you really can’t wait, you can download a Free printable measuring tape ( warning: requires cutting, taping, and other actual work )
After you measure everyone you are shopping for write them all down and recheck every month for kids and every 3 months for adults.
3. Know recalls
If you are shopping for baby or kids item in particular, be very careful when buying the following products:
Toys, car seats, cribs, bassinets and play yards.
I suggest NEVER buying a car seat second hand.
An internet connection on site via a broadband card is really the only way to be 100% safe when purchasing items like the above at thrift stores. You can alternatively use your cell phone to call someone waiting at home to search the database at the CPSC for you.
4. Take your time
The biggest thing bargain hunters overlook is the fact that human error is fairly high at thrift stores.
I spend around 2 hours in a normal sized Goodwill.
I have a budget. I know what type of clothing I want to buy down to the color and I have a list.
Knowing exactly what items are needed for yourself and whoever you are shopping for is crucial to getting the most bang for your buck. Take time to go through closets and make a list.
Now. Eat, use the bathroom, grab a portable drink and go.
Before I start on my strategy, I want note that you most likely won’t be looking for the exact same items I would be, but by telling you my strategy, you will get the overall knowledge you need to shop for what you are looking for.
Here is my strategy:
There are no carts available at my Goodwill only baskets, so when I first arrive, I hit housewares, furniture, shoes, linens and purses. This way, if there are any items I see that I want – I can buy them first, load them in the car ( possible drop off if there is a big ticket item ) and return to continue looking for clothing. A single pair of shoes can seriously subtract space from those little baskets.
My girls are just about grown out of the children sizes but I still run through the hanging kids section anyhow because sometimes I find a few junior size tops mixed in.
I scan the hanging boys section for t-shirts, pants, and sweatshirts for my girls, not to buy them boys clothing, but many times there are girls items mixed in by mistake.
Next I hit the hanging women sections where I specifically look for name brands jeans and sweatshirts first because those items are going to cost me the most out of pocket brand new. I scan the Men section for sweatshirts, because again, sometimes their are girls items mixed in.
And even if jeans, jackets and sweatshirts are out of season, I will buy ahead for next year. I can do this now because my girls are 12 and 13, so most of the ridiculous growth spurting is over.
A few things about jeans, jackets, and sweatshirts.
First is functionality. Check zippers, buttons, snaps and check pockets for holes.
Next is quality. Check inseams, lining, underarms, knee and in the zipper area for wear marks or holes.
If I am within budget still, I will then looks for name brand shirts and shorts for my girls. I search the hanging women racks first.
There are few things I want to point out about shirts.
First, is length / width ratio. Many times at thrift stores you will come across shirts that are stretched across and too short up / down or vice versa. And after looking at clothes for 1/2 hour, shirts might all start looking the same…
Next are holes. I have bought a few shirts that had holes in the underarms that I didn’t notice at the store. Some that were just unrepairable. Make sure you inspect the shirts for abnormalities.
My local Goodwill has “bins” these are areas where clothes are just thrown in large bins and shoppers can pick through. These have to be the most overlooked area in the store.
I’ll wait till no one is digging through a bin and then I’ll head over to the bin and “stake my claim”.
I’ll clear an area in the bin as the “no good” section and start going through the clothing one by one. The ones I like – I throw in my basket, the others – go in the “no good” area I cleared. The “no good” section usually reaches around two feet high. Make sure you demolish your pile before walking away and leave things better then they looked before you started digging. I always pick up things I find on the floor, it’s just the polite thing to do plus, it’s “good deal finding” karma to me.
There is an unspoken rule in thrift stores that if one shopper is seriously “digging” and has a pile of “dug” clothes a few feet high, it’s rude to start digging randomly in the first “diggers” area. Now, the second shopper can dig through the first shoppers already dug pile carefully, but that’s heading into a gray area…
Best bet is to just wait. On only ONE occasion, in ten years, has my pile been disrupted. They know who they are…
The bins can hold some great finds. The trick is to search ALL the bins even if you aren’t shopping for that size or gender. Don’t be scared to dig. Random items get thrown in there all the time that might just be what you are looking for. In the boys section a few weeks ago, I found the best t-shirt EVER for myself. It was just my size with just the word “gamer.” on it. It was the best $1.39 I spent this year.
I have found cute camisole tops for everyday wear in the lingerie section, shorts in the infant section for my girls, tops for me in the boys section… you just never know what treasures you can find in those bins.
5. Know the payment methods
This might seem kinda obvious, but imagine my surprise the first time I hit the local Goodwill after I moved to my new town, when they informed me they didn’t not take debit cards. Checks were ok, as long as they were numbers over #500. I don’t write checks often at all, so that was a bummer day. I now have a “thrift store checkbook” that are all numbered #500 and above that I keep for that purpose only.
Cash is 99.9% of the time universally accepted.
Call ahead or take note of the accepted payment methods prior to filling up a basket!
6. Know where you are going
Like I stated earlier, I usually spend 2 hours in a thrift store. I’d start with one store at a time. you’ll find your favorite in your area very quickly by noting the prices and quality of what is offered.
My local Goodwill stays open till 7pm, which makes it great for those that might want to do a quick run through after work during the week. The weekends are great for most people with the ideal time to go being when the doors open, lunchtime or 2.5 hours before closing.
Directories:
Habitat For Humanity Thrift store Locations
FEEL FREE TO COMMENT AND SHARE YOUR TIPS!
Just a note:
Here is a friendly tip. If you have middle or high school age children that are sensitive, you might want to go to the next town to do your second hand shopping. I know there is nothing wrong with shopping second hand, but sometimes kids don’t see it that way. And yes, I know it doesn’t matter what others think, but to your child, it might. Just take that into consideration.
My girls are okay with thrift stores to an extent, but as they get older it’s getting harder to find the styles they like in the thrift stores.
Bottoms are always a good find in thrift stores because all different types of cuts can be found, even those new skinny jeans!
Excellent article and links. I just wrote about it on my bargain blog.
Bobbi´s last blog ..Thrift Store Shopping links and tips
Thank you! Aren’t thrift stores the best?!!!