gennimcmahon writes a long description of how to shop thrift stores and get your $2 worth:
If there’s one thing I know, I know thrifting for clothes. I haven’t worn much in the line of new clothing in years, but you wouldn’t know it from looking at me. Some things I have learned:
1. Familiarize yourself with the cheap-ass store brands. Faded Glory is Walmart, Route 66 is K-Mart, etc. Why? Because these items are very poorly made, and will not be worth your thrift dollar. Conversely, familiarize yourself with designer brands; many thrifties don’t know what they have, and with flat pricing, you might find a Michael Kors next to three Faded Glory dresses, and you’ll get it for the same price.
2. Note that the majority of items you will find in a thrift store are there because they are cheap shit from Walmart, KMart, and the like, and there’s a reason people throw them out. Always ask yourself, “Why was this given away?” It helps you be objective about a purchase and avoid wasting money.
3. When you find something you like, don’t just snatch it up without giving it a good once over. Things that often cannot be fixed and that tend to escape the initial glance are underarm stains (particularly on white shirts), missing buttons (especially unusual ones), elastic that is crunchy or completely shot, stains at the collar (particularly on men’s shirts; remember, Ring Around The Collar is real, and usually won’t come out), vintage fabric that is rotted (when handling it, the item may appear solid, but feel almost as if it were papery or full of dirt; that’s the fabric disintegrating and when you launder it, you will end up with a handful of shredded fabric) torn or stained linings, or home botched tailoring (a great skirt may reveal a butchered hemline, for example). Also, while distasteful to think about, check for stains at the crotch in any pants you are interested in; those sorts of events often precipitate a garment being thrown out rather than laundered.
4. Many thrift stores offer different bargains on different days; familiarize yourself and shop accordingly. If you need work clothes, take advantage of the days when dresses or dress pants are half price. If you get a great Ann Taylor suit for $4.00 instead of $8.00, you can then get it drycleaned and still come out ahead.
5. Be nice to the staff at your usual haunts; people working at thrift stores are dealing with all kinds of people, from the mentally ill to the just plain awful. They appreciate being treated politely. If you are a regular, and known for being considerate, they may save for you something they know you would like, point out things you may have missed, or negotiate on prices for you. When I am shopping, I always put things back on hangers that fall off, and if the line is long I sort my stuff and take out the hangers. It’s simple, it saves time, and people appreciate efficiency.
6. Are you a freak magnet? My favorite thrift store story is the woman who approached me and in a whisper asked, “Do you wanna see my BABY?” I had, of course, no choice but to say yes, at which point she pulled the collar of her shirt aside to show me her pet mouse, clinging to her bra strap. If you are certain that you never, ever, want to see someone’s “baby”, try shopping with headphones. The iPod was invented to tell the freaks to back off. If you don’t have one, get a pair of earbuds and run the cord into your coat. No one has to know you aren’t plugged into anything.
7. Always launder what you buy before you wear it. Many thrift stores spray clothing with disinfectant that can irritate allergies/asthma. Also, nasty things like crabs or other lice can live quite well in clothing, so wash in the hottest water possible and/or spray with Lysol and let sit in a bag for a day then wash. Plus, you’ve no idea where it’s been before reaching you. The kid playing next to you while her mom is shopping? She just wiped her nose with her hand and then wiped her hand on what was hanging on the racks. You can bet on it.
8. Never try things on at the thrift store; the dressing rooms are usually filthy germ magnets, poorly lit and depressing. If you aren’t sure it will fit, don’t buy it. I’ve never left anything behind that I later regretted, but I’ve taken plenty home I wish I hadn’t. Err on the side of caution.
9. Don’t get carried away because clothes are cheap. Fifty bucks is fifty bucks, whether you bring home one top or twenty-five, and if you didn’t have fifty bucks, you’re just as broke when you walk out. Set a limit before you hit the racks, and use it to weed out those things you have doubts about. Remember, there are literally mountains of cast off clothes in the world; there will always be more the next time you go shopping.
I have lots more I could add to this since I learned how to thrift with the Queen of Thrift. Tomorrow, tomorrow.
I’ve got a HUHO post up: burritos for four for under ten bucks.
I’m planning on adding a page to my blog that will list several tested recipes–I’m hoping to include thirty of them, all for under ten dollars. All of my recipes will be healthy, tasty, and will feed a family of four.
Growing up on food stamps and Dolly Parton makes a woman resourceful.
if it’s your size, and you like it, and says “Pendleton” inside, grab it. Unless you’re allergic to wool.
Splendid and informative, dearest Lauren.
I’d like to add this – shop at thrift stores on the edge of the more tony parts of town. I like to peruse the Goodwill and American Cancer Society Thrift shops in the Silicon Valley rich-ass Palo Alto/Menlo Park area. What I typically find are brand new Land’s End or LL Bean catalog items that were ordered, found not to fit and probably languished in a closet until Spring cleaning, after which it was quickly dispatched to the Goodwill.
Also – dem rich folks, dey throw out the dangest thangs: I have power-thrifted a Burberry raincoat (not the trench, but a Burberry nonetheless. For $50. Worth every dollar.), an Armani skirt (brand spanking new. My Molly said it probably belonged to a dead woman. Pah! Who cares?), and a Patagonia jacket and very rugged hiking pants (they don’t call it Patagucci for nothing). All new and serviceable. Cheap chic!
Merry thrifting to you, most fabulous one.
Even if it means a road trip with a friend to share gas money, look for a thrift store in an affluent area. I’ve only thrifted a few times, but to me this made all the difference.
As a former employee of Goodwill industries, I have many stories of the crazies at the local Goodwill. Let me share one of my favorites.
We had a woman come into the west side goodwill during a 50% off sale (if you have ever been to a 50% off sale at the ‘Will’ you know it’s bedlam), anyway she starts not feeling well and throws up in one of the dressing rooms, notifies the cashier, and they have one of the community service guys clean it up (goodwill likes to pass on all the shit jobs to the guy who has 80hrs community service for a DUI). She threw up but decided to continue shopping (what a trooper). 20 minutes later she is back in the wares department, she throws up all over the wares shelves, as she runs into the backroom through the swinging doors, she procedes to throw up in a wares box (which is essentially a giant cardboard box on a pallet). She heads to the bathroom for about 10 minutes where she is violently vomiting (the whole backroom can hear her). Does she go home? Does she offer to help clean up the massive amounts of vomit throughout the store? NO! She continues to shop for another hour. Vomit would not stop this woman from receiving that 50% discount. It is a sad and unfortunately true story.
I don’t think my wife has bought anything retail in years, and she regularly gets complimented on her wardrobe by coworkers. It’s just amazing what you can find at thrift and resale stores if you put your mind to it!
The best things I buy at thriftshops (beyond books and clothes) are kids’ computer games and videos. I keep a stash of “new” $2 videos and games in my closet to use for rainy-day treats–always a big hit with a six-year-old. Just be sure to check for compatibility (especially if you’re a Mac user), check that the right item is in the case (that could be embarrassing or worse), and check for breakage in videos, scratches in CDs.
Oh, and you can also assemble the best kids’ dress-up box on the block from thriftshop finds–way, way better than the storebought “costumes” that fall apart and look cheesy. Haunt the belts rack, look for short dresses that could be full-length gowns for a little one; old mens’ vests are also a favorite here–the more pockets the better. (And capes. You can’t have enough capes. So what if they used to be aprons?)