Thrifting - yay or nay?
I say Yay, yea and you bet I do! So, I've gathered a few tips in my 50 odd years of thrifting. Yes, it's in my gene pool. Thrifting may have begun as a necessity, because we come from a huge family, however, the thrill of the hunt fueled the flames of our thrifting passion. I don't NEED to, rather I LIKE to.
5 Tips for Thrift Shopping:
1. Shop the actual thrift shops first. You know the church or organizational ones that use the profits to benefit their organization or school. I say this because they are not for profit. In my opinion, they take their donated items (FREE) and mark them to sell them. Every dollar made stays with them so they WANT to sell it. Some of the other thrift shops have too high of a mark up on their inventory, as they are more of a corporation. That's great, but the best deals are at the other.
2. With that in mind, the chain of stores I am thinking of have color tag days. If you happen to see something you like at that store, ask what day that color tag will be on sale. Maybe even push that item to the back of the rest or "hide" it....teehee... Go back and purchase early on that day it's marked down. More than likely, if you feel an item is marked too high, others do too and it will still be there. I've also said, even at this store, "Hey, on Tuesday this item will be half off, will you ask the manager if they will take "$" today?" It works.
3. Just like retail shopping, look at the bottom shelf. You need to dig, move items around. As you are shopping, you may find something interesting in another area than you may not have stocked it in. For instance, I find so many wool blankets by the pet items. I guess while stocking their inventory, they think dog blankets, but I wash them and sell them...who am I kidding...I rarely sell wool!
4. Bring wipes, hand sanitizer - sometimes, not everything gets cleaned before stocked. I've left thrifting many times with my hands feeling dirty. Frankly, I'd rather buy something a bit dirty for less and wash it myself.
5. Make it a family outing. We've planned many trips around the thrift shops of certain towns. I know I resell, but thrifting can teach children the value of a dollar. Especially when they have earned their dollar (but that's for another post). Our girls, at every age, appreciated thrifting. Now women with their own homes and family to care for this tradition carries on. Thanks Grandpa Kincaid - for the genes and fuel that fires our thrifting passion.
You may even find some of your old inventory while shopping! I/we forgot to pull this tag. LOL
Blessings from Ringle, Wisconsin.
i am not a thrifter...i have never been to a thrift store. with that said, i read this entire post and i am sure your tips are awesome. especially with your experience, everything made sense!! i especially liked tip #5, for all the reasons you listed.
ReplyDeletei am not much of a shopper but i think i may try it. i do 99% of my shopping on-line!
I love thrifty shopping. In England there are lots and lots of (what are called over there) Charity Shops. There are a LOT of them in every town. I love shopping at them. I think over there everyone donates their unwanted items to one or another charity shop. It is so easy to purchase books (my addiction) as well as anything imaginable for really reasonable prices. There are only a few thrift stores here in Kalamazoo. Most are pretty picked over but once in a while you can find a bargain. I used to really enjoy garage sales, but must admit I haven't gone to many recently. I think I shall make it a point to go to more this year.
ReplyDeleteGreat tips, I am a great fan of thrift stores/markets and have found some great deals over the years.
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