Save money when shopping for clothing. Always turn the garment wrong side out and check the seams and hem for loose or broken threads. NEVER pull a thread to break it. Always cut it with scissors. If the garment is damaged or has a spot on it, you can ask the clerk for a discount. Also, be sure when you buy clothing you are charged the correct price. Take the garment home, repair it, wash it, wear it and be proud of your smart shopping.
Source: I am a seamstress now. Before I started sewing, my Mother taught me to check the seams before buying.
I always shop at the end of the season and put away things for the next season.
The key is not to buy items that are too trendy. Plain items are best when doing this kind of shopping.
However, when looking through clearance I have often found seperates that are overly embellished and are hard to match or just look tacky. I check to see how the embellishments are attached and if they are sticthed on rather than screen printed or ironed on I remove them.
Today I bought a magenta shirt at a discount store for one dollar. It had no defect except for a one inch band of sequins that traversed the neckline, so I removed them. It's crazy how sometimes plain items sell for higher prices and have no embellishment so I always look for items like this.
Also if you're a good seamstress (I'm not :) ) or are crafty you can save these embellishments for other projects they maybe more suited to.
I buy thrift for myself, Husband and kids nine times out of ten. When you can get an Ann Kline suit for 5 bucks, why would anyone pay $100 or more? Also in the spring when all the stores mark down the winter clothing, I have found it to be surprisingly easy to cut and stitch a long sleeved shirt into a short sleeved one and long pants into shorts.
Yes. Checking the seams and such is a great idea. But, if you ask to get a discount on something because of a stain or defect, don't be too disappointed if the answer is "no." It can happen, but usually in the retail world, it won't. I work customer service in a national retail chain, and we very, very, very rarely do this -- and it is almost never on clothing. The reason is that the store can return it to the place where they purchased it from and get back what they paid for it. However, in some stores, they may have a bit of room to negotiate (although it will rarely be more than 10%) because clothing is one of the most highly marked up items in retail.
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