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By iomoon (Guest Post)
02/28/2009
Shop in rich neighborhoods, where stylish people donate clothes. At one Goodwill I went to, almost everything was brand name. You could get an Ann Taylor suit for just 30 dollars.
By Darlene Marie (Guest Post)
09/07/2008
I love to shop at thrift stores. However, if you have never shopped at these types of stores, here are some helpful hints:
-Be prepared to rummage;
-Usually clothes are color coded, so if you are in the market for a particular color blouse; you can browse through those colors;
-Do not be disappointed if you do not find anything that you like, there is always next time;
-Check the garment for stains, rips, zippers that do not work, etc. Most things are perfectly fine; however, it would be wise to check them.
http://www.EasyWaystoSaveMoneyEveryday.com
By bee56 (Guest Post)
04/27/2008
I have tried everything to remove the ink residue from a stoneware bowl. I'm very irked at Goodwill for using those amrkers. You can still see the $2.00 impression in the stoneware. Grrr.
By Ramya (Guest Post)
01/25/2007
I live in Fairfax, VA. I would like to know names of thrift stores so that I buy trendy clothes that will come cheap.
By Steve C. (Guest Post)
01/15/2007
If there are no dressing rooms and if the weather is not too cold, I wear a pair of gym shorts and a t-shirt inside a thrift store so I can try on jeans or even a suit that I like right there in the aisles. I've never gotten any strange looks doing that, and nobody can really blame me anyway since every thrift store's policy here in Virginia Beach is "no refunds or exchanges" after you buy something.
By
07/08/2006
When shopping at a thrift store, it is wise to take a sewing tape measure, because inevitably, many of the size tags will be cut out of the clothing.
Also, be very careful to look for spots, tears, bad zippers or other flaws.
Some flaws might be "fixable" if one is good at sewing or crafts repairs. You might wind up with some quality clothing that only needed a new button, and you only paid a fraction of the original price.
I do not buy underwear at thrift stores for sanitary reasons.
By Sheila Wright (Guest Post)
07/07/2006
The General Dollar store sells a spray called ...thunder blast.. it takes the black price marker off right now..... it is hard on my hands so i wear gloves.. but it does work.. and it is cheap too .. big spray bottle for like two dollars....
By
04/01/2006
I enjoy shopping a thrifts shops. Monday is a good day to shop there. Most people who had yards sales during the weekend will bring whats left over to the thrift store on monday.
By Debby (Guest Post)
08/18/2005
I love to buy at Thrift stores. I buy Tupperware lids or containers that I want, because later on I'll find the match at a yard sale!!! I recently bought 3 dresses 1/2 price just for the fabric. I want to make a layered skirt from them. You can also buy a dress or skirt that is too small and too long. Cut off the top at a measurement that is about 3 inches larger than your waist size. Sew in a casing for elastic or make a drawstring from fabric or purchased cord and you have a new skirt! Scraps can be used to applique onto a coordinating solid color top to make them a matching outfit. Lots of half price summer items right now. I also bought a "new" Hawaiian shirt for a party $2. It has dolphins which are my school's mascot so it won't be a "wear only once shirt" after all. Debby from MI
PS My kids won't buy name brands from Thrift Stores. They don't want anyone to think they are foolish enough to spend that much on clothes.
By Sandy (Guest Post)
08/17/2005
Love love love the Thrift Stores. Stores in my area (Tampa Fl) have senior citizens (55 & over) days, half price for a particular color ticket items days. One even has an Email notification for their once a month 1/2 price clothing sale when they stay open till 10:00 P.M. Went there last Thursday-spent $16.00, bought many many knit tops.....Liz, Lauren, Top Names! Most expensive was $2.95 ($1.50 to me). Cheaper than Goodwill. Dress like a Queen on a Pauper's Budget. Tampa's Yellow Pages has category for Thrift Stores.
By Tami (Guest Post)
08/17/2005
I did school shopping for my 2 kids (boy7, girl10) at thrift stores, and got them everything they needed, except socks and underwear and some supplies for 150.00 bucks, thats lunch boxes, backpacks, some school supplies, 10 outfits each, and a pair of dress shoes for my daughter. I bought their tennis shoes new at walmart for 7.50 each, when they went on sale a couple of weeks ago, and the backpacks were washed and look new. My son is happy with his the way it is, but, I sewed on some iron-ons and ribbon, and, added a couple of keychains to really spruce hers up. Thrift stores are great, and we couldn't live without them. I get the prices off the bottom of shoes with a course file, works every time.
By Nendza (Guest Post)
08/16/2005
I love thrift stores, I try to go as often as I can. I always find clothes, books, and knick knacks. As long as you're patient and willing to really look you will almost never walk out empty handed.
By
08/16/2005
Don't be afraid to shop your local Goodwill, consignment and other thrift stores for gift items. I have found many things that still had the original store tags on them. There is nothing wrong with them and they make a great, inexpensive gift!
By Robin
By Julia (Guest Post)
08/06/2005
My best friend and I go thrift store shopping as often as we can. It is not normal for girls our age (14) to want to get the best deal on our clothing, but it is BY FAR our favorite hobby. We can spend the whole day in a thirft store, and then spend the whole night talking about how great of a deal we got! Also, we have HUGE wardrobes, and have spent near nothing on them. We absolutly love how every article of clothing is unique! Although we do occasionly have an argument about who gets that AWESOME pair of boots, we always have a blast, and end up looking like rock stars for DIRT CHEAP! After all, it is the "thrill of the hunt", so grab your best friend and get out there!
By
06/23/2005
Thrift Stores Rock!! I go all the time. Like almost every other day if I can get away with it. I have gotten so far in the last weeks... A LARGE Trunk that would go for at least 70 bucks in the stores. for 20 bucks. Brand new nothing wrong, just missing the key to lock it.
Goodwill, would have charged a lot for that tho...I am not knocking Goodwill but sometimes they are way to pricey.
I have found tons of 70's stuff to decorate my house. I missed the homey feeling I used to have as a child, and went completely retro.
Thanks to my thrift store and its 10 cents here and there. I not only save money but I am also earth concise too. No more paper towels for me.. I bought 12 napkins for 1.20
I have purchased a mint condish... Black Futon for 20 bucks.
The list goes on. I love thrift stores.
By
06/03/2005
I'm a quilter and I've made many denim, ragged edge quilts from jeans bought from the thrift stores. I just buy the largest men's jeans I can find. I want to make a crazy quilt, so I've been collecting little girls holiday dresses, with velvet and satin fabric. The little dresses have just the right amount of fabric I need, as opposed to an adult size. I also bought an incomplete set of ceramic plates, broke them up and did a mosaic bird bath. For quilters and crafts people, thrift stores RULE!!!!
By Dawn
By Leslie Hess (Guest Post)
06/01/2005
I have 2 sons who have learned to like Goodwill. To cycle clothes out, our local Goodwill has some clothes for 1/2 price on Saturdays and on Mondays certain clothes are a quarter. My 16 year old son has learned that he can get great Hilfiger, Gap and American Eagle clothes for a quarter. He bought a new Nike winter coat for $4.00 last fall.
My 10 year old has learned the same however he looks for Nike and Adidas stuff.
Last Christmas, I shopped every Monday night and purchased men's dress shirts for a quarter. I then took them home and made them in to placemats for gifts. This was a great gift as it was inexpensive for me but homemade for the recipient.
These are great deals for me and we all have fun looking through all the racks of clothing.
When shopping thrift stores, you may find something or you may not. Visit often as their inventory changes daily.
Happy shopping
Leslie
By
05/31/2005
I recently went to the local Goodwill and noted that all of last season's clothes were on sale. Thrift stores tend to do this at the same time that regular stores are changing over their clothing merchandise for the upcoming season, so don't hesitate to check out the thrift store first. You can easily get a very nice shirt or pair of pants for about 2.00 on sale at the thrift store. College areas or areas with a young demographic tend to yield the best secondhand merchandise.
By Jackie Reitnauer
By
05/26/2005
If you are a seamstress you can sometimes find items you can use the material for other projects. Great Halloween costumes from out of date styles Our local salvation army auctions antique items off.It goes to the highest bidder.I have gotten several good collectable items this way. The best deal was some old car magazines date back to 1957 .My husband loved them he loves the old cars50's and 60's
By
05/22/2005
I keep a small card with the kids sizes on it including shoes and accessories also my husbands sizes then when I see something that they might want then I dont have to guess at the size.
By
05/11/2005
If you want to spoil yourself, go to Goodwill and look for the good names, I get LLBean, Ralph Lauren, Gap stuff with tags still on for almost nothing!
Goodwill has great variety of clothes so it's like your at many stores but one-stop shopping!
By Amy Farwell
By
03/26/2005
A tape measure is useful to have along. Not all items are marked with the dimensions , such as curtains or picture frames.
By
03/15/2005
Get your kids interested in Thrift shopping, and garage sales early in their lives. Our family considers it an adventure, and a lesson on stretching a dollar. We have found very cute clothes for my kids at a fraction of what they go for new. My ten year old daughter gets compliments on her outfits. Little does anyone know she may have gotten the pants for a dollar, and top for a quarter.
By
03/15/2005
I shop at Good Will, Salvation Army,and Volunteers of America. When I buy something I always say keep the change or add a couple dollars to it.
Lets face it they are doing me more a favor then say A chain store does.
I have been where those workers are.
No. I buy only what I need and I usually donate to them stuff I no longer use several times a year.
You can't beat those thrift shops for books. Puzzles,furniture and Nic-Nacs,
I'm sorry I can't wear the clothes I am just too tall.
I guess not many tall people donate.
One thing Salvation Army And Volunteers Of America do.
They have sales every day on diffeant stuff.
One dat It Furniture another day Books.
They usually have the days of sales on the wall inside the door.
And the clothes have different colored tickets that tell you how much you get off listed prices.
Happy Thrifty Shopping
Mr. Thrifty
By
03/11/2005
Shop at thrift stores regularly - you can't just walk in and find what you want like you can in a retail store so you need to look often. Also have a list of your needs. Its not very thrifty to buy whatever you see that you fancy if you don't really need it so keep a list in your purse, (e.g. appliances, gaps in your wardrobe, furniture), and then you will know if you actually need the item you are considering, or just want it!
Regards
Jo
By
03/11/2005
You could try hairspray on the bottom of the tennis shoe. Or perfume or rubbing alcohol.
By
03/11/2005
You may want to try the orange cleaner you can pick up at a dollar store. I have used it on a lot of things and it has successfully removed them!
Good Luck!
By
03/11/2005
Does anyone know how to get the ink mark off of the bottom of tennis shoes bought at goodwill?
By
03/11/2005
I go to the Goodwill on one-half off days (holidays or first Saturday of the month), as it makes my dollars go farther. I pick up things for my five grandchildren and others I know that are living on a minimum wage income. This way we all win--Goodwill, my family, friends, the people who donate to Goodwill, and myself, as I am helping others.
By Rosanna Stefano
I have found treasures behind or under the glass at our local thrift stores. That is where they keep the items (sometimes with those names you may love but never would pay for) like bags, jeans, leather jackets, etc. I have found zippers can be a problem, usually these items are priced way too high in my opinion because of the name, not the condition they are in.
If you find a great deal, look inside really well to examine the lining, look outside for any stains that have been ruined by someone trying to remove something, leaving the item not worth paying for just a name. That's where you get to point it out and bargain.
If they are willing (not all are) to lower the price, knowing how to bring the item back to its almost new condition for pennies of what it cost, for me is exciting. I don't resell items but many do. So be careful these are some of what is on eBay. Always ask, if you are one who buys used leather, expensive jeans, hand bags, etc. online, if it has been restored.
My friend had been looking for a Levi jacket for so long, but was unable (or unwilling) to pay store cost. On one of our trips, there was a perfect condition jean jacket in her size for $12.00. This isn't what I usually look for or does she, but once in awhile, we all have that special something we are hoping for.
Leather jackets, if they haven't been worn in awhile, have a couple things to look for; make sure the zipper slides easily, it isn't off track anywhere, and look at the leather. Check the lining - I have found it has been taken out; which means sometimes it had been worn hard, or could be there just was a rip or stain so it has been removed. If you sew, this may be an easy fix, if inexpensive, to get done. I have only redone the "vest" part of a leather jacket which was easy, not expensive for that style of jacket, and worked fine. Look at the cuffs - if it hasn't been taken care of, that is one place you can really see tatter. If the jacket has room to shorten the sleeves, is quality may still be worth the investment. Elbows on the sleeves and the collar is where I also look for the hidden wear, not just a stain popping out or a tear that is in plain sight. I take very good care of my leather, therefore I have a motorcycle jacket still in style that is a couple decades old. Where I live, I have found usually not the case, some donate great quality leather jackets with names I could never think about buying so its worth looking. Sometimes anyone can get lucky.
For hand bags, it's the same thing really. Look at them. Just because they are under lock and key doesn't always mean it's a treasure. It is always the name, that's why they keep them locked up. If it's in good condition on the bottom of the bag and the lining is intact, check out the straps to see if they look worn (I don't mean not new, but really used). Make sure you look where your hand bag get worn out the most. I have found it's usually the same 2 or 3 places.
Always check zippers on both leather jackets, skirts, jeans, and handbags. Make sure they are in working order, on track or if it's something easy like just sticking you know what you are dealing with so you can maybe get a deal, or at the very least, not over pay if they over-looked something. If you don't know how to fix or replace a zipper yourself, my alteration place has good prices, however sometime if you have to replace a zipper, it may well not be worth your find. If it's just sticking or jammed you usually can tell right away. Always make sure it's on track (the bottom isn't ruined). Zippers being stuck easily can be fixed with DW40; it works for me every time. That is what I would recommend, if its only a zipper that is sticking and it's something you want and worth the money.
If the leather itself has a spot on it, it could save you money by pointing it out and be something you can fix. I have a great pair of boots that I tripped in the first time I wore them and tore the leather, making the toes look black, not the brown boots I had bought. Any craft store sells paint that is water proof, used for leather. Even if its an "off" color like mine was, I mixed 2 of the paints together and to this day only my son and I know it ever happened. So if there is a place on a bag, jacket, or pair of boots some of it can be redone for around $5.00 making it well worth it. When I say redone I don't mean the entire bag or jacket, I mean worn spots on the elbows, or spots of wear on a bag can be easily matched with this paint and made to look new again.
For example my own bag, which I love, is a mustard color. Where I keep my hand sanitizer there is a worn spot, but the rest of the bag is still in perfect shape - matching that and fixing it myself is what I will do, not get rid of my Tignanello. I promise it was a gift I will have for years to come.
Leather can be cleaned up and reconditioned in a few ways without costing you a bunch of money; talcum powder removes grease from leather, so just because there is a spot of oil or grease may not mean it's not worth seeing if they will give you a deal, or if it is a great deal may be worth a second look. Remember you can buy leather cleaners, water proof products, or if like me, use olive oil for cleaning and keeping my leather in soft, subtle shape costing hardly nothing. I have heard coconut oil works well. It comes in a jar and is very hard making it easy to put on a cloth and rub into the material. Also remember if it's brown, black, rust, or a color easily matched and has a small spot or maybe creases from prior use, shoe polish will soak into the spot, making it appear the same color. When using shoe polish on anything other than shoes, make sure you polish a couple of times, using a small amount each time and always getting any left over polish off. If you don't, it will come of on something you don't want it to; like your shirt, coat, etc. The liquid shoe stains do not do this. If using one of them make sure you have matched up the leather before applying. These things can also make an item you have look new again.
Jeans, another thing found behind the counter or in the glass case, are always based on name brand. $25.00 for a pair of brand name jeans may be something many are interested in, but look out for knock offs. The people working at Salvation Army or Goodwill especially, will not know how to recognize fakes. The small independent thrift stores or consignment stores know more of what they have, and its worth. I know polo type shirts that have a little symbol on the right side, aren't always a real polo (Ralph Lauren), or another brand, but they have copied the "tag" or taken it from another item. If you don't look close, you wouldn't catch it until too late. Not everyone cares about labels, but if you are paying for it, you should get what you pay for - new or used.
They keep sun glasses and jewelry there locked away also, these are so easy for people who steal to take. It doesn't always mean they are anything expensive to begin with. I have found the neatest jewelry behind the glass in bundles sometimes and on a half price day. Keep in mind these things are already marked down like everything else in the store.
Cameras, CD players, and watches are just a few of the other things that seem to be out of reach. If you ask they will gladly open the case. Make sure it's working (if it needs electricity or battery) - it's usually a good idea to carry some batteries with you if you are looking for any items that take them. That way you know its in good working order. I got a beautiful, expensive watch for $10.00 from my church thrift store and they said if you take it and get a battery, if it doesn't work, bring it back. Not everywhere would do that, so ask to be sure. For the cost of a watch battery, I have a watch I could never afford, wouldn't even have thought I could own one.
Sometimes these locked away treasures are worth asking, maybe bargaining, putting in a little time. Other times it's better to know when it's not a treasure at all; just locked away. Items found behind the glass can make the best gifts. Although they may not be your usual purchases, don't be afraid to look. I wrote in one of my posts where I had gotten a blow dryer that was worth well over $100.00, but I knew what I was looking at. Like I said, "some people make a living doing this" - most of us do not, so knowing a little bit about what you may be bargaining down could pay off. I always look at what is in style, what is in the magazines, and when I see name brands it helps knowing a little bit about what you may be "hoping" to find. Always try to look on the days they have 50% off or any other special your local thrift store has.
.Good luck with your treasure hunting!
Source: Finding a bargain is so much fun. Once in a while, it is like finding hidden treasure! I keep up on magazines, look at what the price "new" is to see if it is really a deal when buying anything that isn't obviously my usual thrift purchases.
By Luana M. from San Diego, CA
Shared on: 11/01/2011
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