And Speaking of Shopping…
ByLast weekend I asked what your favorite places to shop are…and so many of you talked about how you get great deals and great stuff at Goodwill stores and other second hand stores. I have SO not had that kind of experience.
I rarely go to second hand stores because I feel like I have to pick through tons and tons of clothes to even find one piece of clothing that I might consider trying on…and then it rarely fits well.
And sometimes the prices at second hand stores don’t really impress me very much. I’d rather go to a store with a great clearance sale and buy a brand new article of clothing if I’m going to pay the same price for something used.
And, well…it seems that these second hand stores, at least the ones I’ve been in…well…they are sporting this unpleasant…kind of a stale…just sort of subtle yet prominent…okay…I’ll just say it. They stink. They smell bad.
So, what am I missing here? Some of you seem to have the gift of second hand clothing shopping. I’ve seen you and your cute, trendy outfits…that you got for a great deal at the Goodwill store with the tags still on and all of that.
Help me out. (Keep in mind that we receive so many hand-me-downs for the boys that I practically never have to buy them anything. This is mostly in regard to adult clothes.) Do you like to shop at second hand stores? What have you found to be successful ways of finding great clothes and great deals there?
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I have found some fantastic bargains at 2nd hand shops. Sometimes they are still new with shops swing tags still attached, and less than 1/4 of the price.
But I do still have to buy new clothes because you really can’t decided you want, say, a black skirt and promptly find it in the 2nd hand shop. The things I buy 2nd hand are usually always impulse buys which fit in with my current wardrobe.
And yes, some of them really do smell bad. I avoid those ones.
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I think the trick is finding the right secondhand stores. There are a good number of thrift stores in the vicinity of my home, but depending on which direction I go… I will find a better deal, and better stuff. If I go East or Southeast (toward the city of Atlanta), I will find less good stuff.. or good stuff at a higher price. I got to the point where I couldn’t even find my husband’s jeans for work there anymore. They just never had his size anymore, because someone was buying it all up. But, if I go west or northwest (AWAY from the city of atlanta), I find AWESOME stuff, interesting stuff, brand new tags-still-on-it stuff, good deals, good low-prices, etc.
So, I think it’s all in where you’re looking.
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Don’t feel bad. :) I used to find tons of cute things at Goodwill. Then I moved to Arkansas. I can’t even find my husband plain polo shirts here!
So I’ve switched to clearance rack shopping. And actually you can often find clothes for less or slightly more than Goodwill would charge… So I can’t complain!
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I used to shop only at second hand stores. I grew up shopping at them. I shopped more at them when my kids were small. The trouble I have now, is like you, finding stuff that fits. I am 5 foot 10 inches. My husband is 6 foot 5 inches. We are not your average size. Most clothes there just do not fit us. And my husband needs professional looking clothes. Very hard to find second hand. I also am not going to pay $6 for something at a goodwill type store when I can find it for $10 on clearance at a real store. I also know different parts of the country are different. It depends on the people giving to second hand stores. In OR I found much better deals. The West Coast seems to have much better selection of second hand stuff. In OK I rarely found anything.
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I usually can’t find anything at our Salvation army store that is 1/2 hour away… BUT there is a SUPER DUPER AWESOME Thrift store in the cities where I have to do my shopping! I love going there on mondays because everything is 25% off! Their store is organized to the max! Say I am looking for work pant (I did this 2 weeks ago)… I just have to go to the isle with the dress pants for woman and then look in the MED section (size 8-12), then just sift through those clothes… it is NOT like this at the goodwills and salvation armys I have been to. I have found NEW DOCKER pants for less than $8…(they price about $45-50) and a used in NEW shape pair of black pants for $3.00, not bad for work pants!!!I got some TOMMY Capris for $2.50 (I don’t care about the brand, but thought I would mention it because when people think thrift they think outdated!) I have picked up great sweatshirts for my boys, Jeans for them, Jeans for my oldest daughter, Kids chapter books for CHEAP, Tanks for me, T-shirts for my hubby, etc… AND I find CHEAP, NICE tupperware :-)
I go there about once month and just told the boys this morning that I will have to go there next week and start looking for stuff for DIRT BIKE Drivers, (that is what they want to be for halloween!)
OH, and I have even found LLBEAN jackets and snowpants there for CHEAP!
ASK people you know if they have a thrift store they recommend, This one is the ONLY one I tell people to shop at!
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Someone mentioned where you live and I agree that’s a big part of finding good deals, and, I hate to say it, a lot of it has to do with the economic well-being of the area. When I was younger, there was one particular town here in N. TX that had a large amount of fairly well-to-do people who lived there. That was the town we always visited to find the really great thrift stores. After I was married, I moved to a less well-off area of the Metroplex and could hardly find anything decent. That’s when I began to really focus on sewing.
As for going through tons and tons of clothes, it helps if the thrift store is near a store where you already shop. That way, you decide on a time limit (1/2 to 1 hr), go in with specific items in mind, only look in the areas that would have those items, “scan” the racks (very quickly flip through the hangers… very quickly) in the size and color you want only (if it’s a good store they’ll keep it well organized). If there’s nothing there, you haven’t wasted anything because you have other stores to visit anyway. Using this method, I don’t spend more than 30 min. in a thrift store visit.
I was going to write more, then realized this was turning into an essay. I may blog about it instead. :)
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I agree that sometimes it just depends on the area you are in. I know we live in a large town with several wonderful thrift stores. Sometimes we can find a lot of great things but other times I cannot. The other day I was able to pick up a 2 drawer metal file cabinet for $4 for our homeschool, a pair of pj pants for daughter, a few cross-stitch books for a friend $1, and a beautiful basket. The biggest thing for us is we have a hard time finding long skirts for dd and I in regular store shopping but have found more in thrift store shopping.
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All thrift stores are NOT alike. Don’t even try to go to the stinky ones.
There is a difference between consignment stores and thrift stores. A consignment store will not have as good of deals. Thrift stores are stocked with donations. A GOOD thrift store (not stinky) will be organized and have some really great deals. It will also look and smell clean.
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I have been to good thrift stores and thrift stores that will pile in every donation they get into a tiny little space.
I have stopped shopping at the local Goodwill because the prices aren’t any better than the clearance racks (plus everything I find that looks sort of cute is stained, and if that stain doesn’t come out I wasted $5 and my stain fighting skills). We have another charity shop that’s more a local tradition and if you walked in with NO money they would send you away with stuff, even if you have to organize the shelves for it.
Moral of the story: some thrift stores are wastes of time. If you can’t find one that carries your size or has reasonable prices, don’t shop there. I would rather pay $20 for high quality name brand pants on the clearance rack than $6 for stained/ripped Walmart brand jeans.
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It was trendy to shop at 2nd hand stores when I was a teen, so I did a lot of shopping there. Then I started shopping for the prices. Then I discovered the prices weren’t so great and stopped completely.
But here’s a different thought on the subject that has turned my attitude a little.
Reusing. You know, one of the three “R’s”. There is so much waste in our world, and every time we buy new clothes we support the industry to produce more new stuff. Often in factories overseas that are not paying the workers fairly. Often that is how the new stuff is sold so cheap.
Anyway – 2ns hand stores help us reuse items already out there. Often times people send stuff along because they don’t like it or it doesn’t fit – and in both cases the items are in perfect condition.
You might kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince, but it’s worth it when you do.
Another good idea is to have a clothes swap between friends – for adults or children sizes. That way you know who the stuff is coming from and that it’s clean. Bonus: an evening out for the girls!
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We have a very good kids’ consignment store in our area, particularly for younger kids. I’m already having trouble finding things there for my 6 year old, and there’s almost nothing for my 9 year old. But I go periodically to check anyway. Sometimes I find something cute and frivolous that I would normally not buy, or I find good sweatpants and playclothes that I hate to spend money on. I just can’t rely on it for regular needs. And we have nothing for adults! In the city I used to live in (Cambridge, MA college town extraordinaire), we had a thrift store that sold clothes by the pound! Boy, I miss that place!
My Salvation Army has very little that isn’t stained or shrunken or just plain ugly. And the worst part is, they STAPLE the price tag TO THE GARMENT! Hello! There’s a hole in it now! But on Wednesdays everything is 50% off, so I let the girls pick something out to buy for themselves if they want. Kids love to shop for garbage! Unless it’s ridiculously stained or hootchie, I just let them get it!
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It seems where I live, in order to get the good deals at the thrift stores you have to visit frequently. As in more than once per week. That doesn’t really work in my season of life right now. :) I do better at yard sales. I got a portable dishwasher at a yard sale five years ago for $30 and it’s still going strong. :)
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I forgot to add that I get used clothes from ebay all the time. The new things tend to be close to retail and thus cancelled out by shipping, but the used stuff is good!
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If I shop 2nd hand, I usually go to consignment shops. “Stuff, etc” is a favorite. I also shop Younkers during their “dot sales” (and they have a Goodwill promotion right now–each item you bring in to donate gets you a 0% off coupon. don’t know if it’s local).
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I don’t buy clothes at Goowill, ours stinks (smells) too. I agree that I can buy brand new sometimes for less than I would pay at second hand stores. I can either turn around a sell them (making them even less expensive) when my boys out grown them, or give them away to friends at church. I rarely have to buy new things for my boys. I get so many hand-me-downs. I usually just need to fill in here and there.
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