Thrift store shopping is my therapy. I don’t even have to buy anything, just searching through the racks for an hour makes me feel new. It gives me inspiration, a good laugh, a place to be silent…
But I’m going to warn you people, thrift stores are not for the faint of heart. They require dedication – much more than the other thrifting options that we’ve talked about on here. So I’m going to share a few tips to help you get the most out of thrift store shopping!
1. Shop often. Get to know the thrift stores in your area, many thrift stores have various sales throughout the week. If you are near a Salvation Army, every one that I’ve visited in my travels has Family Day on Wednesdays – which means all clothing and shoes are 50% off (except one color tag); normally they have only one color tag that is 50% off each day. And if you’re looking for something specific (like perfect fitting vintage high waisted jeans) don’t expect to find it on your first day out – this takes time! So get to know the thrift stores around you and make a schedule of when is best to hit each one, then give it some time – and enjoy the search meanwhile!
2. Be patient. Some thrift stores are going to be cluttered, disorganized and sometimes even downright dirty. The jam packed clothing racks can be overwhelming at first, just slowly work your way through each section and don’t let the clutter intimidate you! If you’re easily skeeved out, thrift stores might not be the place for you. There are going to be stains and smells – you just can’t let them get in your way of finding some treasures!
3. Check all of the sections. I’ve found some of my absolute favorite sweaters in the men’s and kids’ sections. Looking for leather belts for crafting?… men’s section! Housewares is full of goodies – sometimes I find stuff for new DIY projects, occasionally they even have a crafting section! And if you’re a vintage dish collector, you’d be surprised how often we stumble upon pieces of the vintage dish sets that we collect. If you’re crunched for time, pick a few sections to hit that day and then try the others the next time you come in.
4. Sizing. Forget what the tags say, people! We all know that from store to store the sizing varies slightly, but when it comes to thrift stores sizes can be thrown out the window. Things have been shrunk, stretched, altered, etc. Don’t look through tags to decide whether it will fit you or not, look at the shape of the item. In pants, I have ranged from anywhere between a girl’s 14 to a women’s 12. Vintage sizes especially will be far from what is normal nowadays. A modern women’s size 6 is more like a size 10/12 in vintage items.
5. Learn your labels. If the tag looks older, see if you can find any information for that brand on the Vintage Fashion Guild’s Label Resource. Look for Union Labels, specifically the scalloped circles from the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union (ILGWU). If it has city, state printed on the tag (see above photo) it is generally pre-1980’s.
6. Don’t forget the jewelry. Usually thrift stores have their jewelry stashed up by the register and it’s super easy to forget to check in there before you cash out. Try to remember to check when you first get there and have them hold the items you want at the register until you’re ready to check out. Depending on how knowledgeable the people doing the pricing are, you can find a pretty amazing deal.
7. Try everything on. If you follow this rule, you’re going to be thanking me later. I can’t count the number of times I’ve thought, “Oh, this will definitely fit me” and then I got home to find that it does not or that it looks horrible on me. I may have only spent $2 but I’m sure that, after 12 years, all of those $2 purchases (that end up just getting donated back again) have seriously added up!
8. Wear easy clothes. First, this will help with the previous tip – if you go in wearing something complicated, you’re not going to want to go and try things on. But more importantly – thrift stores have a very limited number of fitting rooms so you might spend some time waiting in line to try on your items. If you wear something basic (like leggings and a tank top), you can slip on sweaters, dresses, skirts, etc. right on over so you can avoid the fitting room lines.
9. Expedite your checkout process. When you’re waiting in line to check out, take your items off the hangers and fold them so the tag is on top, and put them in piles.
10. Love it or leave it. Try to only buy things that you LOVE. Having a list made of things that you need before you go thrifting will help cut down on unnecessary purchases. Sometimes I go looking for basics for a specific season – last week I was searching for a good pair of jeans, corduroy, cozy sweaters, and flowy tops to get me through autumn. This also helps to streamline a wearble collection for your current season. You can find a few crazier items that you can mix and match with the ones that will be your basic, go-to items of the season.
I hope you enjoyed our little thrifting series!
Other Thrift Tips: Garage Sales. Auction. Flea Market.
xo. Caitlin
