After spending way too much money shopping this weekend, I decided to challenge myself to only shop at thrift stores for the next 6 months. Since I thrift a lot anyways, I don't see this being a problem. I always have good luck when I go thrifting, which is why I started my online shop. But I thought that many of you might want to do it on your own too (you should definitely keep an eye on my shop as well though, lots of "new" goodies are going to be added in the next few weeks!) Here are 5 basic tips to keep in mind while thrifting.
1. Go often!
Thrift stores get donations on a daily basis. They are always putting new things out so if you go on Monday, there might be all new treasures by Wednesday that you wont want to miss.
2. Pay attention to store specific sales!
Some thrift stores will have color coded tags that change meaning each day. For example, a pink tag might mean that item is half off and a blue tag might mean that item is $2. The next day pink might mean 10% off and blue might mean 60% off. There will be a sign that tells you what those color coded sales are if you are shopping in a store that uses that system.
Other thrift stores will have specific weekly sales. For example, everything in the store is 50% off on Mondays, etc. Each store will be different so pay attention to signs around the stores or ask an employee!
3. Look everywhere!
Thrift stores are not like a retail store in the mall. It may not be perfectly organized. Chances are you'll find a 3XL in the medium section or a men's sweater mixed in with the women's sweaters. So look through everything, you may find the perfect vintage skirt in the most unlikely location. Don't forget to look through all the electronics too! Thrift stores are the best place to find cool cameras!
4. Don't forget that things can be altered!
In my experience, I find things in thrift stores that would be perfect if one thing were different. But a good thing to remember is that you can always do some DIY magic. I got a cool short sleeve polka dot shirt that had some ruffles on the sleeves that I didn't particularly like, but I spent a quick 15 minutes with some sewing tools and you can't even tell they were there. (and don't forget the DIY Distressed Denim!) So don't sweat it if you find an awesome floral shirt that would be perfect if it didn't have shoulder pads...that can be fixed. Also, look in the mens section! Thats the best place to find cool slouchy sweaters, rock and roll t-shirts, and there is sure to be a dress shirt that you can alter to be something amazing!
5. Bring hand sanitizer!
I always keep hand sanitizer in my car, and it comes most in handy when thrifting. Most of the treasures you'll be digging through could be thrown out to the racks straight from the donation bag (which brings me to another tip; wash your thrifted goodies before you wear them!) so you don't know how clean they are. So make sure you sanitize your hands after leaving the stores!
Happy Thrifting! (:
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