The Top Ten Ways To Get Your Thrift On (Part I)

I first set foot in a Goodwill for these reasons alone: I wanted a new top, and I was very close to broke. Desperate for a material buzz at the lowest possible cost, I entered the land o' the thrift. That was two years ago, and I haven't left since.

Here's the thing about thrift a la Goodwill and/or Salvation Army: It's the only form of shopping in which there is NO FILTER. No re-sale staffer deciding against adding torn, pit-stained tees to the inventory; No consignment buyer deeming an item not trendy enough for its clientele; No vintage enthusiast negging a muumuu because its condition is less than mint. There are brandtastic gems to be had, but extracting the good from the bad, ugly and uglier is no easy task, and the odds aren't initially in your favor.

The upside? Learn how to shop here, and you can shop anywhere (kind of like New York, riiiight?).

Here's how to get your head in the game.

Prologue: Get Over It

Lame excuses for avoiding thrift stores include, but are not limited to:

"They don't have the brands I like."

Baloney. Over the past two years, thrift hath bestowed on me Laundry, Tahari, Bebe, Club Monaco, J.Crew, Ann Taylor, James Jeans, Ya-Ya, Banana Republic, GAP, Intermix, Zara, H&M, BCBG, and more. Bonus alert: Most of my finds were individually priced at less than fifteen dollars. Niiiice.

"I mean, those are, like, other people's clothes."

Thank you Captain Obvious. Lots of you who won't deign to shop thrift either have or would donate your old clothes to a thrift store. Wouldn't people be lucky to buy and wear the fab stuff you've tired of? I thought so. Yes, there's an abundance of worn-out, fugly apparel. But there's also tons of clothing about as worn-in as -- and I'm projecting here -- that pricey, going-out top you *needed* that still has its tags. (We all have that top, btw ;)).

"There's not one near me."

Au contraire -- see TheThriftShopper.com, and simply input your zip code for a list of thrifts near you. It really is magical.

"It's too disorganized for me to find anything."

Okay, I kind of feel you on this. Thrift stores don't care if you're a Forever 21 or a Juicy Couture or a Theory -- you're all going to hang together in harmony, regardless of where you came from or what you originally cost. And in this way, it's the great equalizer of all things Fashion.

Overcoming the disorganization inherent in thrift stores seems daunting; rest assured it can be done. All it takes is a bit of strategy.

Step 1: Use Your Sorting Hat
Thrift store merch is usually grouped by type of garment, sometimes organized by color, rarely sorted by size, and almost-never corralled according to brand; it follows that we sort in that order.

Figure out what type of garment you need, and keep it general. Pants, Shorts, Skirts, Dresses, and Tops are your choices. Pick one, and bee-line for that section and ONLY that section. To dawdle is to risk temporary insanity, so focus up. Once you've arrived at your rack of choice, assess the color situation. If it's organized by color, spectacular! Zero in on the shades you tend to wear most and let the hunt commence. If it's not, chillax, and read on.

Step 2: Leave No Hanger Unturned
The goal of the browsing stage is to get a look at every single piece of clothing on your rack of choice. Not some, not most. ALL OF 'EM.

The best way to tackle an overstuffed rack of thrift is to employ the Shove 'n' Slide technique.

Step 3: Shove 'N' Slide
Shove all of the hangers to one end of the rack (and try not to crush your fellow thrifters in the process -- it's bad for shopping karma). Start with the hanger closest to you and slide each item, ONE AT A TIME, to what is now the spacious end of the rack. Make a mental note of anything worthwhile, but keep on truckin'. The rationale for not removing any clothing from the rack until you've seen every piece of clothing on said rack will be explained in due time.

When the spacious end of the rack appears overstuffed once more, you've effectively completed the Shove 'n' Slide technique.

You are now well on your way to getting your thrift on, so congrats. Steps 4-10 will cover best and worst secondhand bets, developing a discerning eye, hygienic thrifting practices, and mastering the lost art of patience (in no particular order). Stay tuned for the next installment.

Follow Alexandra Sinderbrand on Twitter: www.twitter.com/cheapjap

Comments

[knucklesandwich]

I made the best buy ever in a thrift store.
I paid 99 cents for a pair of pants,
and then found a dollar in the pocket when I got home.

[erinker]

If you think finding decent clothes is hard at a thrift store, try finding decent plus-size clothes at a thrift shop or consignment store! It's damn near impossible! If a store does get some cute stuff in, there are half a million fatties just like me to compete for it so you better get up there the minute it goes on the rack!

[Konnie]

don't forget consignment stores....­..........­..i just bought a $200 leather name brand bag for $22. still
had the tags on it........sad really that someone is that spoiled.

when my daughters got out of college and got that first job, this single mom hit the consignment
stores with them and my graduation gift of $500. my oldest daughter put together 25 mix and
match outfits and my youngest beat her with 52. with shoes and jewelry they walked into those offices
with style and class.

[MuffinLeonard]

Today was a good day.
1970s Charles Jourdan slingbacks $2.00
1980s " " t-straps $6.00
1980s Jean Louis Scherrer t-straps $2.00
1980s Dior clutch $2.50
1970s Gucci satchel bag $2.50

[PatA]

Banana Republic new skirt...$1.00
Two (2) pairs of Ann Taylor pants, linen and lined..tags still on them. $2.00
1 brown soft leather bag...tag on $180.00.....$4.00
This is a fraction of what I've gotten over the years. These were recent finds.
Is there any other way to go? I think not~

[QueenCeleste]

You're a girl after my own heart! I love thrift store shopping. There's nothing like the anticipation of finding that unique item at a fantastic price.

Decades ago I volunteered a couple days a week at a Humane Society Thrift Shop. It was an enormous store (and sadly, is long gone) in a nice city with many fashionable--and charitable--women. I was young and poor and supplemented my paltry wardrobe with some fabulous finds. Today I still cherish a 1940s nubby woven knit black and brown jacket with nipped in waist. It was $2 or $3! Today it could be sold on ebay for oodles more. Not that I'll ever sell! I still cringe at the gorgeous items my tiny budget did not allow me to buy.

You have inspired me to go out this weekend and explore a couple shops a few towns over. Can't wait for your next installment!

[maddiemom]

After retiring from teaching,I've worked for several years in a Goodwill store. I'm not sure about the rest of the country, but in western Pennsylvania, Goodwill is increasingly making an effort to provide clean, bright, spacious stores and careful vetting of clothing that is in good shape; household wares and furniture that may need cleaning or refinishing, but is put out when it is sufficiently high-end to be worth the effort. We get an amazing amount of designer clothes,shoes, purses. We often get brand new donations from local stores. Increasingly due to the economy,we have first time middle class customers who are amazed at what we have to offer. Because we are located in a college town, parents routinely come in to outfit their kids for basic needs, then come back repeatedly to shop for themselves. Regular customers include those who travel some distance to

check out what is currently available. As a Christmas tradition, I always gave my now adult daughter a gift certificate from the local nationally known department store. She's preferred
a Goodwill certificate even before I worked there.

[yemaya]

shhh, don't tell everyone!

[Mihal Freinquel - Huffpost Blogger]

Haha, seems everybody's shelling out the thrifting techniques these days! I posted this one a few weeks ago: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mihal-freinquel/goodwill-toward-man-5-tip_b_234003.html

[yuenzzzz]

This is a really excellent idea for a top ten list Alexandra. If people just let go of their ego and vanity, you can get by very inexpensively. We should all remember the incredible living standards we have compared with most of the World. I think places like Thrift stores are ways that we can become a more environmentally sound society, one person's trash is someone else's treasure. I can't wait to see the rest of the series. Anyone can post their own list to our site http://www.toptentopten.com/. The coolest feature is you can let other people vote on the rankings of your list.

[johnsopinion]

Ah, now you're giving away my best kept secret of where I get my
Armani and other famous named shirts! For less than $7, usually
around $4.89. Only 1 pair of shoes in 20 years but quite a few
slacks (Dockers for about $5.89) and many jeans (Wrangler for
$6.89), sweaters and coats. Many with store stickers!

Not to mention Tiffany glass, great books an occasion and super
pieces of actual wood furniture! Step-down transformers galore,
lamps to fit any taste, keyboards, stereos, misc. pet supplies, dishes,
curtains, clocks and towels. (Got bleach?)

Examine everything for the obvious wear areas.