My Biggest Thrift Shopping Adventure To Date!
Fun Stuff, Parenting — By Lindsey on January 23, 2012 at 4:00 am
Do you like to thrift shop? I admit that I don’t have a lot of guts when it comes to elbowing people for a good deal, or showing up at the right times during the week to get the best deals. I don’t always know where to go, who to talk to, or even what a good deal is.
Well actually, I know more after today. You see, I’ve been thinking of getting some summer clothes for Emma before the heat wave hits (okay, way before), and, well, I love shopping. I also love deals.
What I don’t love is germy thrift stores.
Is it just my imagination, or does it seem after you’ve put your hands on hundreds of pieces of other people’s clothing that your hands are… well, almost weighted down with dirt?
Note to self: Next time, bring hand sanitizer.
So I decided to make a day of it and check out all of the thrift and consignment stores I knew of in our area. I Googled and came up with quite a few places to visit.
Then, the most important ingredient, a partner in crime, my friend Erin. I never would have been brave enough to do all that thrifting by myself, but with a friend comes courage!
The only thing wrong with my choice of friend is that we both have kids the same age (yes, little girls 3 and little boys 1) and so we are in search of the same sizes. However, we are both nice people and don’t mind letting the other person win once in awhile. ;-)
So Erin and I started off at a thrift store that is popular in quite a few states called Red White and Blue. I read reviews of our store on Yelp and was prepared for jostling, the evil eye, and loading up my cart with clothing galore. Boy, was I disappointed. We walked in, and the place really was huge and promising… but when we searched the racks of clothing we could find nothing that was stylish in the sizes we were looking for. Apparently 4T is in demand in our area… was there a rash of baby girls born 3 1/2 years ago or what?
Whatever it was, I found a couple of random Gymboree, Children’s Place, and Crazy Eight labels, but they were all the wrong size. It didn’t help that nothing had a size on the tag, and there was no apparent organization by size. It was overwhelming. And I was surprised to find quite a bit of it stained, worn, or faded.
We didn’t get too jostled, but the store filled up quickly after we arrived at about 11 a.m. And the line was like Old Navy during one of their crazy sales! I imagine it gets even more crowded as the day continues. And no rude people, though one impatient woman asked me if I was in line when I obviously was (Erin and I were chatting and I suppose it irritated her that we were having fun while she was trying to get where she wanted to go).
I’ve come to the conclusion that the best way to shop there must be to go in early and on the days when they’ve just 
restocked. Saturdays probably aren’t the best days to go since everyone is there and the clothing has been picked through. I should have asked the cashier about that before I left…
So we didn’t find any clothing, but they did have a great selection of toys and books! I found something I had been looking for – a Leapfrog Fridge Phonics set for $3.50! And Erin, after looking at me in disgust (since she was in search of a Fridge Phonics set as well but I was the first one to touch it and so obviously it was mine by right of the “I touched it first” rule…) found a set of educational books. So that wasn’t a total loss – we were very happy with our purchases.
(Read Erin’s side of the story here!)
The next place we went was a small-town local thrift store, and surprisingly enough we loved it there. First, it is Christian-owned, so all my favorite worship songs play there. Puts me in a good mood and makes me want to support them. ;-) Second, their clothing was better quality and labeled by size! Halleluliah!
I found a pair of overalls for Emma for $2.00 that I talked myself out of and will probably go back for on Monday if they still have them. I also found a ton of nice clean CUTE vintage-y fabric yardage that I can’t wait to make dresses for Emma out of! Yay for adding to my fabric stash! $4.50 later I had 8 new yards of fabric to play with. There was a lot more, too… I may go back…
Next we decided to try our local consignment shop. We knew they would be spendier, but we really were looking forward to seeing some cute, quality clothing. And Erin had a 50% off coupon. :)
Here was another intense disappointment. They must have really been having a bad season because there was nothing there, either! And I was surprised by how faded and pilled many of the clothes were – normally consignment shops don’t take clothing that looks so worn. Unfortunately the price tags were way too high, too. Things like tights were $3 (the same price as a new pair at many stores), and regular knit pants in 12-18 months (I was looking for Isaac) were $4.50. Really?
I did, however, find a denim skirt for Emma that I love. It’s very cute! Erin found several items for $1 and $2 in the sale section (in this case she was the first to touch, so she was the winner – ha!). We were happy with our purchases, but after 3 hours of shopping we had expected to find more than a few measly successes. So much exhaustion, so little reward!
So we did what any sane woman would do after an exhausting, grueling, unfruitful shopping trip. We went to Target. Where the clothing is clean and new, and there is a fabulous clearance section! I found some super cute clothes for Emma there on clearance, and was satisfied knowing that I had spent $3 or less on new and cute clothing items. Yes! Here’s my loot:
Although I didn’t end up with a huge lot of summer clothing after all that thrifting (and only Spring clothes from Target), I did get a few things we can use, and I gained knowledge, too! Now I know that the way to score a good deal is to go often (preferably not on the weekend) – not only is it fruitful, it’s FUN!
I’ll bet some of you moms have some tips for me! Do share! What’s the nicest thing you’ve thrifted?
And if you don’t thrift, where do you get your kids’ clothes?
16 Comments
When it was just Bryson & I, we would go thrift shopping at least once a week. I LOVE it, but just haven’t been able to do it as much since Bella came along. I’ve found some great finds and even bought & resold items for profit. Definitely try to go during the week, the stores aren’t as busy and they are constantly stocking. I usually went on Wednesday or Thursday.
Goodwill gets loads from Target, so if you have one, check there often. I’ve purchased furniture, bedding, clothing, dishes, and more all from Target at a fraction of the price.
I love talking thrifting, haha. I’m sure you can tell!
Whitney at It’s Gravy, Baby!´s last [type] ..Weekly Meal Plan – Freezer Friendly Baked Oatmeal is a hit!
I do too now! lol It’s a lot of fun to go. I’m dying to go back and get more fabric now, too. :) Maybe I’ll do that tomorrow…
I always hear about the great deals and finds at thrift stores and consignment shops but I don’t shop at secondhand stores. I got burned really bad buying 5 pair of jeans from this shop in town and all the zippers were busted! I now buy on sale and from the clearance racks at Target and Kohls and other department stores. And I was also finding that used clothes were priced wayyy too high. It was better to buy new on sale than used at the consignment shop
I think it does take work, and you get knowledgeable about what is a good deal and what isn’t. But I’ve had the same problem, sometimes with new clothes that are cheap (obviously not a deal if it’s made cheap, too). Some brands hold up really well over time, so they’re the ones to buy! :)
I had never really shopped at thrift stores till about 6 months ago. I too was scared to go by myself so my husband went with me and we found a few glass pans we were looking for. From then on I was hooked.
I find it help if you go in looking for a thing or two, like a food dehydrator or specific kinds of clothes. I don’t feel quite so overwhelmed if I have something in mind. I have found a lot of really nice things at our local thrift stores for very good prices. You really have to be choosy and don’t mind going often because you will go home empty handed at least a third of your trips.
I always feel itchy LOL I love thrifting but definitely don’t get the chance to do it enough. We only have 2 in this area and they aren’t all that great.
Melinda@LookWhatMomFoundandDadtoo!´s last [type] ..Is it Possible to Die of a Broken Heart
You did a good job there. I don’t really like going to the trift shops and the only way I do it is if a friend asks me to be their “right hand in combat” there.
I LOVE thrifting. I don’t have any little ones yet (expecting #1 in June), but every once in awhile I’ll pick up something that I just love that’s at a great price, so I already have a few thrifted items for this baby.
Probably 90-95% of my own shopping is done at thrift stores and I have found Charlotte Russe dresses for $7, Anne Klein boots for $4, Gap skirts for $3, etc.
If you’re going to try thrifting again, I would definitely say not to go on Saturdays, and to find out when your favorite stores have their discount days. Goodwill usually has a specific color tag 50% off each week, and I’ll often go in there and tell myself not to pick anything up unless it’s tagged in that color.
I’m getting ready to re-start my weekly Thrift Store Thursday posts – maybe I should write up some thrifting tips to share one week. :)
Rebekah {honeyandcheese}´s last [type] ..Double Chocolate Cookies
Great haul!! I used to love hunting down thrift store finds.
Zippy Sandler´s last [type] ..FAB: An insider’s guide to the Oscars!
Honestly, the thrift stores in my area have sucked since the economy tanked in Miami. Now everyone buys there and there’s never anything good. LOL
Jenn @therebelchick´s last [type] ..Prom Shoes Made Easy With My Shoe Connection
Great Thrift Haul. I just found a store that has a garment sale 2x a month where everything is 35 cents. I’ve been hitting it up and found some awesome clothing for the us as well as wool sweaters to turn into soakers.
Kelly´s last [type] ..A #Star Wars #Wordless Wednedsay
Great haul! I just got about 10 winter tops at the thrift store for $15 total! We literally have a thrift store on every corner where I live so I love going shopping and just finding a ton of cute things that are dirt cheap! ;)
RJ´s last [type] ..Because I’m Cool Like That
It took me a long time to get over the yuck factor. I’m actually not really over it but like you said, hand sanitizer works wonders. I still won’t dig very much though, and I clean everything really well when I get home. My daughter found a pair of Coach shoes the other day at a high-end consignment shop!
Liz @ A Nut in a Nutshell´s last [type] ..Seeing, Making, and Eating Doughnuts at the Krispy Kreme Blogger Summit
I have some issues with the ick factor in thrift stores. I have nothing against used, and I can even shop in consignment stores, which typically are cleaner and better organized. I grew up getting most of my clothes from thrift stores. Because of that, I have a preference towards new clothes (though I refuse to pay full price and always shop with a coupon). Clearance sales are my favorite! But like I said, I do shop consignment stores (there are 3-4 in our small town). I also love the semi-annual consignment sales- there are literally hundreds of options in each size. Sometimes people overprice their stuff, but most people price pretty reasonably. Last year, I got Jaxon a brand new boutique outfit for $5, plus a Gap hooded romper for $4, and an Old Navy fleece romper for $4. In the spring sale last year, I scored swim shirts that looked brand new for $1, sandals for $1, and several outfits for $2-$3 each. The best part about the sales is that I’m also a seller. This allows me to shop early (and get to pick the best stuff) and allows me to make money to spend! Consignment season is starting in Feb – you should Google and see if there are some sales in your area.
Brandi Elam´s last [type] ..Wordless Wednesday: Yum!
I don’t shop in thrift stores often because they are generally not very good quality in products and the prices are way too high. I do, however, love to go to yard sales in the spring and summer. I’ve found tons of clothes and other items at great prices when I go to yard sales. I also shop clearance sections at stores. Sometimes the price and item are good, sometimes not. It’s usually hit or miss.
So true! And I wish I had more yard sale savvy, but I end up wasting a lot of time looking around, lol. The two times I’ve really scored something awesome at a yard sale I wasn’t even trying – I was just going for a walk with my friend and we walked right by a yard sale. One time I found a double umbrella stroller for $30 and another time I found tons of really nice condition Gymboree clothes in my daughter’s size for $1 each! :) Wouldn’t find that a thrift store for sure.