The Art of Thrift Store Shopping, Part One

Inspired by a post on HeavenlyHomemakers.com, I've decided to write today about how I've found good deals at my local thrift stores.

For those with little time, I'll summarize:

* Start with a plan (limit time and money)
* Where you live matters (some areas just don't have good deals... in those cases it might be better to find other sources... also, try to go to thrift stores that are near a place you usually go anyway)
* Make sure of the layout (know your store before you shop)
* Thrift stores don't have very little instant gratification so anticipate needs

Now, for the details. I discuss the four items above in this post. Next week I'll post part 2 where I'll take y'all through one of my thrift store excursions while I discuss the rest of the main points, such as how I quickly find what I want and the importance of planning a little extra in your budget.

Start with a plan

I know this sounds obvious, but I've known too many women who drift through thrift stores with no idea what they should buy... they're just looking for A Good Deal. Sometimes this is all right. When I have extra money, I sometimes like to wander through one of the larger thrift stores in our area just to see what they have. But even then, I try to do it when I have a clear idea of what our family needs. And this doesn't just end at clothes.

When it comes to shopping, I have two lists. One is for food, and the other is "non-perishables"... or, in other words, anything that isn't food. :) I used to try to keep it all in my head, and now I just have a special section in my weekly shopping list where I can write all these things down. Some non-perishables can take a long time to find at a decent price: sheets, some clothes, dishes, etc. Then again, this depends on your definition of decent. I refuse to spend more than $2 on a set of coffee mugs. And I absolutely refuse to spend $20 on 300 count twin size sheets when I've been able to find them at the thrift store for less than $10 for a complete set.

At this point in my planning, I try to have a general idea of color scheme because I like it when things match. It makes the house much more hospitable if I have a general theme going, if only in color. I'm not quite as picky about things like sheets and towels as long as the kids and my husband like them and they kind of, sort of go with the rest of the house.

Now, at this stage, it's very likely that you'll discover something that you didn't think was a big priority that actually was. My husband's clothes, for example. At 6'3" he's pretty tall and it's difficult to find clothes for him. He also tends not to complain about not having enough work shirts or pants. Because of this, I've had times when he's been down to one or two shirts and I didn't know it (and I'm the one who should be keeping track of this anyway since I'm the one who actually washes them... one of the side-effects of having a large family). At this point (and I'll explain more later) a thrift store is often not the best option. It's at this point that I feel no guilt in spending $20 to get my husband a couple of decent work shirts that fit him (on clearance of course... if I can manage it). If you go through the house, or even just take note as you take care of the house during the day, you'll catch a lot of needs and everyone in your house will thank you for it.

So, you've looked through your house, discovered what you need to get for your family, and now you've either written it down or at least have a clear idea in your head.

But is a thrift store the best option for those items?

Where you live matters

My family would joke that the best place to get candy at Halloween was never our neighborhood. The best place to go trick-or-treating was a higher-class subdivision 30 min away where homeowners gave out so much candy you could fill a king-size pillowcase with it within an hour or two.

I am not kidding about the candy. They really gave out that much.

Of course, this was back in the late nineties, but the point still remains: nicer neighborhoods tend to get rid of nicer stuff. The nicer neighborhoods will often have the best deals at thrift stores. I've found beautiful dresses and gorgeous sweaters, not to mention very nice, durable jeans back in the days when I wore them every... single... day and all of them were in the nicer neighborhoods. Garage sales in those neighborhoods also tend to have nicer items, though unfortunately the people who hold them haven't usually gone to enough garage sales to know how to price them, but that's another essay. :) The not-so-nice neighborhoods sometimes have very good finds, but it takes longer to find them.

I've only spent a couple of years at a college town, but I'm finding it's also a decent place for thrift stores.

I mention this because some people get frustrated with thrift store shopping and rightfully so. It will rarely have the instant gratification that a typical retail store has. But knowing location has a part to play in the quality of a thrift store might keep one from missing out on a great deal and that's the point of going to the thrift store in the first place.

Which brings me to my next point: the best way to find out about the quality of a thrift store is to actually step inside.

Know your store

Every time I visit a thrift store for the first time, I rarely shop. If I do, it won't be until the end of my visit. At first, I try to get a feel for where everything is located, as well as quality, so that in the future my trips (if I come back) will be much shorter.

First, I'll try to get an idea of how they organize their clothes and where the different kinds of clothes are since that's the main selling point in the store. Maternity clothes and specialty clothes, as well as sheets and bedding are one of the things that take priority in my search since some stores have a special rack for those items and some mix it in with other things or shove them off to a corner. At the same time, I take a look at the quality of the items themselves. I won't expect high-quality but I will keep an eye out for the amount of times I come across something I wouldn't expect to find in a thrift store.

Then, I'll look at the items around the perimeter of the store, the hardware, dishes, appliances, furniture, etc. That way, if I see a lot of good items in a particular department I'll know which store will likely have what I need for that particular kind of item. For example, there's a store to the south of me, run by a church organization, that gets furniture from a big name furniture store. Although I haven't purchased anything from there yet, I know the quality is excellent and I'll get a lot for my money if I ever need to get new furniture. Even the not-so-nice furniture in the back of the store is beautiful and often a fantastic deal.

If I make this overview part of my thift store shopping, I'll wait until I've looked at all the sections (some of these thrift stores can be pretty big) and then I'll do my actual shopping.

How thrift stores are different

There is one thing that needs to be understood from the start: thrift stores may try to mimic retail stores but they operate in a very different way.

Because retail stores get several of the same item, in several sizes, and hold them there for a few months, chances are good that the dress you saw that looked so gorgeous will still be there when you decide to pick it up a couple of weeks later. In fact, it might even be on sale by then if they're getting rid of their inventory. The gratification is often instant unless you're very picky or very frugal (me and me).

Thrift stores depend on donations and that usually means one item of its kind on the rack. So, if you see something you need, you will need to get it right then. More often, you'll spend time looking through racks and shelves and come up empty-handed because they didn't have it and there's no guarantee that they will at any point in the near future. If the need is bad, you may have to settle for a deeply discounted item that will do until you can get what you really want. If it's not and this is just part of a larger excursion, it's easier to let it go and wait for next time.

The art of thrift store shopping is contained within the balance between getting what you need and settling for what's there. And every situation is different.

This often means it's a good idea to go on a regular basis. Some go once a month; one woman I know goes every week. My time is limited, so I go every other month if I can unless we really need something. Then I'll try to go more often.

Also, it's a very good idea to try to anticipate the needs of your family. If you can see some of the towels are starting to look ratty, or you've had a baby and realize that you are now short one dining chair if the baby used a dining chair, then it would be a good idea to start looking now for what you need.

The best option, of course, is to use several means to get what you need. I look in the thrift stores, but I also check out Craigslist, eBay, the local papers, Freecycle, not to mention putting the word out among friends and garage sales. By trying several different approaches, we've always been able to get the things we truly need and sometimes a little extra.

In part 2, I'll take you through a particularly good thrift store shopping trip I had not too long ago in our little town. And it wasn't even an upscale one. I just got lucky. :)