Nov
11
- Keep a running list in your head or on a piece of paper so you remember what you are hunting for. However, never expect to find what you want when you want it.
- Look everywhere. I’ve found toys in the housewares section, clothes on the book shelves, shoes in the toy bins, etc. Pick things up, move stuff around, look behind items for stuff other thrifters hid to come back for later or when they had more money or when items get marked down.
- Check out the clothes on the rack outside the dressing rooms. The best stuff gets tried on and discarded there.
- Look at things in a different way. A sweater might be too big or too small, but you could cut and sew it into a cool pillow cover. A single cool bowl might not coordinate with your dishes, but it might make Fido or Fluffy happy to have a new water bowl. Or perhaps you could plant cacti in it or use it on your desk at work to hold candy?
- Buy stuff at the thrift store, sell it and make money for more thrifting trips. You can sell on eBay, Amazon or to local stores such as used music/game stores, consignment stores, etc. The best bets are CDs, video games, brand name clothing and accessories, toys and antiques.
- Enlist your friends and family to help your search for Bicentennial bar ware, “I Love You This Much” statues or southern church cookbooks. Ask for them to keep an eye out for these things while thrifting, yard saling, dumpster diving, etc. In return you can search for flamingos for Grandma, garden gnomes for Aunt Edna and that elusive Wonder Woman lunch box for your friend Edgar.
- Be kind when you donate. Pin two piece pajamas and suits together. Tie shoes laces together or rubber band shoes together. Put all the pieces of a board game or puzzle in a zip top bag and wrap a big rubber band around the box. If an item is usable but missing a piece, make note of that with the donated item. For example, I donated a full set of dishes for 4 that was missing one dinner plate. I made note of that on the box. I thrifted a jacket with an already broken zipper. When I donated it back I safety pinned a note to the jacket to let them know that the zipper was broken.
- Don’t be a lurker, stalker or a thief. Lurkers will follow people around who look like they are hunting for similar items. Stalkers are people who spot something in your cart or hand and follow you around hoping you’ll put it back on the shelf. Thieves are people who wait until you turn your back or go into the dressing room and steal stuff out of your cart.
- Dress comfortably. Leave your coat and purse in your car. Wear clothes that are snug enough you can try clothes on over them. That saves having to wait for a dressing room. Don’t draw attention to yourself. To save myself from being the victim of a lurker, I leave my vintage clothes at home and wear jeans, a plain t shirt and sneakers.
- Have fun. I hate to see pickers (people who shop for the express purpose of reselling) scowling and yelling into their cell phones and checking price guides and buying lists. Even my worst day thrifting is better than a day not thrifting.
