I absolutely love going to thrift stores. Going thrifting makes me feel like I am going on a treasure hunt and I don’t know what kind of treasure I’ll find, if any. So much of my clothes comes from thrift stores and I’ve gotten so good at thrifting that I started selling the designer things I’ve found at high-end consignment shops and on Poshmark.
Thrifting is something that I started doing with my mom when I was in high school and we still go thrift store shopping together to this day. Actually almost every time we travel together we always make time to check out the local thrift stores. It should come as no surprise that New York City has some of THE BEST thrift stores I have ever been to. Be sure to check out my favorite Manhattan Thrift Stores blog post!
If you’re new to thrifting or are wondering how to make the best use of your time stores here are some of my favorite thrift store shopping tips that I’ve learned over the years.
Wear the Right Undergarments!
I cannot emphasize this enough. If you’re like me, a top will fit differently depending on the bra you wear. Since sports bras compress your chest, you’ll likely fit in smaller sized tops. But most women don’t wear sports bras to work or with their everyday clothes. So make sure you wear whatever kind of bra you typically wear so you know exactly how something is going to fit you. Remember you can’t return clothes to thrift stores so once you leave the store, it’s yours!
This might be TMI for some of you but if you like to go commando (sans underwear) when you wear workout clothes, remember to put on panties before you go! This has happened to me before. I had on Nike shorts, which are lined, and I got to the dressing room and realized I couldn’t try the pants on because I didn’t have on any panties.
Check out the Men’s Section!
Do not pass up strolling through the men’s section! And I don’t mean to look for clothes for your significant other, I mean for yourself! The men’s section is a jackpot when it comes to oversized sweaters and flannels (two closet staples of mine). Once I was at Target and bought a flannel that was ‘boyfriend-fit’ which only means that its oversized like a men’s flannel would be if you were to wear one. Um no thanks, I’ll just go to the men’s section of Goodwill and find my own actual men’s flannel for $4. You might have to do a little more digging But be sure to check it out.
Visit Thrift Stores in Affluent Areas
Now I am no saying that thrift stores in affluent areas are the only ones that have good finds but I will say that when I go to thrift stores in areas where the household income is high, I have had much better luck than areas where it is not. I mean it makes sense, the items in the store will match the surrounding demographic because those are the people cleaning out their closets and donating stuff.
Before you head out on your next thrifting trip, do some research and pick out thrift stores in affluent areas. Trust me, the items will be much better. There is a thrift store by my house where the majority of the homes in the surrounding area are at least $600k and up to $6 million and I have found cashmere sweaters WITH TAGS!
Check to See if There are any Specials
Always check to see if they have any special discounts or promotions going on. Several thrift stores in my area use different colored tags and every week two different colored tags are 50% off. There’s another thrift store by my house that offers 50% off clothing one weekend a month, 50% off housewares a different weekend during the month, and 50% off shoes another weekend. I always stop by when they run the 50% off clothes because you can seriously get Ann Taylor dress pants for like $3.
If you are still a student, chances are they have some sort of student discount. When I was in Boston one of the thrift stores offered students a 30% discount.
Bring a Tide Pen
This has to be one of the best thrift store shopping tips I can give you. Since the majority of the items at thrift stores are used, sometimes they have marks or stains on them and since items at thrift stores are final sales, as-is, you probably don’t want to chance not being able to get a stain out when you get home.
If you see a mark or stain on an item, use a Tide pen to see if the stain will come out. Hopefully, by the time you’re done shopping, the stain or mark will have come out and you’ll be happy to bring that bad boy home. If it doesn’t come out, well then chances are it’s stained and you probably won’t be able to get the stain out.
Have Patience
One of the biggest thrift store shopping tips I can give you is to have patience. I’ve been to some thrift stores that are incredibly disorganized but I have found some amazing items (a Nanette Lepore coat for $8 to be exact) and I’ve been to thrift stores where I looked through the extra-large section and have found size smalls. The whole idea of thrifting, other than to be eco-friendly, is really a giant treasure hunt and you never really know what you are going to find.
Over Time I have also Realized…
The more you do it, the better you get at finding good items. Since I have been going to thrift stores for years, I can tell if something is a good brand or not just by touching it and feeling the fabric. It’s also really helpful if you resell items you find, like I do, to do research on your phone to see how much similar items sell for or to research the brand if you have never heard of it before.
Here are some of the best things to buy at thrift stores:
- Oversized sweaters
- Flannels
- Denim shirts
- Vintage items that are in style
- Kitchen items like drinking glasses, bakeware, and cooking dishes
If you’re headed to the thrift store, I hope you use some of my thrift store shopping tips! Feel free to share any extra tips in the comments or tag me in your finds on Instagram (@blazersandbluejeans), I would love to see them!
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