Thrift Store Kamikaze or How To Get What You Want Faster
Posted: Saturday, August 13, 2011
by Octavia Hansen
Octavia Hansen
The thrift store - second hand, lightly worn, broken in, previously owned (not to be confused with Consignment). Maybe you've just found the wonders inside, a new world waiting for discovery. Maybe you've been going for years. It's never the same twice, time for yet another peek but this time, it's different.
To make your trip more fun, more entertaining, more profitable I can help. I'm not talking finding a million dollar antique -- this can happen, like snagging a unexpectedly convenient tree root before you slide down a mountain side, but usually only to people who know their stuff and spend more time shopping than in their own kitchen. I'm talking making your life easier by being faster, more affordable and entertaining yourself like never before. There is something satisfying to be in a store where you can afford EVERYTHING and you just pick out what you want.
2. Have a list. Don't think you will EVER find exactly what you are looking for. The very nature of the store defies any kind of premeditated purchase. You can still have a shopping list - it saves you valuable time - just don't expect to come away in one trip what you have searched for all your life. And when you see something you really want, DON'T WAIT! It will not stay. It will not be there when you get back. It's impulse buying but since it won't break the bank, think about giving it a shot. Some stores, even though it's a thrift store, will take it back or exchange it, especially if you return the next day and have the receipt. An exchange is always easier than getting money back. Don't need or see anything today? Ask for a voucher or a rain check, same as cash for them later. You still win.
Your list doesn't have to include everything you have ever desired but when you seek certain items, you will forget when distracted by music, kids, other shoppers, sales, insane prices, time of day, hunger, tired . . . get the picture? On this list, have some specifics . . .
If you are looking for a pot lid, what size?
White skirt -- long or short?
Picture frame . . . size and approximate color -- silver? brown?
Looking for kids clothes, your clothes, costume pieces -- have everyone's sizes listed.
Any special interests (collect owls, lighthouses, vinyl albums, baskets) or someone you know likes horses or music, keep this in mind. The strangest things come through for pennies on the dollar, if you can find it somewhere else. There's always a holiday or a birthday ahead where you need a special gift.
3. Dress down. Don't want to make you paranoid but looking good is not a great idea. Don't wear gold jewelry. Don't put on ten necklaces. Don't wear trendy but uncomfortable shoes. Trust me, you will impress no one and possibly attract the wrong source. I've seen a BMW in the parking lot of a thrift store, but would have been hard pressed to know which shopper arrived in it. Kind of like wearing your jewels and furs on the bad side of town -- not a good practice to flash your stuff.
As long as you are dressing down, wear a plain tee shirt and easy-to-take-off pants or stretchy leggings. I don't try on clothes (more about this later) but if you do, this is the easiest way to change. And wear some kind of easy to take off/put on shoes WITH SOCKS. No offense, but you don't know who tried on anything before you, especially shoes. Protect yourself.
4. Have hand sanitizer in the car and use it every time you exit a store. People are sick, people sneeze, people cough, small children have picked up everything from everywhere and touch everything -- again, protect yourself.
5. Tape measure. (This is so cool! You will love me forever for this tip alone!)This will save you hours and the reason why I don't try things on, don't need to, saving me from juggling cart, clothes and everything else. This is especially helpful when buying for you. You don't have to write down your sizes, there you are, measure yourself. A lot of clothes look right but the inches will be sure. When your waist says 30 and the pants only read 24, don't even bother. Even for shoes this is a time saver. You can still try on stuff, it just won't be so full of rejections. This also helps when finding a picture frame, small furniture, belts. If you know your numbers in advance, you're ahead in this shopping game.
This also works in any other store, especially if you are clothes shopping with kids. They HATE trying stuff on, why do you put them and you through it? With the tape measure, you'll know immediately what's what! Measure the kid. Measure the clothes. All that's left is color coordination. You've just saved yourself years of useless shopping.
6. The rest of your shopping safari supplies are essentials but not serious . . . bottled water, cel phone, small paper and pen. If at all possible, don't carry a hand bag, this frees up your hands and your attention. Wear things with pockets (pants, light weight jacket) or a small purse around your neck, you won't lose anything, translating to nothing being in your way. The bottle of water stays in the car, hot or cold it will do you good. The cel phone -- you can either take a quick picture of something or call a friend to see if it's perfect for them (this is where the tape measure comes in even more incredibly handy, they don't even have to be there for it to fit!), and the pad and pen to write down where you found something, store hours, sales coming up or reminders to get your winter coat cleaned because you saw one just like it that needed a wash. All sorts of things will come to mind and making lists saves all sorts of time. I'm for that, my time is more limited than ever before, yours too, probably.
I have a gal friend who has a hard time writing and reading (it's an eye health issue) so she brings a digital camera. I helped her discover how easy shopping can be. Since it's digital, no film is lost, anyone can do this any time. First, upon arriving at a thrift store, photograph something plain and empty -- concrete wall, side of a car, the sky. This is a separator, essential for multiple store shopping. Then photograph the outside of the store. If you can remember, take a photo of the store hours sign, usually right next to the front door. After that, click away -- clothes, shoes, hats, suitcases. This visual reminder can help you decide later if you need to go back, if another deal is better, if it was just a whim of the moment and no longer necessary. When you make a decision, you'll know where it was and what it was. Photographing a separator for the stores tells you where it is. I like to photograph the sky -- always available.
Now, you're dressed right, you have accessorized yourself to travel fast and light. Let's go!
If you sew, this paradise will save you precious time, for hot dates, for instant costumes, house accessories, custom drapes and furniture throws. If you don't sew, don't sweat it. Your choices may be a bit limited but there are still a lot of good buys out there.
Quick tip for sewing and clothing. I do alterations and even though I can make any size into any size, this is not always practical. A great rule of thumb is that it's easier to buy something larger and size it down than it is to make a small item larger. And I've wasted a lot of time and ruined some beautiful material and clothing proving this to myself. Sometimes it will break your heart NOT to buy a too small item because the price is sensational, some things will NEVER be your size. I mean NEVER. Don't hurt your brain thinking about it. Some garments are not for you. Painful as it is to pass up that Dior in a size three, there will be something later in a size 16 that will wow any holiday get together.
When it's not clothing, everything is easy to work with. A large bedspread can become a smaller one. A small bedspread only needs a panel trim to become larger. Curtains can be fitted all sorts of ways. Don't fool yourself that you will find the same material anywhere to mend or add to something. Go with a contrast or a close match. Have a yellow? Trim with white or black. A floral can be patched out with a solid. Lace can add up to an extra foot to curtains or comforters.
Can't sew? Think about glue. It hems. It attaches beads and trims. It can seal an edge. To use glue on clothing, be sure the glue says it is fabric friendly/machine washable. I used one once that wasn't -- not only did it disappear entirely somewhere in the wash, I'll swear it left my clothes cleaner it so completely washed away. Fabric glue is available almost anywhere, but like everything, read the label to be sure. And don't expect miracles out of using only glue. It can hold up a hemline because there is little to no stress. Use it on a side seam on a close fitting dress and you'll be popping out at the first long reach across the table. Not pretty.
When looking at clothing, don't forget lounge wear and evening gowns. I have an assortment of gowns that serve as nightgowns (some nights, I look like Jean Harlow!) and some become foundation pieces for costumes. Long dresses can become sun dresses. Beaded tops of formals can become sensational shirts for different skirts. And sometimes, the trim of a dress is worth big bucks, but the nasty material it's on can turn your stomach. New beadwork appliques can sell for $40+, but it can be attached (or in this case - detached) to a gown that's on sale for $3. This also means it has probably been dry cleaned or washed, minimizing any size changes when it needs cleaning again.
Love that dress but it's too small? Look inside at the seams. Some dresses have been taken in as much as 4 inches, translating to approximately three to four extra dress sizes. It's easy to let out a seam, trickier to take something in. This goes for pants that appear too short. Quick note: some pants hemmed up means where it has been folded and cleaned, will have a permanent line in a wrinkle or different line color, if you want to let it out. Taking it up is easy, this is where gluing really pays off.
Shoes? Put them BOTH on and stand up in both shoes. Don't fool yourself that if one fits, the other fits. Sometimes they are very close but it's not the same pair. Other times, they could have been in storage, something crushing one will permanently distort the shoe and it will never fit a human foot again. And don't ever think that if the shoe doesn't fit that you will make it fit when it's too small. You will NEVER wear it enough to make it fit! With a slightly larger shoe, you can pad it out with insoles and shoe inserts, even thick socks. Still, put in both feet and stand for a moment. Once I found a beautiful pair of boots but something was wrong -- a nail somewhere under the insole stuck up just enough to scratch my foot. There was no way to find it and pull it out, no wonder they were on sale cheap. Next!
Anything else? Check things. A puzzle? If the box isn't sealed on the outside, check the inside. Puzzle pieces in a sealed bag can be all right, running loose? You take your chances. This goes for records, books, anything that's a set like flatware or playing cards.
If you are a crafty person, the thrift store is a great start. Instead of making a jacket or dress from scratch, buy something plain and decorate! Find plain boxes, black suitcases, unfinished wood furniture. Prices are more than half any craft store. A great way to start is look at things you love in the malls -- is that jacket really that special or just a better spot of art on the lapel? Is that flower pot anything more than a fancier paint job? And small things like coffee mugs and small statues can be endlessly entertaining without hurting your finances.
And if you ever lose interest in the clothing or other object . . . just donate them back! Sometimes, they will give you a voucher for a few dollars off toward your next purchase. Everybody wins!
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)This is a great article, full of tips and ideas. Interests my creative spirit. For a few years now, with the home improvement and designer shows on DIY and HGTV, Thrift Stores have taken front and center for finding items to repurpose or inexpensive solutions. I think those shows have done more for making people aware than anything else. One thing our stores do here in the state is to give an across-the-board discount on all but one color ticket on Wednesdays. That when everybody flocks in and I mean they get really busy, i.e. the locusts are descending. It's certainly interesting, to say the least.
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