Thrifting 101: 8 Things to do Before You Thrift?

(Style Haven)

The thrill of thrifting is finding coveted pieces for little money. I always feel like I made out like a bandit when I find a designer piece in the thrift store for little money. 

Most thrift stores are not looking to get top dollar because they get their clothes through donations and are linked to a charity. Most of the time the thrift stores don't know the value of the piece. 

A little trick I use is to shop at the thrift stores in neighborhoods where people dress the way I want to dress. For example, if you have 5th Avenue taste but don't have a 5th Avenue budget you may want to try a thrift store in or close by a upper class neighborhood. 

Most people donate out of convince meaning they donate close to home. I've thrifted a pair of Valentino pants for $9.99 and a Christian Dior plaid knicker pant for $7.99 clearly the person marking the price didn't realize what they they had in their hands. 

Here are some top tips when looking for thrift stores

1. Game Plan: Make a list of items or occasions that you're going shopping for. You don't want to get into the store without a plan. Thrift stores can be overwhelming and if you don't go in with a plan you will leave with items you don't need
   
2. Sale Days: Most thrift stores have sales days one that I frequent has 25% off on Mondays and Thursdays and 50% off once a month. So you know when I visit the store ;)
   
   
3. What is the charity: It doesn't matter unless the reason your thrifting is to support a charity but it's always good to know. Take Housing Works for example; the nonprofit organization runs several thrift stores throughout New York City and its proceeds goes toward helping people who are affected with HIV/AIDS and on the brink of homelessness. Click here for the link to its thrift stores...and you can even shop online. That's a new one, thrifting online!
   
4. What is the thrift store known for? Clothes, furniture, evening wear, vinyl records, housewares etc. You want to know what the store specialize in before you waste your time.
   
5. Cash and Charge? While cash is still the monetary instrument of choice, plenty of shoppers prefers to pay with their debit or credit cards. Usually the thrift stores will have labels of what credit cards they accept on the front doors. Visa, Mastercard, Discover, AMEX. If there's no clear sign, then just ask.
   
6. Patience: Some thrift stores are neatly organized and everything is labeled. However, this is not always the case and you may have to dig, which takes a lot of patience. Also keep in mind that there may not be air conditioning during the warmer months and the store may lack heat during the cooler season. A good rule of thumb is to dress in layers for any thrifitng occasion... winter, spring, summer and fall.  
    
7. Dress for the occasion: You may be digging for hours and the last thing you need is to carry is a heavy purse or extra bags.
   My outfit for thrifting is normally some sort of spandex and a sweater this makes it's easy for me to try on things right over my clothes (dressing rooms are not always available)I wear a small cross body purse, which frees up my hands. In my purse I carry cash, a credit card, hand sanitizer and my cell phone. The phone comes in handy when looking at labels you can Google to see if there is added value in the piece.
   
8. Have Fun: Thrifting is meant to be a fun economical experience. Just think of it like this, you're getting fab new pieces for little money while helping a charity and the environment. Hey look at thrifting as your civic duties.
   
   

I hope these tips help you out when thrifting. It's not the only way, it's the Wright way. Share your thrifting tips in the comment box below or tweet your tips to @ShopStyleHaven