Thrift Shop Basics

I am almost ready to begin my quest of cataloging thrift shops in this great land of ours, one town at a time. Before I set sail, a few thoughts on how to approach a shopping experience which is part art, part sport.

1. Be Patient. These shops do not perform on command. It is not the shopping excursion for the person who tears a page out of a magazine and takes it to Bergdorf's to buy the whole look top to bottom. You can not expect to find a Chanel bag or Manolo's on day one. However, hang in there. Eventually pretty much everything shows up in these shops.

2. Buy something if it screams out to you. Chances are, you will never find that item again. Some thrift shops, such as Savers, will let you return items for store credit within seven days. Even if you can not return an item, mistaken impulse buys here will generally not dent your overdraft account.

3. Look for quality. Cheap is cheap. We are looking for VALUE. Take a good look at seams, zippers and hems for wear and tear. Hold sweaters and knits up to the light to do an x-ray of sorts for moth damage.

4. Look at labels. A vintage Gucci jacket can also easily be resold on eBay if you change your mind.

5. Do a bit of fieldwork. Find out when the shop brings out new merchandise. Most shops also have sale days. For example, the Savers in my neighborhood runs a half price sale on a certain color tag every Thursday. Whatever has not sold of that color by Monday is 99 cents. There are also Senior discount days, and other special promotions. A bit of fieldwork will get you closer to being awarded your black belt in thrift shopping.

6. Carrying a jewelers loupe or small magnifying glass is not a bad idea. I have fished a number of 14K items out of junk jewelery bins. Also good for reading marks on china and collectibles.

Remember that life may be a journey, but thrift shopping is all about the hunt. Think panning for gold, or playing a slot machine (buy something for a dollar, list it on eBay and see if you hit a jackpot). I hope you all get out there and hit a big one!!