Shop in Thrift Stores
When times are tough and you are trying to cut back, you may feel like buying clothes is out of the question. There are ways to get great deals if you do a little research. Thrift store shopping is one way to get the clothes and other household items you need at great prices. Most people think that shopping at thrift stores is only for the poor, but you would be surprised at who shops at thrift stores. Give it a try. There are some tricks that will give you an edge when shopping at a thrift store.
Instructions
1. Take measurements of well-fitting clothes you already own and write them in a small notebook. Do the same for anyone else you are in charge of buying for. The reason for this is the clothes you find in thrift stores may have the size label torn out; the clothes from different manufacturers are often sized differently and most thrift stores do not having dressing rooms. Bring the tape measure with you when shopping and measure anything you are interested in buying.
2. The best time to shop is on Monday. The heaviest donation days for thrift stores are over the weekends so Mondays will often have the freshest stuff out. Get there in the morning if you can before everything gets picked over.
3. If you live in a city that has colleges, find the thrift stores closest to the college and check them out toward the end of the season. College kids will often donate a lot of clothes they have accumulated rather than dragging them back home at the end of the semester. Another place to look for thrift stores is near affluent areas. You can find expensive designer clothes for a fraction of the cost.
4. Make friends with the workers a the store. They will let you know of any specials coming up and will sometimes even be on the lookout for the things in which you are hunting.
5. Check the garment's label. If it still looks crisp and the printing is clear, then the garment probably has not been worn much.
6. Since most stores don't have dressing rooms, try to wear something thin and snug so you can try clothes on over it.
7. Check the garments for stains, rips in the seams and missing buttons. If the garment is otherwise good quality, don't automatically dismiss it if it has a problem that can be easily fixed, such as missing buttons that you can replace. Point out the flaw when you go to check out and as if you can get a discount on the item.
Tags: thrift stores, dressing rooms, find thrift, find thrift stores, missing buttons
