Thrift Store Commandments

1. Keep a running list of the things you are looking for.

It might be a really really long time until you find something to fit your criteria. I think I have been on the look out for a soap dish for coming on 4 months now.  I know that I could go to a big box store and find one immediately but it would probably be at least 3 times the cost and not exactly what I am looking for either. (not that I know exactly what I'm looking for.)  It is nearly impossible to go to a thrift store and find exactly what you are looking for at exactly the right time.


2. Be open to the element of chance.

By this I mean you might be looking for a green corduroy jacket specifically, but really what you might need is a lightweight fall jacket.  Too much specificity in what you are looking for really limits your ability to scope out all options.  It almost feels like fate when you are looking for something and you find it this way -- like oh, the universe wants me to have a purple coat with gold buttons that fits great instead of a green corduroy jacket.  But if you limit yourself to just looking for the green corduroy jacket you'll miss out.

3. Go weekly.

Nothing beats persistence.  I like to think of thrift shopping as a treasure hunt. (they do share a lot of elements, except the map. . .and pirates)  You have to sift through a lot of things to get that good deal -- think of it as paying for your discount in time.  It is a fun outing for my husband and I. (or Katie and I when she is in town.)  You get to see a lot of weird and terrifying things (some ceramic animals and dolls are scarier than any horror movie) and examine antiquated relics of the past (coffee percolators! snack sets! record cabinets!) It really is some of the cheapest entertainment out there. (free if you buy nothing! but even so, I rarely spend over 8 dollars.)

4. Even if you are just considering buying something, carry it around with you.

I must have gotten burned on this a looooong time ago -- I remember the sinking feeling of going back to get an item I had found amongst all the junk only to see that it was gone.  I can't remember the specific incident (too traumatic, I must have blocked it out) but this is still sound advice.  Unlike regular stores, items are generally 'one of a kind' so to speak and who knows someone else might come by while you are gone and want that same purple duck tissue box cover! Another reason to carry it around is things have a way of shifting in a thrift store -- an item that was on the bottom shelf could have moved to the top shelf or three feet down the shelf when you go back to look for it later.  Also holding an item allows you to inspect for major damage, which brings us to:


5. Don't be afraid of a little dirt or a little damage. (or even a lot of dirt)

We get so used to our pristine stores where everything looks shiny and new, that it can be intimidating to be faced with the opposite.  But truly some of the best deals can be found when things look gross.  Besides, almost everything comes clean and you are going to clean it anyway when it comes home. (even from a big box store)  As far as damage goes, each person/item will have it's own sort of acceptable level.  Sometimes it's the damage that makes things interesting, (For instance I love tarnished metal -- I probably wouldn't buy some things if they were shiny new metal, same with wooden picture frames) and sometimes the item is too neat to let slip by because of a tiny nick.  Remember too that you are buying items to use and if it is broken in a way that doesn't impede your usage and doesn't appear to be dangerous to structural integrity there is probably a way to live with it or to cover it up.

6. No one can tell that it is secondhand.

An item doesn't look different just because someone else owned it before you. It doesn't function different. It isn't somehow inferior. I don't struggle with this particularly but when I tell my grandmother where I got my clothes she always says, "you don't have to tell people that."as if it is somehow inherently shameful. The truth is you are buying someone else's junk (junk that they deemed better than to throw away mind you!) -- and there is no way around that, but one man's junk is another man's treasure.  I know that I have bought something that will not end up in the landfill and will extend it's use.  I also know that the money I am spending is going to places that I would rather have my money go than corporations. (My favorite thrift shop supports veterans and I also frequent two Salvation Army shops)

7. If there is one thing good there are sure to be more.

This doesn't apply to all stores but to 2 of my stores it seems to. It seems natural to think that if you like one thing someone owned you very well might like something else they owned.  At the 2 stores I frequent those items all seem to come out together, larger stores where processing is more complicated don't follow this very well. Another good example of this is clothing -- if you find something that fits you really well look a little deeper in the racks because it's a fair bet that the person that donated recently was similar in size to you. Also, since I generally am looking for things from before 1970, usually those items all come in together as a 'house clean-out' from an elderly person that has been relocated to a care facility or died. (sad I know, but I like to think the people would be happy the things they kept for all those years are being respected and used and loved by a new generation.) If you are finding a few good things be sure to do a more thorough search than you usually do.

8. Dig in.

This isn't a box store. Everything is not arranged artfully and orderly and according to company standards.  You are expected to examine contents of boxes -- to move things about on shelves for better access.  It isn't frowned upon by other patrons to sit in the isle and look through 400 sewing patterns because chances are they have found something they had to sift through at some point too.

9. Be friendly.

I'm throwing this rule in just as a reminder.  I mean, one should always be friendly if possible, but it is doubly important here.  You will see the same people over and over again.  The people that work there will be the same.  The people in the isles with you will be the same. You will recognize them and they will recognize you. They might strike up a conversation from time to time. Occasionally, if they know what you look out for they might point you in the right direction! (like I always dress vintage when I go, so ladies have pointed me to the aprons before, etc.) I was a nickel short for exact change one time, I had a ten but the cashier knew me and that I was a regular and said not to worry about it.  It pays to be nice!

10. Donate items yourself. (Even if it's a re-donation.)

It's like a giant swap meet of sorts.  You just can't keep everything -- better to be bought and enjoyed by someone else than at the back of your cupboards unloved and unused or in a landfill. You are at the other end of the cycle then, helping the whole system continue to move.