Do you like to shop at thrift stores like Goodwill, Salvation Army, or local shops? We do! Some of the items we have bought at thrift stores are just amazing – and we love the hunt too!
Here are our tips for saving the most during your thrifting trip.
5 Tips for saving money at the thrift store
- When you enter the store check the sales flyers or board near the door. Usually there is one color of tag that is on sale that week, typically 50% off. Goodwill and Salvation Army stores always have a 50% off sale color of tag.
- Ask about weekly discounts. On of the stores we like to shop at runs a super special every Friday where the sale color tagged clothing isn’t just 50% off, it is 5 pieces for $5. It doesn’t matter what the price tag is marked, if it is the special color it is just $1 per item when purchased in multiples of 5. We usually wait to go on Friday for this very reason! Also some stores run other promotions during the week, for example one Senior Citizens may receive an extra percentage off their total order. Another day may be a military discount, etc. Be sure and ask.
- Bring an item to donate. Many stores will give you a discount off your total if you are making a donation. We like to keep a small bag of items to donate to the shop in the car and then when we are out and about shopping we turn in the bag.
- Check all electrical items before leaving. For obvious reasons you want to be sure the item works before you take it home. Most stores do have a return policy, but if you are like us you don’t like the hassle of having to return something. Many stores have an electrical strip accessible for you to plug in the item and test it.
- Watch for off-season items to arrive at the store from major stores like Target. Goodwill receives much of their inventory from Target and the items are new the majority of the time but may be past season. The Goodwill stores in our area have separate racks of new clothing that was originally found in Target.
Here is an example of a great thrift store find! Our adding machine bit the dust and we did not want to fork over much for a replacement. Luckily our store had this Texas Instruments one for $1.99!
Here is a great deal we scored on Valentine’s Day cards! This pack of 8 was marked $0.79 and the 50% off sale color of tag was purple so these ended up costing just $0.40! SCORE!
Remember that shopping at a thrift store is often “hit or miss”. You will never be sure of what you may find because their inventory changes very rapidly. If you are searching for something specific then you may spend your time shopping without achieving what you intended to at the thrift store; but you may discover something really amazing also!
Happy shopping!
Here is another article we wrote about New Clothing from Target at Goodwill, if you would like to read more.
Find your nearest Goodwill store here. Find your Salvation Army stores here.
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