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I found another thrift store just outside of town with a larger selection and a little bit better in pricing. I found two fall jackets from good brands for $3 and $4. They were a steal. Furniture here was a little better, though still a little much.
I really like this one. It did annoy me the other day. I went and they had a poster with a gray tag glued to it and the words 40% off today. So I shopped only gray tags and found good items. I had a basket full when their overhead recording system was talking about blue tags on sale. Confused I went to check out and asked if it was gray tags today on sale before the girl rang them up. She said it was actually blue tags and the tag on the poster was a faded blue tag. I was upset because I had to put two items back I really wanted because they put me over budget . She told the manager I was the sixth person that day, and it just opened, to think it was gray tags. She told him they needed to replace the poster tag. Then she asked if she could give me the items for the sale price because it was their fault and the manager said no.
I'll probably still shop there but I was annoyed. I'll make sure to double check before I shop.
Last edited by eriwriter; 08-11-2013 at 12:03 PM..
For "treasure hunting", I prefer yard and estate sales over thrift and consignment shops. For personal shopping - clothing, etc.. - I've found that shopping end of season sales at really nice department stores and my fav stores is a better bargain. For me, I've come to learn over the years that it is far more frugal and enjoyable to buy fewer really great pieces on sale rather than cheap things that I really don't love. To each their own.....just not enough really cool vintage pieces or high end pieces in the thrift shops any more. I can find vintage on EBAY and save time and gas.
Before the recession, during the boom years of the early 00's, wealthy people dumped some real treasures into our local thrift stores, and if you were willing to do a little rehab, you could get some great stuff.
Thrifting has become trendy. Now we see people from all walks of life in the thrift stores we frequent, rather than homeless, recent immigrants, destitute, etc. Prices have risen accordingly.
No big deal. Just wait a few years until it falls out of fashion and the wealthy start turning up their noses at buying from thrift stores again. Then the stores will be forced to lower their prices to keep from becoming a "dead store" - where merchandise no longer moves, but just sits.
For now, might as well go to higher-end resale shops that sort out the dross for you--like Buffalo Exchange--since thrift stores are now raising their prices to the same level.
We used to have no qualms about donating to thrift stores, but since they've started focusing on maximizing profits by raising prices to soak their customers instead of serving reasonably-priced items to the needy, we've stopped. Now our good clothing goes to Buffalo Exchange for trade credit. Furniture and low-end clothing gets sold for $1 or so at yard sales. Saves us the expense of hauling it to the thrift store, and those Washingtons can add up when people get wind of the bargains they can get at your sale. Additionally, the elevated thrift store prices are really great for the success of our cheap yard sales, since people know they can't get those bargain prices anywhere else!
For "treasure hunting", I prefer yard and estate sales over thrift and consignment shops. For personal shopping - clothing, etc.. - I've found that shopping end of season sales at really nice department stores and my fav stores is a better bargain. For me, I've come to learn over the years that it is far more frugal and enjoyable to buy fewer really great pieces on sale rather than cheap things that I really don't love. To each their own.....just not enough really cool vintage pieces or high end pieces in the thrift shops any more. I can find vintage on EBAY and save time and gas.
As an eBay seller (of vintage and otherwise), I approve of this post!
As for the thrifts; I don't know what they are doing with the vintage. I know it exists. I know SOME stores in my city have it. Others (especially GW) seem to be instructing their sorters to toss anything that looks "old". It's awful.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sponger42
For now, might as well go to higher-end resale shops that sort out the dross for you--like Buffalo Exchange--since thrift stores are now raising their prices to the same level.
<snip>
Furniture and low-end clothing gets sold for $1 or so at yard sales. Saves us the expense of hauling it to the thrift store, and those Washingtons can add up when people get wind of the bargains they can get at your sale. Additionally, the elevated thrift store prices are really great for the success of our cheap yard sales, since people know they can't get those bargain prices anywhere else!
Very true! Not much I can do these days walking into the average thrift store with some pocket change, but I can impulsively hit a yard sale with just some ones and purse change and still walk away with a few great finds!
Now, if I could just change my night owl ways so that I was actually up and out during prime yard sale time. I need to just stay up all night and make it happen. I can hit yard sales in the afternoon but UGH! Too hot. I have always wondered how a late start/ twilight yard sale would do around here with the heat... you'd have to put out lots of lighting but it could be fun.
Very true about Buffalo Exchange and the like also. I don't usually go, but the times I have, I've been pleasantly surprised with prices compared to thrifts. I tend to shop there for my own personal clothing (vs resale) -- I still dig through the chaotic racks at the cheap thrifts when need be but it's also nice to go somewhere like Buffalo Exchange and have it all clean, sorted, and none of the garbage to wade through.
As an eBay seller (of vintage and otherwise), I approve of this post!
As for the thrifts; I don't know what they are doing with the vintage. I know it exists. I know SOME stores in my city have it. Others (especially GW) seem to be instructing their sorters to toss anything that looks "old". It's awful.
Some GWs are also selling online, so maybe they are reserving what they think are the best items to offer online.
For "treasure hunting", I prefer yard and estate sales over thrift and consignment shops. For personal shopping - clothing, etc.. - I've found that shopping end of season sales at really nice department stores and my fav stores is a better bargain. For me, I've come to learn over the years that it is far more frugal and enjoyable to buy fewer really great pieces on sale rather than cheap things that I really don't love. To each their own.....just not enough really cool vintage pieces or high end pieces in the thrift shops any more. I can find vintage on EBAY and save time and gas.
It really does change from place to place. Back east yard sales and estate sales were amazing.... but out here we have a ton of consignment shops and antique shops and it seems they get first pick. Then you can take stuff to thrift stores, but they will pick over the rest.... and then that's what left for the yard sale.
We used to enjoy a good yard sale, now pretty much we drive on past.
I went into a Buffalo Exchange about a month ago, and everything on the rack was junk. I've found better stuff at Salvation Army and Goodwill. They had a broomstick skirt with stretched out waistband elastic priced at $9.00. I buy the same skirts at thrift store for $3-$5, and replace the elastic so that I can wear them.
Yes. They've caught on that a lot of people are shopping there and then reselling on eBay. For a higher price. So they mark it up to get a little bit of that profit.
But that means it might sit there longer, till they mark it back down, too. Frankly, if they want to take advantage of eBay prices , then do the eBay work.
But by far the worst thing we've seen (and reported) is shoplifting. Shoplifting at a thrift store seems way more wrong than shoplifting at a retail store.
What?????????? Shoplifting in any store is wrong....there are no moral levels to stealing!
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I need to just stay up all night and make it happen. I can hit yard sales in the afternoon but UGH! Too hot. I have always wondered how a late start/ twilight yard sale would do around here with the heat... you'd have to put out lots of lighting but it could be fun. 
