Thrift store shopping.

[Paulette]

Thrift stores often stock items from retail stores which have too few of an item left to profitably use the space to put them on sale. (Not Goodwill or Salvation Army.)

[StephanieW]

I enjoy Good will stores... great bargains,

[Wendae]

I do 80% 0f my shopping at GW.

[Hanna]

I love good will stores also. You can shop, try on and no one bothers you.
Another good place to buy clothes is Rose's dept store. Their prices are very low. I go in there dressed and no one seems to mind or notice.

[Ralitsa]

Here in Montana there are some stores called Runway Fashion Exchange. I've been to the one in Billings and Great Falls, they may be in other cities as well.
Last night I stopped in and picked up 2 pair jeans, slacks, and 2 t-shirts for $15. I love shopping at thrift stores!!!!!!!

[Pam T.]

I love shopping at thrift stores and wondering what type of woman wore whatever I am buying before me.

[Nicci]

I "discovered" Consignment and Thrift stores about a year ago, and living in S. Florida I am truly fortunate.
The "best ones" ( there are four..) S. Beach and N Beach, Miami, Palm Beach, Ft Lauderdale. I'm 6'3", so my purchases are limited to skirts, shorts, pants, sleeveless tops, and an occasional accessory. No problem with trying on prospective purchases. I go "male" with my Wife ( we have a lot of fun) and often shamelessly hit the fitting rooms with an arm-load. It's not unusual to see a Ferrari or two in the parking lot. Everybody like a "Good Bargain". Shopping Thrift Shops, especially the Club sponsored ones, are typically full racks of quality clothing. I find "high quality fashion" clothes that I would not otherwise even be interested in ( as I open my eyes to their potential) at a mere fraction of their original cost. Goodwill here is not too productive for me, with mostly well-worn casual clothes in smaller sizes.

I learned a neat "fitting lesson" at a really nice Thrift Shop in NYC last November. I'm still confused with the wizard alchemy of Women's clothing sizes. In some labels I easily fit into a "Medium" skirt, in others an "Extra Large" is required to make the fit. A older Gentleman working the store watched me emerge from the dressing room confused and a little disappointed...clutching several skirts. He showed me a neat "size" trick for getting a good waist fit for skirts, shorts and pants. Put a tape measure around you and size your waist. Then, holding the "number", wrap it around your neck and confirm where the ends meet. ( my waist is the same size as my neck is around, so this is an easy deal for me...)Stretch the waist edges to their farthest and then wrap the item around your neck. If the edges comfortably touch your "wrap point", it will fit. I've tried it many, many times with excellent results. I can skip the Fitting Room. Beats whipping out a tape measure or guessing what the number in the label really means to you...

BTW: the "best deal" I ever made was in this Thrift Store....crammed amid racks of hundreds of Prom Dresses, found ( bought) three Gucci "Ball Gowns" that fit me perfectly, for $300...with the tags still attached. (????) Retail price...$11,700. Don't know who they belonged to or why they made the racks but I'm forever grateful. The only ones I'll ever own.
I have one picked out for my "coming out" party this New Year's Eve.
Now, shopping for really sexy 4in heels to match.

Happy Hunting....
Nicci

[Nicci]

Clarification...
To do the "sizing trick", ZIP the clothing shut and THEN grasp the edges and wrap it around your neck...
Sorry if I created any confusion..

Happy Hunting,
Nicci

[Emily]

After reading this post, I realize that it has been waaay too long since I have been to a thrift store!

At one time, I used to do all my shopping there and I've found quite a few cute outfits. Nowadays, I find that it is just so much easier (and convenient!) to shop new online.

However, I'm getting that urge to splurge. I think that a trip to the thrift is happening soon! Maybe even today! A girl can never have enough clothes, can she?

[KimberlyS]

Yea i buy quite a few things at second had stores. Seems to go in splurges at times. But I have never thought about who's clothes they use to be. I just know they are mine now and I am the lucky one having them.

Shop and enjoy.

[Ralitsa]

That's right Lexi, a girl can never have enough clothes!!!

Well I shouldn't have done it, but Wednesday I was in downtown Billings and had some time to kill, and the St. Vincent de Paul thrift store was right there and what else was I going to do? So of course I stopped in, just to see if they had anything, not really to buy anything, only to look you know.

But all the green and blue tags were 50% off, so I came out with several capri's, a nice skirt, and half a dozen tops for only $21. And of course it's for a good cause, the money goes to charity. And I'm helping them clear out space for the next load. So it's helping them out, really it's my duty even to shop there and take these clothes off their hands! The only thing really holding me back from helping them even more is lack of closet space..............

[SarahMicheline]

Exactly as I look at shopping in charity Ralitsa. You can get some great bargains at rock a bottom price and even if they don't fit properly you have donated to a good cause as well as not spending too much hard earned cash.

[Denise]

I love thrift shops , over the years I have purchased thousands of items , I am a total fan of older ladies styles , and vintage fashions and the thought that feminine perfumed beautiful women have worn the clothes before is a plus for me , I always under dress when shopping there and get a lot of pleasure knowing that the ladies serving me know that I am feminized male .
I have been lucky that many of the women serving in the shops have been very helpful and kind to me .
My fantasy is to work as a female in a thrift shop with a woman in charge of me and with a dress code that requires pantyhose with skirt or dress .

[Janet Bern]

I thing there is a bit of a difference between a consignment shop
and a Goodwill. Consignment shops usually have a better collection
of clothes and many still have the tags on them from the manufacturer.
I will usually drop my old clothes off at Goodwill but only rarely find ladies
clothes that I would wear.

[KimberlyS]

Janet I agree in general a consignment usually has better quality just because they do not accept things they do not think they can sell. I have shopped a lot of thrift stores, goodwill, salvation army and others, and the quality and quantity varies greatly depending on the location. I go to some that yes have some of the lower quality things, but also have plenty of the higher quality of things. Also a lot depends on the day as they do not have control of what and when people donate items. Also around here a truck moves items between stores. So if you find out what day is truck day and when it is put out.

In general consignment stores are like a lot of stores in general. One time I go in and find lots of things I like, other times nothing catches my eye. But shopping in general is the challenge of finding something you like for a reasonable cost.

Shop and enjoy.