My experience with thrifting began when I was young, probably under 10 years old. Growing up and not being poor, but not always having extra money around, my mom often went to the thrift store to get clothes, to which she dragged me along. I hated it. Now, 10 years later, I find myself at Savers and Goodwill almost weekly. As someone who’s been going since high school, this is how I got into thrifting, and some tips for someone who doesn’t know where to start.
Finding a thrift store in your area can sometimes be hard, but there’s usually one within a 30 min drive. For me, the best one is about 25 minutes, which isn’t too bad. When I get there, I have a routine and know where I’m going. Some stores are pretty big and can seem overwhelming, but similar to a TJ Maxx, they are organized by section, and each rack is labeled and separated by size.
For me, I always check the housewares, shoes, and then clothes. The one thing that I’ve found to be important is to go when I feel like I’m looking for something. It can be overwhelming and draining when you feel like you’re just browsing because the clothes aren’t on display like they are in stores you’d find in the mall.
The last thing to keep in mind is that you’re going to want to block out a good amount of time. Going through the racks and looking at everything takes a lot of time. Additionally, I double-check shoes and jewelry both when I get there, and before I leave. Like anything, the more you go, the more familiar you become with the store, and the better finds you can get. Happy thrifting!