Thrift shops vs big brands

I would never totally dismiss thrift shops, but when I decide to go shopping I don't set out to go to them as they're very restrictive, not to mention hit and miss. I've found some nice little gems for next to nothing in thrift shops, but for me they're only good for the occasional rummage on the off chance you may stumble across something nice. I go without any expectations and even if I don't find anything, I'm ok with it. For my "real" shopping trips though, where I know specifically what i'm looking for, I'd rather go to a regular high street store. My mother-in-law on the other hand, prefers to shop almost exclusively at thrift shops and that seems to work for her. each to their own, I suppose

 

My local Goodwill is always worth a look because it's on the fringe of a nice neighborhood, so rich people donate nice clothes.
I mostly look for household stuff and once found a really nice set of Anthropologie dishes there.

 

Thrift shops have changed over the years and only those who don't know this have the old opinion still. Many thrift shops have new clothes or samples too and companies can't sell them and donate them. Also many people move house and just give everything away which can be new items or designer items. You can't change everyones attitude though, so it's not important to me, but shows how narrow minded others can be.

 

My feeling on a thrift store is that this stuff was new at one time. I especially like to shop for clothes at them, because one you take the garment home and wash it you can end up with some nice looking stuff. I have found some great looking sweater tops at thrift stores. Another thing that I liked to do, because I am a sewer who makes doll clothes especially for Barbie dolls is find second hand formals or fancy top and cut them up to use to fabric for my doll clothes.

Unfortunately, there aren't too many thrift stores left in my area. So, I have started to go to the next best thing which are prominent around my area and that is yard sales.

 

I love thrift stores (or charity shops, as we call the in the UK). My area isn't particularly well off so I sometimes take the short bus ride to a richer area. Here, there is always something worth buying. In fact, I often wonder how people can afford to buy such expensive clothes and then never wear them.

 

I really love shopping in second hand shops, but it's very rare that I'm able to find something that I absolutely love for a price that's reasonable. For some reason a lot of thrift shops in my area are really expensive with their clothing, not so much with their other products though. You can buy a really nice book in good condition for a dollar, but a plain tank top that's been worn is close to $10! I'm way too cheap for that. I want to be able to walk into a thrift store and buy a couple of things for very cheap, and I wanna love the stuff that I get!

 

I agree with those who think it's best to go with a mix of both. If I am looking for something specific, and especially if I need it relatively quickly, I usually will just suck it up and go to a 'brand name' store, even if it is a cheap one like H&M, so that I am relatively sure of finding something in my size, that looks good, that I like. However, if I'm just needing new clothes generally, thrift stores are usually my first stop, and then I can fill in any gaps from other stores

 

I always suggest thrift shops whenever I'm giving people tips on where to shop for really cheap. The thing is, you have a good chance of finding some big name brands at thrift store as well. Not only will you find big name brands, but you will find them for almost half the price that you would at a regular store. I mean, there is a time and place when it would be better to just go to the big name store and pick up whatever you need from there. For the most part though, you can always put a good outfit together from the things you can find at a thrift store.

 

I have no problem buying from a thrift shop if it serves a purpose for me. Over the years I've picked up a lot of great, cheap stuff. Not always, but enough times for me to think that there is value to be had in these places. If people want to spend more money on stuff, then fine. It's their wallet and their approach to the world of spending.

 

I regularly go to thrift shops. These shops are heaven-sent. Most of our family's clothing come from thrift shops. We even find unused branded clothing that were probably salvaged from closing stores from abroad. These are the best finds. Recently, some shop owners are over pricing their merchandise. For example, a used shoe that was used to be sold for 2$ a pair would now be sold at $25. It takes a skillful eye to kw which ones are worth buying at thrift stores and which ones are garbage. Even with these issues, I still go to thrift shops first before heading to the department store.

 

There's no shame in saving. One should buy only what they can COMFORTABLY afford. No matter what one earns truth is when you can avoid there's no point in spending say $100 on a shirt when you can buy such a shirt in a thrift shop, [sometimes new] at $25. Pride might keep some people out of thrift shops but they miss out on a lot.

 

I wouldn't mind buying 2nd hand clothes as long as it looks good as new or at least decent looking. The same way with big brands. If I happen to like what I see then I buy it.

 

About 99% of my shopping for me is at thrift and Goodwill stores. The other 1% would be for purchases for someone else (gifts) at a brand store. The exception would be if I couldn't find anything that I liked for something that I needed then I'd go to a brand store.

 

I like to diversify where I shop. There are often times where I prefer big brand names rather than going to a thrift store, but there are things that are inside of thrift shops that you can't pass up. I personally think that thrift shopping is extremely underrated, whether others like to admit that or not.

 

We wear clothes from thrift stores. People I know who work at thrift stores say they check the clothing to make sure it is clean and in good repair. I also have seen washing machines at one of the thrift stores that is used to clean the clothing. Clothing that my family and I find at the store is taken home and washed again. I find large clothing that fits me that is quite expensive. I have also found name brand clothing for babies and children in very very good shape. We also find furniture, household items, and many other items at thrift stores. I just love the fact that we spend a fraction of the retail price for clothing. I also like the idea of reusing and recycling things in the world.

 

For me, it is not a question of whether i want to shop at the thrift store or not. My pension is just over $400 a month, and that does not allow for shopping anywhere else except for the thrift store, at least most of the time.
I always try to shop there when they are having sales, like 50% off, or senior's discounts; that way my money stretches just a little bit further.
There are actually a lot of items at the thrift store that were very expensive, and the people who can afford to spend that much on clothes usually don't wear them out, they just get tired of wearing them and donate them to some charity for their thrift shop, so they are mostly in excellent condition.

 

My kids grow out of clothing so fast that I know that, personally, I have donated a lot of nice brand-name clothing to Goodwill. Some items have never even been worn, so whoever buys them at the bargain rate is getting one heck of a deal. I think you just have to keep an eye on your purchases but anymore you even have to do that at "name brand" department stores too.