So last week I gave you all the steps you need to take before you head out to shop. With that information in hand its time little grasshopper for you to head out into the wild, wild thrift store!
- Make a game plan! The first thing you need to do before you shop is create a game plan. Take stock of the store and figure out what section you want to shop first. Jumping from section to section will cause you MAJOR overwhelm so shopping a section at a time is key! I personally start with blazers and move on to skirts, jeans and tops but create a plan that works for you!
- Shop EVERY section! Clothes don’t always go back to the right section at the end of the night. A store employee putting clothes on the racks may think a shirt is a kids large when it really a woman’s small. Someone is hiding an item so they can come back to get it later. For all these reasons and so many more be sure to shop every section of your thrift store. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve found a woman’s blouse in the kids section lol!
- Shop EVERY size! In traditional stores, if you’re a large that’s the section you go to but this is not the case in a thrift store. For the most part thrift store will have like sizes in groups, but things happen and keep in mind a size 12 from 2017 vs. 1987 is vastly different. The store employee could put a size 12 skirt with the mediums but because it was a vintage size 12, its really a modern 6 and fits you like a glove!
- Shop the rack front to back and back to front! I’ve learned this in my years of thrifting, be sure to make two passes of each rack. It can be so easy to overlook an amazing gem with just a single pass, so be sure to always do a double take. Prime example, I was going thru a rack of blazers a few months ago and on my first pass I didn’t see anything that caught my eye but on my second….a vintage ESCADA blazer! And to think I would have missed it had I not given the rack a second look.
- Throw it in the bag! Even if you are on the fence about an item, put it in your cart. The dressing room is the time to make edits to your selections.
- Quality Check! Remember your “thrift kit”?? Be sure to use those shout wipes on an item you see that may have a stain. Here is the rule of thumb; if you can shout it out, get it but if you can’t leave it. It always sucks to get an great top and get it home only to find a stain that won’t come out. At the same time be sure to check for rips, tears, smells (yes smells lol) and everything else. This extends to shoes as well; check for scuff marks, worn soles and holes. Use your baby wipes to clean the inside of the shoes and to get any scuff marks out before you purchase.
- Try everything on! If you hate trying on clothes welcome to the club, but since most thrift stores won’t allow you to make returns, trying on clothes is a must. I used to skip this step but after I found this AMAZING dress, got it home thinking it would fit and couldn’t get past my hips, I never made that mistake again!
- Google It! Google images is my best friend in the thrift store. If I see an item I’m on the fence about styling to make it work for me, I will pop in a description of the item followed by “styled” to see how others may have worn it. This not only helps me decide about an item I’m not sure about, it also gets my creative juices flowing.
- Enjoy the hunt! Be sure to enjoy the process of finding a diamond in the ruff. I don’t want you to get so caught up in the “rules” that you forget to just have fun!
And that’s a wrap….well almost lol! Next week is all about what you do AFTER you come home from a successful trifting trip!
Let me know what are your best in-store thrift tips!
XOXO,
Shanna
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