During my most recent thrifting trip, I headed over to the Champaign Goodwill in hopes of finding some warmer pieces for fall. After browsing around for an hour, I left with a yellow handmade sweater and coral peacoat (50% off!), spending $8 in total.
I've been thrifting for around 3 years now and have been to Goodwill more times than I can count. With the majority of my closet being thrift finds, I like to think that I've picked up some useful tips and tricks over the years. That being said, here are 5 tips you can use the next time you go thrifting!
1. Know your store's specialties. Not all consignment stores are the same! There are two local Goodwills-- one in Savoy and the other in Champaign. I've found that the Savoy Goodwill tends to have a better selection of sweaters, shorts, skirts, kids' clothing, and mens' clothing. You may have better luck at the Champaign Goodwill for jeans, shoes, dresses, and coats/outerwear. Of course, this varies from year to year. If you're looking specifically for vintage clothing, check out Dandelion in downtown Champaign. Although their prices are marked higher, Dandelion features a carefully curated collection of unique pieces for vintage-lovers.
2. Bring a measuring tape. If you have a measuring tape at home, bring it with you while you thrift. Goodwill recently adopted a no-try on policy to minimize contact. Measuring tapes can be especially useful to ensure that a vintage item will fit, where tagged sizes don't match up with modern sizing.
3. Take sizes with a grain of salt. Larger thrift stores aren't particularly known for their organization. Often times, clothes get put in the wrong size categories. A size 26" pair of jeans might be mistakenly placed in the size 26 section, for example. For this reason, it's worthwhile to look through a range of sizes. Additionally, as mentioned above, vintage sizing is NOT the same as modern sizing; a pair of 90s era shorts tagged a size 5/6 could be a modern size 0.
4. Check out the kids' section. Depending on the styles you're looking for, you might find pieces you like in the kids' section. Occasionally, smaller womens' tops (crop tops, tank tops) get placed in the girls' section by mistake. If you wear a smaller size or are on the shorter end, definitely look through the kids' aisles!
5. Be prepared to spend a minimum of half an hour. Regardless of where you go, most thrift stores are PACKED with items to hunt through. For every 50 pieces you look at, you might only like 1 or 2. If you're hoping to walk away with a specific item, allot yourself a minimum of 30-45 minutes to ensure that you have enough time to look through everything. Plus, the items you skip over could just be the ones you were looking for.
These are great tips! Thank you for writing about them!
ReplyDeleteI have only gone thrifting once, and it was a long time ago, but I will definitely do it more often in the future now that I've learned more about it, helping the environment and saving money.
Thank you for all your help!
I go thrifting a lot and I always avoid the jeans section for fear that they won't fit (especially now that I can't try them on)! The measuring tape thing is so helpful and I definitely will be doing that in the future.
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