Around here we have RED WHITE & BLUE stores operated by one of the Vietnam Vets groups and COMMUNITY THRIFT by the American Legion (I believe). Both are fantastic and the source of 90% of my non-amusement-park clothing for the last 20 years. New Dockers for like 5 bucks, used for a couple bucks - can’t be beat.
From a regular store, five long-sleeved tops and three pairs of trousers, with markdowns between 50 and 70%. I’m all set to be semifashionable at work for at least a year.
In Glasgow’s Salvation Army I got a large table and six matching chairs, done in the Mackintosh style, for I think it was 45 pounds. It was about the price of a single chair. Later I transferred that lease to a friend, and when he left he called the SA to come get their chairs and table back.
I have two missions for this coming weekend: Get my nails done (a rare treat) and drop a bunch of stuff off at the Salvation Army. I’ve barely started cleaning my closet and have three grocery bags overflowing with clothes that no longer fit, and even if they did, they’re not “me” anymore. Hopefully someone will enjoy them!
Charity shops here in the UK now pre-sort items and skim off the valuable stuff to go to auction or to sell via their own (the charity, that is, not the volunteers) ebay account.
I mean, good luck to them, as this clearly is not a silly idea in terms of increasing revenue, but it does make it far less likely that the punter in the high street store will stumble across a hidden gem, which is just a little sad.
Exactly- a lot of them have virtually professional valuers sorting stuff.
As for the book sales, a few years ago I went to one where a library was selling out of use books. The place was crowded but people were just scooping books into large cartons and taking them home for sorting (after paying for them). There were no bargains for me 
A woman I used to work with bought all her clothing at Salvation Army stores. I thought she was a really stylish dresser before she told me that.
Then you thought she was stylish and smart, right?
I trash picked an Eileen Fisher cashmere cardigan. I feel warm and comfy and lucky when I wear it.
This is why I prefer the little charity shops; stuff like the local cats’ home one. They often don’t pre-sort, unlike the chain ones. There’s still deals out there, I bought a great new work coat 2 days back for £7, (for door work- smart enough for a nice venue, warm enough to wear for a shift out for hours in the cold, cheap enough that if it gets trashed it’s no real biggie; perfect) but some are really pushing the ‘vintage’ thing a bit much. The worst I found was one in Manchester, which was selling bleedin’ Primark clothes, second hand, at a higher price than the massive Primark shop just opposite… Labelled vintage.
You do get some weird stuff at the smaller ones, but that’s part of the fun!
My favorite find was a camel colored wool swing coat with dark brown leather whip stitching along all the edges, including cuffs and hood. People stopped me in the street, on the CTA, in stores to compliment me on it. Picked it up at a thrift called Unique for $7. Got three winters out of it before my shoulder bag wore the wool down to the weave and the lining started to rip. Finally threw it out this spring. I was sad to see it go.
And your point is exactly what?
Me too - although there is a lot of really lovely old timber furniture available in the bigger charity shops right now - everyone is filling their homes with glass dining tables and flat-pack Ikea furniture, so all the old stuff is really cheap.
I also have a bit of a weakness for vintage kitchen utensils and tableware - again, everyone is buying new kitchen gadgets, so the interesting old stuff is virtually ignored.
Even as a skinny teenager, I never did very well at thrift shops because I was too tall. (Lots of retirees in central FL back then; all the old ladies were 5’2" or shorter, I think.) Now I’m too tall and too fat. :eek:
Oh well. At least someone will benefit from the plus-sized clothes I’m donating b/c I lost 40 pounds last year.
Wait…people donate UNDERWEAR? I never have. Should I?
Obviously, I’d wash everything first. Not washing…ew.
At least at the store I work in, bras, slips, and things like that, we accept (washing it before it hits the sales floor). Underpants, no thank you.
You all must live in better resale markets than I do. Every time I go to Goodwill the racks are nearly empty. What’s there is either heavily pilled polar fleece, or turtlenecks printed with faded Country Rose patterns.
Oh, and formal dresses. Always lots of formal dresses.
Once, when visiting my sister-in-law in Cincinnati, she took us to her favorite place. Everything on the racks was a custom-printed tshirt overstock. She claimed it’s usually better pickings. I’m not sure I believe her.
I absolutely adore thrift stores. They are the place that I get bedding for the rescue critters. Towels for a quarter? I’m so up for that! During the summer, I stock up on cheap coats and jackets to donate to the homeless shelter in the winter.
You can get awesome deals on clothing, and at least three quarters of my Cluthlu mythos book collection came from thrift stores. When I do leather work, its usually with thrift store stuff that I’ve taken apart and dyed black.
Found an Hermes scarf for $1 at a Value Village in Seattle. Sold it for $540 on eBay. Found a rare ceramic vase at a Goodwill, I think it was $4. $235 on eBay. Found an old cast-iron covered casserole for $3. The version available today goes for $150. I kept that one.
Oh, so you’re the one! :mad:
I didn’t know that was going on, but it does make perfect sense - the quality does seem to have dropped right off in the last five or ten years.
He’s totally the one. I keep looking at the pictures and stuff in the hopes of finding a lost Monet, and all I see are, well, I’d be thrilled to ever find something as classy as a black velvet Dogs Playing Poker.
The localest thrift shop has used underwear and used shoes. I just can’t see myself wearing used shoes. Or hats.
I see used shoes, underwear, hat, wigs…just, no. :eek:
And I cannot even conceive dropping off dirty clothes, let alone underwear. That’s gross. Now I feel sorry for the people who have to sort and clean all the donations.