How to Shop at a Thrift Store

If you are feeling the pinch of a tighter economy, you are probably looking for new ways to stretch your dollars and one thing you should consider is shopping at thrift stores. Thrift stores can be found all over the country and are as varied as the communities they are in. Some are run by charities, but you can occasionally find stores that are individually owned and operated. A quick look in the yellow pages of your local city will give you a good list of what stores are available in your area. If you stick to wealthier areas, you are bound to find quality merchandise at deep discounts.

Once you know where your local thrift stores are, you are ready to go shopping. Since thrifts rely on donations, you never know what you will find. The greatest thing about that is thrift store shopping is like going on a huge scavenger hunt. If you already collect something, you know what you are looking for. If you are new to "thrifting", you are ready to become a collector-you just don't know it yet. When you start shopping and you find yourself drawn to the same types of things over and over again, you'll know you have started collecting. Or if you need to find something like clothing for a new baby, or some furniture to decorate an apartment, a thrift store is an excellent place to start your search.

Serious thrift store shoppers normally have some sort of a system. For example, I know that when I take my mom to a thrift store she will head right to the toy section, because she is an avid Garfield collector. After toys, her next favorite area is books and from there she branches out to clothing. One of my daughters checks out books first and then clothing and knickknacks. Whatever your system is, you will probably follow a general plan of attack when you enter thrift stores and you'll probably find that you get a little exercise running around the store in search of that missing treasure.

Shopping at thrift stores can save you money, but you can enjoy even deeper discounts by asking if the store offers one. Many thrift stores offer senior discounts and sometimes even student discounts, so it pays to ask. Occasionally I see some that offer military discounts as well.

Thrift stores provide a valuable service, not only as a place to shop and save money, but also as a resource for "recycling", so that useable goods stay out of the landfills. We all profit from that!