Thrift Stores and Consignment Shops Are Great Places to Shop for Frugal Fashion Deals

Charlene Collins
When you think of buying clothes at a thrift store, what do you think of? Do you think of old worn out clothes, or do you think of new or practically new high end clothing? I'm telling you that you can dress to the nines for much less. You can outfit for children for school at a fraction of the cost.

I like to shop at thrift and consignment stores. Depending on where you go you can find a lot of upscale clothing for a very low price. I went with one of my friends to Atlanta to the American Thrift Store. She took $300 with her and she bought school clothes for all 4 of her children to start school, and two outfits and shoes for herself and her husband. I had $35 on me that day, and I bought a skirt, 3 tops and two pairs of dress slacks. I was proud to see that my friend was willing to bargain. Since she was spending a good amount of money, she got the prices of many of the items slashed even more.

I was amazed to see clothes hanging on the rack that were designer labels. Some of the prices were originally $80 and up. The prices of these clothes at the thrift store were starting under $10. Some were $12 and $14 a piece. Children's clothes were really low.

My friend explained to me that affluent people from the Atlanta area buy high dollar clothing; the clothes hang in their closets for awhile, and then they wind up at the American Thrift Store, the Good Will or some other thrift store.

Not all thrift stores will carry high end clothing. If you live in a small town, or a rural setting, you might have more success in going to a larger city. Ask the person working in the thrift store if they ever get designer and other high end clothing donated to their store. If they affirm that they do get high end clothing, ask them to put you on a mailing list. If the thrift store sends out emails to repeat customers, give them your email address and ask to be notified when they get designer and other high end clothes on the rack.

Consignment shops

Consignment shops are different than thrift stores. A consignment shop carries items that people want to get rid of. The owner of the shop and the owner of the items split the sale price of the items. The split is usually around 60%-40%. The consignment shop usually gets the highest percentage. You can get some really good bargains at consignment shops also. Last summer I needed some summer clothes. There is a consignment shop in town. I spent $75 and bought lots of summer clothes. If I were to buy those clothes at a retail store they would have added up to over $200. Before you shell out $100 or more at a retail store stop by a thrift store near you, or a consignment shop. You can get some very fine clothing and other items for a fraction of retail cost.

Source:

My life

Published by Charlene Collins

Charlene Collins is a retired licensed practical nurse from Bethlehem, Georgia. She has both career and personal experience with several types of physical and mental health conditions. First and foremost, Ch...  View profile

12 Comments

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  • Annette Robbins2/16/2011

    Love to thrift shop and nearly always come home with a treasure~Even if I don't purchase anything, it's great fun~

  • Mike Powers2/10/2011

    Excellent information in this article. Thanks!

  • Memmay Moore2/10/2011

    I give them a try before going to the mall.

  • Martin Kloess2/9/2011

    they used to e even more so before the death of disoc

  • Harriet Steinberg2/9/2011

    I agree with you Charlene. I was going to try to sell some of my clothes that don't fit me any more to some antique shops.

  • Jeff Rogers2/9/2011

    I'm not a shopper but more of a browser.

  • Abby Greenhill2/9/2011

    A consignment shop and a thrift shop are at opposite ends of the scale normally. I used several consignment shops years ago to get rid of my 'up north clothing' when we moved south. I don't buy from either but I donate to thrift shops.

  • Theresa Wiza2/9/2011

    My daughter and her sister-in-law opened an upscale consignment shop in our area not quite a year ago. They sell adult and children clothing and are doing quite well already. They offer 50-50, and because they decorated their boutique so beautifully, they are attracting a huge customer base. I always thought consignment shops were just resale shops until I saw theirs. As much as I hate shopping, if I have to shop, I'd much rather pay consignment prices than retail. By the way, I really wish I could leave comments on your medical articles :(

  • Lori Gunn2/9/2011

    Great writing ♥ thanks for sharing

  • Carol Roach2/9/2011

    good article thanks so much

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