Thrifting isn’t a joke; it’s a lifestyle. Ever since Macklemore’s new song “Thrift Shop” hit the top ten list, people believe that thrifting is just a fun thing to do with friends, and a good way to get goofy clothes. In a way, those are right, but thrift stores are also the cheapest way to buy used, name brand clothes. In order to become a successful Thrifter, there are things you need to look out for when thrift shopping.
The first step to being successful is picking out your thrift shop. Spoiler alert: not every location will be as big as the one in the music video, so be on the lookout for a decent sized one. A big turn off for thrifting is the actual location of the store. Some people refuse to be thrifty because most stores are in a lower socioeconomic part of town, but don’t let that stop you.
“I used to not thrift because Lewisville was always a little sketchy,” senior Tyler Dozier said. “But now I’m too focused on getting good deals on cool clothes to worry about where in the world I am.”
Once inside your thrift shop, start in the toys/games/house section near the back and work your way to the front. This strategy is helpful because most of the time you only want goofy clothes and you neglect the rest of the store. After laughing your way through the house wares and toy sections, be ready to move into the clothes.
The clothing section is where that strange smell you have been inhaling the entire trip originates. Once again, don’t let something a washer can fix bother you. Most thrift shops are very organized in the men’s section (by color, size, and cloth type) and kind of sporadic in the women’s section, so check your sizes before you get your hopes up. One time, I saw a crazy pair of size 44 shorts and made it all the way to the register only to receive a strange look from the Hispanic cashier. “You this big, eh?” Always check sizes, but also be flexible with shirts or pants being big, because both of those can be solved by shrinking them in the dryer.
“The last pair of jeans I bought was too big for my waist,” Dozier said. “I went and found a belt, and now I wear them all the time.”
Women, I’m sorry I can’t help much with your selection, but I can tell you that I always see women looking at t-shirts in the men’s section.
“The women’s section has a bunch of weird dresses,” senior Maddie Marr said. “I usually buy shirts and goofy clothes from the guy area.”
So, now that you have found some Hawaiian shirts and short shorts, go ahead and check out. The fun part is about to happen. Let’s say you have 3 shirts and 2 shorts, your total is going to be around $7 to $10. Another cool thing about certain stores is when the store has sales on the already low priced items. Some stores do color tags, and some stores just label an entire section of the store. You will get lucky every now and then with sale prices on awesome clothes that you didn’t even know were on sale.
“The best day to walk into a thrift store is Saturday,” said Dozier. “Everybody knows that Saturday is Super Sale Saturday. I always get double the clothes for half the money.”
The last things to know are the“do not do’s”. The two most important things to never buy, let alone even look at, are underwear and socks. This goes for guys and girls, never ever will you even think about buying used underwear or socks from the wire baskets, no matter how clean they look. Number three on the no-purchase list is hats. These lice-harvesting hair-flatteners are never to be bought in a thrift store. The fourth thing you shouldn’t buy is shoes. Now, if you see awesome shoes in the store don’t be afraid to buy them, but always wear socks.
Guys who buy Polo and girls who buy Miss Me can now stop spending hundreds of dollars for their clothes with my advice. Every thrift store I have ever seen has name brand clothes for much cheaper. You are now ready to live a new life: the thrift life.
