Know your stores...

• Red corduroy jacket: Goodwill for $5.49 (I am wearing this with EVERYTHING now)
• Striped, sequin tank top: ON clearance rack for $1.50
• Gold sparrow necklace: Plato's closet for $3
• Brown pants: ON thrifted at Goodwill for $3.99 (I've posted these before, they are a great neutral)
• Red, shiny, shoes: A gift from a friend
• Gold earrings: I bought so long ago I have no idea where they came from, but just saw something similar at Forever 21.
• Purse: Deal of the Century!!! Genuine Brighton bag purchased at a second hand store for $5!!!!

Ok, so you have made your list, you have found a shopping buddy, now what? Now you need to find a place to shop! There are a few things that you need to know before you head out because not all shops are the same.

1. Where the shop is located is usually where the area the donated items came from. 

• People tend to donate close to home. So if you are looking for name brands, items with new tags on them, or barely used items, you are better off going to a store in a nicer area. Looking for trendy items? Shop near a college campus. 

2. Goodwills get returned and over stock items from Target. 

• Many of the the things that I have purchased have still had the new tags on them from my local Target. I'm not sure of how this deal works, but I've heard that Target sells the items to Goodwill for 90% off or something crazy like that and then they are allowed to resell them. Wrapping paper, lamps, shoes, clothes, school supplies, Halloween costumes, etc. You can find them there!

3. Many stores have discount days or a Color of the Week. 

• As items come in, the stores normally tag them with a specific color barb or tag. This tracks when the item was taken in. After a certain amount of weeks, stores will offer the items at a discount to clear them out to make room for new items. 
• Thrift stores offer seasonal discounts as well. They don't want racks full of shorts when people are looking for sweaters just like regular stores.

4. Some places have standardized pricing and others do not.

• Goodwills tend to price there items by category. (ex: $5.99 for all dresses, $1.99 for all t-shirts) This is great when you are looking for name brands because there is no mark up just because something is a nicer item. My OCD loves this because everything is the same.
• On the flip side, some of the more "unorganized" places I've been, I have gotten some great items for $1 or less, just because the person pricing it didn't know what they had or didn't care. 

5. Most places have a no return policy or a very strict one.

• Make sure you try things on and inspect them well because most stores will not let you return them. If they do have a return policy it is usually within 7 days, with the receipt, and you only get store credit.

6. Every once in a while stores will offer large sales on the whole store to clear out items.

• Check and see if your store has an email list or a fan page on Facebook. This way you can be the first one to know what's coming.

So what about you? Do you know any other store secrets? I'd love to hear them!

peace, love, and cute shoes,

~chris


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