8 Must-Follow Thrift Tips

There are many reasons for shopping at a thrift store; from saving money to shopping sustainably to finding unique items. Thrift shopping has also grown in popularity over the years, with the market size of the thrift store industry in America currently at $10.8 billion. Whether you’ve been thrifting for years or have never set foot in a thrift store, this article contains eight thrift tips that everyone will find useful. Keep reading to learn how to have the best thrifting experience possible.

1. Use Yelp to find thrift stores in your area

Before you can begin thrifting, you first need to locate the stores. Yelp is a helpful tool because not only does it display thrift stores in your area, but also provides photographs and reviews for each store.

2. Create a shopping list

Walking down aisle after aisle can feel overwhelming, sometimes causing you to forget your original intentions. Having a set shopping list allows you to stay on track and search for specific pieces without getting distracted by the volume of items in the store.

3. Only make intentional purchases

Building off tip #2, only buy items you really like or need. Making a shopping list helps you keep your focus. Another tip for avoiding impulse buys is to only carry cash when thrifting. It is easy to swipe a credit or debit card and buy something, but only carrying a set amount of cash causes you to stop and contemplate your purchases.

4. Learn which days of the week are best for thrifting

Many seasoned thrifters recommend shopping on Mondays and Tuesdays. The stores are often less crowded at the beginning of the week, with most shoppers visiting the thrift on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Also figure out the sale days for your local thrift stores. For example, Goodwill offers a “Color of the Week” tag sale, where all items with a specific color tag are 50% off.

5. Get items tailored

Thrift stores are a great place to find unique pieces. A potential downside is if you find a cool item that doesn’t fit quite right, you typically do not have the luxury of swapping that item out for a different size. A quick fix to this problem, however, is to get your thrifted items tailored. Not only will you have a unique clothing item, but the piece will perfectly fit your body.

6. Shop for off-season items

Seek out clothing that is out of season. These pieces won’t be in high demand and therefore will sport lower price tags.

7. Prep for your thrift trips

Show up at the thrift store prepared. Bring hand sanitizer, a tape measure (a necessity when thrifting furniture), and tight clothes to try on items over. Circling back to tip #2, bringing a list with you is another great way to prepare.

8. Looking for a specific item? Try online thrifting

Do you have a super specific clothing item you are trying to track down? Going from thrift store to thrift store is an inefficient way to search for an item. Instead, use online search engines to find the exact piece you are looking for. A few online thrifting sites include thredUP, eBay, and resale apps such as Depop and Poshmark.