Have You Gone Thrift Store Shopping? You'll Never Guess What I Found...

This week I went with one of my friends to a couple of thrift stores in search for her Halloween costume. During one of our thrift store stops, I came across an amazing VALENTINO long white cardigan; I just had to share with you. It was brand new, with the price tags still on. The price tag read $1,000, but the thrift store had priced it at $90. It’s sooo crazy to see all the amazing things you can find at thrift stores, so in case you haven’t visited one yet, I suggest you do…pronto! Here are some tips/things I learned that might help you out when you go thrift store shopping. Also let us know what amazing things you’ve found while thrift store shopping.

* It doesn’t hurt to ask for a discount. Yes, I know the prices are already low to begin with, but in my opinion any money that you save helps. The lady at the thrift store I visited told me that if an item has any defects such as a hole they’ll usually honor a 10% or even 20% off the item. So make sure to look out for any defects. Also, even some thrift stores have sales, so be sure to find out if and when they’ll be happening.

* Some thrift stores don’t have dressing rooms, so make sure you wear fitted clothes that you can easily try clothes over. Whatever you do…don’t buy without trying. This should be for everything…not just shopping at thrift stores. You don’t want to get home to find that it actually looks a lot better on the hanger than it does on.

*Not all the clothes are used. Take the Valentino cardigan that I found with the tags still on for example. Make sure you look carefully through the racks. Although it might be overwhelming at first, you never know when you’ll find a hidden gem.

*Keep checking thrift stores often. You’ll never know when something great might pop up. When I went to the thrift store the cashier told me that a lady had donated brand new Prada and YSL shoes the week before. Needless to say at $15 a pair the shoes went quick.

*Don’t buy what you don’t need. Seeing items at such low prices might make you want to buy things even if you don’t need it. Don’t do it, instead of saving money by shopping at a thrift store, you’re actually wasting money if you’re not going to wear it. One thing I learned from a book I recently read was to ask yourself a series of questions such as: Do I need this; Do I already have something like this; Do I already have something at home I can wear it with.

*You’re supporting a good cause. Most thrift stores donate part of the proceeds to organizations. For example, the thrift store that I visited donated part of the proceeds of my purchase to women shelters. So not only did I feel great that I got a great item at an amazing price, but that money went to help someone else.