Thrift/Consigment Store ?'s

[merryns.mom]

okay, i always read that many of you love thrift/cons. stores for your shopping, but what stores? i live in a small town and all we have is a salvation army that has nothing in it newer than 1978. i'm barely a size 4 now after losing so much weight after baby, and work in finance, so i need to dress appropriately.

i'm trying to find fall/winter outfits for my new body, but have little/no finances for it

any help?

[Ruthla]

If there aren't any good thrift stores in your area, then I'd look online. Ebay, the Trading Post here on MDC, etc. You might even do well on Craigslist, if anybody in your general region is selling clothes that would work for you.

[Aufilia]

How close are you to larger cities? I've had great luck buying regular clothing that I'm using as maternity (it's cheaper AND more stylin') at our Goodwill, but we're in a large and affluent city, so people toss out some good stuff here. I have also found some good deals at Ross Dress for Less and Marshall's, so if you have a store like that within driving distance it might be worth your while to try it. I don't buy from eBay or Craigslist because I don't like to buy clothes without actually trying them on first.

[GardenStream]

I'm not a big fan of the Goodwill (it's expensive) around here and the local Salvation Army is disgusting. I have much better luck at the smaller church run places around me. I stop in about once a week. Sometimes I find 4 or 5 great things and sometimes I don't find anything.

[MissMommyNiceNice]

I the goodwill. It's a little more expensive than the Salvation Army, but totally worth it. It is especially fantastic for sweaters both wool & cashmere. Which never cost more than $4 or $5 (for cashmere, I'm not complaining!).

I've also had good luck finding nice jeans like Columbia & Lands End. In my city, the richer people take their things to the Goodwill. And it shows. I once got a great pair of brand new Banana Republic wool pants with a nice lining for like $8. In my book, that's way better than $80.

I would look for one closer to you. They often have great selection in nice sizes. And unlike the salvation army, it is cleaner and better organized.

[SleeplessMommy]

I have found the best shopping at smaller thrift shops - church run, local non-profit run, etc. There is significant variation, depending on who is donating. If I drive 3 hours to a major metro area (much higher household income) the shopping becomes significantly better - nicer clothing, newer books, nicer toys. Even Lego sets with the inner bags still sealed.

[CHoney]

I find there aren't many small sizes to choose from at thrift stores (or at least the ones where I live). There's usually only a handful of items my size (2-4). I've realized that it's just too difficult to find clothing my size at thrift shops, so I usually wait for sales at the mall. You can usually find lots of nice things on clearance in smaller sizes.

I'm not sure how you feel about Walmart, but I bought a few pairs of nice dress pants for work there that were really inexpensive. You could buy a black and grey pair of pants, or a black skirt to start your wardrobe.

I have the most success buying toys, household items, and fabric at thrift stores. I use my savings to justify buying new clothes.

[annethcz]

I like any store where clothing is sorted by size. This seems to be more common in smaller and non-chain stores. Although larger stores like Goodwill have a bigger selection, I don't often have the patience to sift through all of the racks in an attempt to find something that might fit.

Today I spent the afternoon in a thrift/consignment store in a little town (population 3000), and came away with several great deals.