I personally love them (in the uk they are called charity shops).
Obviously, you have to be careful, as some stuff is worn out, but as a general rule they are a great place to find a bargain and donate to charity at the same time!!
That said, i know some people who really dislike them, and hate the though of wearing ' other people's clothes '
I love anyplace I can buy used books. My first copies of LOTR were ten-cent remnants. Also ours carries a variety of movies and music recordings: platters, tapes, dvds, blu-rays.
As for clothes, a good place to find a nice dress jacket for a wedding or funeral.
Also love to go through their collection of cases for glasses, and occasionally I find great (some say kitschy) artwork too.
(This post was edited by Darkstone on Oct 20 2014, 5:28pm)
Yep, I got this dress at a thrift shop. Or possibly a rummage sale, I don't remember which. I very seldom buy new clothes, except for underwear and t-shirts.
I'm a huge fan of buying pre-owned stuff. Take cars: when I need one, I buy a trade-in from one of those people who think you need a new car every 3 years and then drive it for another 10 or 15 years (on my 18th year with my present Subaru). Most of my clothes come from consignment or thrift stores and most of my small appliances I found at Goodwill. I recycle jigsaw puzzles through Goodwill all the time. And our local Habitat for Humanity store is a great place to find deals on furniture.
I also frequent the used book store, but only after I check out the new books store across the way. I do like authors to get royalties and to support independent book stores.
Some of my favorite clothes ever have come from thrift shops. If you're a bit patient and have a keen eye you can get quality stuff that's in great condition for a fraction of the price. I buy new too when it's something that i really like, but i've gotten so much great stuff from thrift stores over the years that it's probably my preferred clothing source. Plus, it's a fun way to spend the afternoon with my mom and sister after our monthly Sunday dinner with my mom's side of the family.
Love them, if they're actually good in the community
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Most of our furniture is second hand, every car I've ever owned (my first car, then my car which is now my husband's, and my van, plus his old car before it died) has been used (new cars are a poor investment- get a one year old certified used and the depreciation is WAY less than driving a new car off a lot and turning it into used, which loses several thousand dollars instantly in value).
I also love thrift stores because I love antiques. Thrift stores are GREAT ways to find them at rock bottom prices (I also love, absolutely LOVE, browsing antique stores, and will sometimes buy from them, but they can be spendy).
Thrift stores (plus our income) are the reason why we still have a box tv, a vcr, and most of our furniture. It's also wonderful because we try to avoid debt as much as possible, and this is one way to afford things we may not otherwise be able to, especially nicer things if you're an observant shopper
The only thrift stores I won't shop at are greedy ones/snobby ones who reject good stuff just because it isn't "brand name", or if their execs make ridiculous amounts in salary while the employees are on food stamps. But then again, that rule tends to apply to most places, so while my income necessitates those stores sometimes (like Walmart- ugh), I try to make as much as I can myself so I don't have to go there for clothing, candles, etc
So basically, if I can make it myself, I do (and thank the Lord I know how to make lots of things and am naturally talented at crafting!). Otherwise, it's usually thrift stores for me (and couponing at the fabric store, buying generic, utilizing bulk stores (like Costco) for things we use a lot of, and watching sales)
Most of the things I collect that can't be picked up off the ground (acorns, feathers, etc.) are from thrift store. I've purchased a very few things at antique stores. (very few) I've purchased some at sales like garage sales and fundraiser 'garage' sales.
In the 70s, I lived a few blocks away from a Goodwill that specialized in antiques. My entire house was furnished in 30s/40s style furniture and many of my clothes were vintage from that time period as well.
Most of my kids' toys came from thrift stores. Back in the day... it was a family outing to go thrift store shopping and we went through periods where we went weekly. When I moved to Minneapolis, I sold everything.
These days, I'm doing less and less thrift store shopping. The stuff I'd buy is being bought up by people who are reselling on eBay, Etsy, or in occasional/vintage shops.
I did go for the first time in a while last week and picked up three oop collectible CDs from our local Public Radio station. resellers on Amazon are selling them for mucho bucks. I paid 99 cents apiece. But I'm not reselling. I like the music (Waltzing with Bears, The Galaxy/Lighten Up, With Her Head Tucked Underneath Her Arm, NaCl / The Sodium Chloride Song).
I'm pretty sure people who know me from online who finally meet me...
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...suspect I'm a hoarder. lol... they're surprised to see how so not the hoarder I am.
My husband isn't overly fond of my rooster collection. And he tried to mock me for collecting rocks once. I put him straight on that matter and he's not done it since. :-)
Uncle Baggins has been fillng our house
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with teapots. This mania started a couple of years ago. He haunts the thrift stores, and buys two or three or four a week. So by the end of the year, there are a couple hundred more in our living room, in boxes. You can't see out the living room window anymore. I'm trying to be patient, because he's a great guy, and at least he's not collecting fast cars or mistresses like some guys do.
When I was haunting thrift stores ... I told myself it was a less dangerous form of mood altering behavior than drinking or gambling.
I always had quests. Children's books when I was reading to school kids... stuff to use for my folk dolls... toys for my kids... small glass salt/pepper shakers when I was giving lily of the valley sprigs to co-workers each spring.
When we were doing combat robots, we got involved in what is called the 'ant league'. Small remote control devices under a few pounds. My kids would find cell phone batteries and convert them to batteries for their robots.
Its kind of amusing to watch my 'love to grab other people's trash' son mix decor styles with my 'graduated with an interior design degree' daughter in law. He did insist on keeping the 'vintage' orange chair he picked out of the neighbor's trash years ago and she went along with it.
I really enjoy the "hunt" - I think I've got a little bit of that treasure hunter DNA in me somewhere, even though I've never found anything spectacular. But I've found some nice clothes and books and costume jewelry brooches (which are fun to collect and take up almost no space), and some decorations for the flowerbeds and so on. Also, it's nice to recycle stuff. And thrift shops are great if you're the kind of person who occasionally needs "shopping therapy" but doesn't want to actually spend money. I found out that I get just as cheered up by a $5 trip to a thrift shop as I would by going to the mall, and without the money regret afterward.
I love going to thrift stores in different cities
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And different neighborhoods in different cities. The Salvation Army in Fells Point in Baltimore is completely different from the Salvation Army out in the suburbs.
The Sloan-Kettering Thrift Shop on NYC's Upper East Side was a treasure trove of stuff and people - from fur coats to kitchy jewelry to beautiful leather handbags. I had almost as much fun watching the people coming in as digging through all the stuff.
Thrift shops are the most amazing thing around. I have hardly any new clothes, they almost all come from thrift shops! You find such great bargains in them too; one time I actually found a Two Towers poster puzzle (COMPLETE) at a Goodwill for just two dollars!
(This post was edited by Gianna on Oct 29 2014, 1:27pm)