Golightly offers sage advice on how to become a thrift store master.

The first thing to understand when converting to the art of thrift is that the repurposing market is completely different from the new product market. Just like you don’t go to farmer’s market to buy motor oil, you don’t walk into the thrift store and expect standard retail protocol.

We all know the basics of new product retailing. So, let’s discuss a few basics of thrift and the repurposing market:

1. The thrift store does not have a team of shopping behavior researchers and designers aimed at making you pick up those annoying impulse items you later regret. Thrift stores do not build massive displays of products so you will toss another item in your cart. Nor do they research certain music tracks to see what drives the rate of sales.
2. The staff at thrift stores are not sales associates. They are stockers. They stock all day long because the thrift store moves massive loads of product.
3. Thrift stores have no obligation by stock held corporations to always stock certain items or multiple quantities of such items. There is no guarantee that one will find a 500-count set of Egyptian cotton queen-sized sheets with deep pockets when you want them. So, don’t expect thrift stores to bail you out of a pinch. The trick is to avoid pinches. But they happen and sometimes the thrift store pulls through.
4. With this structure comes a newly-found freedom for the shopper. Thrift stores evoke an ancient instinct to forage and to do so without a commissioned sales associate hot on your trail. It’s a bit liberating.
5. Basically, you are on your own and left to your own devices in the thrift store. You are allowed to become a truly independent, creative and resourceful shopper. You can really get in touch with yourself in the thrift store. It’s a great place to collect your thoughts.

When thrifting it is very wise to think ahead because you never know what you’ll find. Some annual events are simply certain: birthdays, holidays, graduations… I know my daughters will be invited to at least 20 birthday parties in the coming year. We know our children will probably need new coats next winter.

So what’s up with last minute purchases on certain events? Retailers, that’s what. Why? People spend more money under pressure. And, let’s be honest, pressure sucks. I feel like the world is trying to turn me into a pressure junkie. So, as you and your mind wander the aisles of the thrift store, be open. You just might find the perfect gift, save a lot of money and lessen your stress. For those of you who think giving a gently used item is tacky, I am here to testify that it is no great feat to find brand new items still in the box in thrift stores. I find new items at thrift store prices quite often.

Now there are certain items one can most always find in thrift stores. Also there are certain items that are wise to have on hand when shopping thrift stores.

Successful thrift store shopping involves a routine. Like so many things in life, pay dirt is not usually struck on the first dig. Like I wrote, thrift stores are designed to quickly move inventory and they are very good at it. So, the trick is to go often.

Visit Goodwill, Association for Retarded Citizens, Disabled American Veterans; The Salvation Army; or The Society of St. Vincent de Paul web sites to view store pages. If there are other major thrift store giants that I have left out, I apologize. Please leave a link to your store locator in the comment section. There are other smaller thrift stores run by hospitals that can be found in your area with The Thrift Shopper. Odds are that several stores will be within the routine radius of your life. For example, there is a thrift store by: the grocery store I shop; my daughter’s swim practice; my bank; and two are a few blocks from my home. One is by my favorite plant nursery and another by a movie theater we sometimes visit. So, I visit several weekly. Others may see me every other week or once a month. The rule is, if you’re near the store, step in. Go! Even if you went three days prior, the inventory will be different.

I highly recommend shopping at charitable stores where the purchase of a repurposed item poetically sends profits to repurpose lives. But, thrift is thrift and whether it be from a non-profit store or a private store, thrifting is good for the planet. It is a fantastic way to lower one’s personal carbon footprint through the simple act of shopping.

An open mind is the key to finding the treasures. You may come out of the store with the mother lode. You may come out empty handed. Make it a routine and I promise it will balance out.

As with many things, you may develop a favorite store. That’s fine. But, keep going to all stores in your routine. Treasure can pop up in the most unsuspecting locations and your favorite store may change. Throughout my thrifting adventures, I tried to figure if there is a better day to hit the stores. I can’t say there is. Don’t worry about the day, just go.

Say there are three stores in the vicinity of your weekly routine. That translates to 30 minutes a week. Now, consider that 30 minutes could save a couple hundred dollars; maybe thousands a year. Say during that 30 minutes you found ten items you need for $20. How much time would it take you to find those ten items in a mall? How much would it cost? Next to spending time with friends and family, thrift store time is valuable. And, since it is incorporated into your life routine, it becomes second nature.

Next week, I’ll talk about shopping tips while in the store. Work these upcoming tips with a routine and you will be transformed from a novice to a thrift master and start saving hundreds, then thousands for your family and have one darn good time doing this.

Photo by James M. Turosak.

Ms Shopping Golightly is a thrift store master and saves thousands for her family each year while keeping her family and home in haute couture. Visit her blog, The Thrifty Chicks. She recently started a new blog Mommy Golightly dedicated to enchanted parenting.