Over the weekend, I convinced an “I hate shopping” person to try thrifting for the first time. Which got me to thinking how absolutely overwhelming it can be even just walking into the store to try and find something.
In this case, we were targeting the kid’s clothes, which made it a bit easier to be ‘strategic’ about what we were looking for. If you’ve been wanting to try thrifting and don’t know where to start, here are a few of my tips for a thrifting first timer:
Do Your Homework
Write down a list of what you want/need before you come. If you know you need winter items in a size 4T, write down on a piece of paper or in your phone EXACTLY what you’re looking for: winter coat, long sleeve shirts, sweatshirts, sweatpants, mittens, etc. Check your drawers to see what you already have too, so that you don’t buy a duplicate you don’t actually need.
Go Straight to your Targeted Section
Go to the section on your list FIRST. This helps with thrift fatigue. It’s super easy to get distracted by all the cool stuff and suddenly you’re in the electronics department or picking out a new set of dishes and you’re too exhausted to even deal with the kid’s section. Stick to the plan – at least when you walk in the door.
Accumulate, and Then Purge
Go through the row and grab everything that meets your criteria and throw it in your cart. Then, once you’ve gone through all the options, pull your cart over out of the way and hang your items up to review them. Put all the sweatpants together, the long sleeve tops, etc. Then, go through each group one by one to make your selections. Pick your favorites, check for wear/stains/holes and don’t forget to compare prices. Sometimes a very similar item can have a wildly different price, so make an educated decision.
Do a Second Round but Expand Sizing
Go through the racks again, now that you know where you’re still lacking items. And this time, expand your search to the next size up. Many times things are donated due to shrinkage or sizing issues… so be sure to check other sizes too!
If You Love It, Buy It
This is super true with kid’s clothes – does your little girl need a blue denim jacket AND a pink denim jacket? Probably not. But at $5 for the first and a sale color price of $2 for the second… get them both and you won’t regret it! Worst case scenario, your kiddo barely wears them, and you donate both for another kid to enjoy.
Be Patient
If you’re not finding exactly what you’re looking for, just try again in a couple weeks. You don’t have to settle… just give it a little time.
Happy Thrifting!
