I wasn't very great at thrifting until this year. Every time I would go to thrift stores I would leave disappointed because I didn't have much patience to browse every item or would leave with only one item. Which is still pretty disappointing to me. I felt like I was not doing this thrifting thing right and should just stick to traditional retail shopping. After going with my best friend, it turns out I was just not going in with the right mindset. After several visits now, I can definitely say that
1. Give yourself time
Thrift shopping is a lot more time consuming than shopping at a retail store. If you shop frequently at a specific store, then you most likely have the layout somewhat memorized but that's completely different at a thrift store. The layout varies from store to store and merchandise changes often. You really don't want to go to a thrift store with only a few minutes to browse because chances are you'll leave empty handed. I personally give myself around an hour or a little more to browse and try things on.
2. Search colors and categories that you actually like
Initially I sucked at thrift shopping because I was browsing through items I wouldn't actually wear. Don't look through articles of clothing that you wouldn't actually wear even if you tell yourself you will. I like to look through tops, denim, jackets/sweaters because I know I'm bound to find something I'll actually wear. Goodwill's tend to separate items by color for the most part so browse the colors you know you'd wear.
3. Try on clothing/shoes
I really enjoy browsing the men's section for t-shirts, sweaters, and flannels. Especially the flannels in their long sleeve section. Don't be worried if people look at you weird because a woman's shopping in the men's section. No one cares and you'll find awesome gems.
5. Look into miscellaneous items
Also don't forget to look into all of the miscellaneous items at stores. You can find pretty unique home decor pieces, accessories, belts, handbags, books, movies, etc. You can also find furniture and just fix it up for a better appearance! (inexpensive DIYs, yes please!)
I hope this inspired you all to visit your local thrift stores but also reminder to be realistic! Remember they won't look like retail stores and will be disorganized. But it reduces your ecological footprint because essentially it's like recycling clothes and giving them a second life. It's inexpensive compared to shopping at retail stores. I hope you found this helpful and comment any more tips below.
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