Thrifting Tips and Etiquette

[firepixie]

I searched craftster and since something like this didn't come up on the first five pages i figured there wasn't a thread like this already.  Moderators feel free to move, merge or edit this accordingly.

We all know that thrift stores are a great and cheap way to find blasts from the pasts to wear alone or to remake into our own awesome creations but sometimes i see things that i believe are completely rude to do while thrifting so heres my thoughts on etiquette take it or leave it...

While thrifting today with my boyfriend i realized that he wasn't quite up on the etiquette for thrifting.  He payed for a bag of skeleton hands priced at 25 cents with a twenty dollar bill, and he had a single he could've used, I don't know about anyone else but for me this is a kinda no-no.
so that brings me to my general etiquette for thrifting:
   -bring a bunch of small bills, a lot of people who cannot afford new clothes come to thrift shops and I always feel like its rude to rub money in their faces
    -Don't pull stuff off racks and not put it back, a lot of stores just have one person on duty at a time to stock, cover the register and answer the phone
    -Bartering or "Talking Down" is only appropriate in some places
         Appropriate Bartering Places:Pawn shops, flea markets or antique stores(but unless the person is owner of the booth they're ussually only authorized to knock off 15-20%), any place marked "Buy/sell/trade", garage/yard sales, and swap meets
         Innappropriate Bartering Places:  charity stores like the DAV of Goodwill (goodwill usually dosent need bartering because theyre fairly cheap anyway), Chain secondhand shops like Platos Closet, and independently owned and operated consignment stores
     -dont critique the cleanliness or the store, most places are shooting to make a sale, not to make your buying expierience pleasuable, besides if the spent a lot of money cleaning they'd have to charge more
     
General Tips:
 -Germ-x is your friend between shops
 -wearing old clothes are good because they probably will get dirty
 -wash anything you buy BEFORE you wear it
 -bring a buddy because they may spot something you dont notice
 -be very careful how much you spend: when you get more bang for your buck, you're more likely to spend more bucks

places vary on cleanliness (and i promise this will be the last thing)
so i have made a cleanliness meter
cleanest=chain stores (Plato's Closet being the biggest)
pretty clean=consignment stores (where people sell their old clothes and the store just gets a portion of the profit) and well-known "downtown" thrift stores
kinda clean=antique stores and flea markets (they can be anywhere from here and down)
a little crusty=garage sales (can be anywhere from here to the rest of the way down)
dirty= thrift stores for charities



i would really like it if other people had tips of whatnot to add to this!!!!
i hope this comes in handy sorry that i ramble so....
love always!
starg*rltheskagirl

[WIPs]

Good tips. I have yet to go to a thrift store.

[_Suicidal_Angel_]

hmm good idea i have just started working at a thrift store and a few days ago a guy in a suit came in and bought a few things (may i add he looked like he was never going to use them) and tried to pay with a 100 dollar bill for about 10$ worth of stuff i told him that we didn't have enough money to break a 100 and then he said "well then i'll try some where else then"
is it just me but this guy was rude and not very Etiquette like at all
but sorry if it was off topic but the guy kinda ticked me off...

[Bond Girl]

Yeh when op shopping (as we call it here in Aus ) I alway smake sure I have some coins or small notes, because they often won't have the change if you're only buying something that's a few dollars. 

Also I would never bargain in an op shop!  Some people say you can in the bigger chain op shops run by big charities like the Slavos whose prices are getting quite high on some things, but still there's no way I do it :S

[kittycitycrafter]

I love thrift stores!

Used them when I "had" to; now use them because I want to! You can find such off the wall unique items.  I also like to repurpose items!

My teenage daughter used to load up!  With those prices, I didn't have to tell her no.  She got many cute outfits.

I agree with it being rude (especially expecting change for a $100 bill) to bring large bills!

Some tips to add:

1) Carry a small tape measure.  You never know when you will find an item and wonder if it will fit into that perfect spot.

2) Carry a list of measurements for those spots that you may be trying to fill.  Think: furniture, curtains, tables, beds, wall space for pic.s, etc.  Don't forget to measure door widths/heights to be sure it will fit into your place!

3) Carry a list of sizes: shoes, dress, lengths, etc. of others (or self if you have a short memory!) that may benefit from that bargain.

4) Carry small color/pattern samples of important items you want to compliment.

5) Carry a small flashlight.  I actually have used this!  It is good for checking under/inside of items, and once, I was at a consignment/antique type store that had no elec., but was still open.  I found some nice items in dark corners! (Besides, I carry one with me everywhere since 9/11.)

6) Bungee cords! To strap that unexpected huge item securely into your tiny vehicle!  Strong tape and rope helps too.

7) Stain remover sheets/pens to check to see if a spot is permanent or can be removed. "Wet Ones" or similar wipes in small packets, to see if crud is permanent or removable.

A list of items others collect, need, etc.

9) peds for trying on shoes (It's amazing how often you can find cute, lightly or unused shoes. People get the wrong size or they get them for one occasion and never again wear them.  Sometimes stores donate their clearance items!)

10) plastic shopping bags (I take a big bag of these with me to donate.  Our Salvation Army stores reuse them. They are usually very thankful for them.)

11) and, of course, bring an open mind and your imagination for ways to reuse the items!

[Bond Girl]

10) plastic shopping bags (I take a big bag of these with me to donate.  Our Salvation Army stores reuse them. They are usually very thankful for them.)

Oh yes another tip for Aussie craftsters is that I don't think the Salvos stores provide plastic bags anymore, so you are expected to bring your one enviro bag to stash your bargains in

[pocketwatch]

Not ettiquette, but a tip: Every thrift store I've been to has had awful music- the chains like Salvation army have some sort of jazz and the consignment shop by my house has gospel music or love songs that must be from the forties. So I just bring something to listen to.

[firepixie]

a few days ago a guy in a suit came in and bought a few things (may i add he looked like he was never going to use them) and tried to pay with a 100 dollar bill for about 10$ worth of stuff i told him that we didn't have enough money to break a 100 and then he said "well then i'll try some where else then"

that would make me really mad too...!  i would probably lose my job for saying some very mean bad things to him 

you have some great tips kittycitycrafter i would've never thought of that.....and as awkward as this is i wish my mom were more like you...she hates thrift shops and if i buy anything she ussually either throws it away or gets mad at me if i wear it....

bond girl...what is an "op shop"?  i dont know the term...

pocketwatch: ive never noticed that!!!!  how freakin observant you are!!!!

ok...goodnight all!
starg*rltheskagirl

[cranteach]

Good tips, all -- although I don't feel bad putting stuff on the "hang back up" rack at Value Village, which has people working for that very purpose. 

My peeve is the halloween costume or costume party shoppers who loudly make fun of the store, ignoring the fact that many people shop there by necessity and might be sensitive about it. 

 

[ImaginationsEnd]

One thing I've noticed about thrift stores is that the bags I've gotten tend to make my clothes smell awful (The thrift stores around here re-use donated grocery bags). It saves the store supplies and yourself some trouble if you bring your own bag.

Also - another thing that tends to make your shopping experience more pleasant - thank the thrift store workers! A lot of the shops around here don't pay their employees, they're volunteers. So if you thank them, they definately remember you, and may even give you a heads up on some cool items they've gotten in.