The official THRIFT STORE tips and best practices thread - Page 2

look for working buttonholes on suit jackets, it may be a sign of quality (but not always)

p.s. I've thrifted for years and have lots of tips, but here's just one for now to get this thread going

Working buttonholes isn't something I usually look for, though they very well might be a sign of quality. In a thrifted jacket, I'd almost rather not have them as there is a decent chance that I'm going to have to alter the arm length. I think a good thing to remember when looking for quality is to check for canvasing vs. fusing.

+1

Check the women's shirts/jackets/blazer section. A lot of men's stuff is misplaced there. The ripping tag thing, although it goes against a lot of morals, works great. I've done it a bunch of times and it works. I used to work at the Salvation Army and I've seen customers do this quite a bit too. Couldn't blame them either, as the manager's pricing was insane. Most recent place I've done this was at the Goodwill. Had a nice recent Zegna mainline sportcoat. They wanted $100. Way too much for a thrift. I had them reprice it and it came back out at $6.99 - the same price as all the other jackets.

What a nice bit of Christmas spirit in this post. I commend thee idfnl! The "Be Humble" works like a charm as well. Just dress down in some old jeans and a sweater or t-shirt.

Re: Thrift stores' firm prices...

When you see a garment that you like, but you are balking somewhat at the price, inspect the garment for flaws. We're talking thrift stores here, so there is often a flaw (small moth hole here or there, rip in the lining, slight seam damage, etc.), and if it isn't marked "as is" or something, you should point it out to them. It's something that you should be checking anyway, for your own good, of course.

Often, costing less than the amount which you are able to talk a thrift store down, your tailor can fix it for you. For example, I was able to talk a store down $15 or $20 on a J. Press tweed suit for a 3/32" moth hole right on the shoulder, and my tailor made it disappear for $10. So, I'm up $5 or $10 and I have a (seemingly) flawless shoulder!

Make nice with the staff.
Policies are often flexible for a friendly regular.

Someone is going to be handing you humble guys some claiborne suits when they see you are dressed down

I LOVE me some Claiborne suits. I hope and pray they're of the polyester variety.

There's a place near my house that refers to overpriced items as being from their "couture collection."

Try to buy out of season items.

For example, right now, the sweaters and jackets are heavily scoured, while short sleeve shirts are barely touched. It is the opposite in the summer. No one much looks at the sweaters and jackets.

Work this to your advantage. You will be surprised all the nice winterwear you find the summer and linen/seersucker and short sleeve shirts in the winter.