The official THRIFT STORE tips and best practices thread

[the_economist]

I think you're misunderstanding him. The OP never said he switched the tags (which would be like stealing the price difference), he said he rips the tag off of the overpriced merch. This is just mischief--it creates a hassle for the staff to have to re-price the items. He said it's a way to send them a message, not a way to get the stuff for the price you feel like paying. This is not fraud.

Originally Posted by YoungAmerican

Straightening out? Seriously? Because they want to decide how much to charge for their goods?

If you don't like the prices a business is charging, you don't buy the item. You don't try to defraud the business! Of course, that applies whether or not the business is a non-profit, but in the non-profit case, it's doubly immoral and shameful.

You're a pathetic guy, who has the self-regard to defraud charities.

 

[swb120]

Originally Posted by YoungAmerican

Generally speaking, when I see a price on the tag in a store that I wouldn't be willing to pay, I leave the item behind. I don't switch the tags in an attempt to scam the store out of money. Especially when the store is a non-profit, run to help addicts in recovery and indigents. Your line between pocketing ties and switching price tags is ridiculous, and it seems to be fueled by an almost unfathomable sense of entitlement. Seriously pathetic.
Agree completely with this poster. This removing tags business is absolutely dishonest and reprehensible.

 

[amerikajinda]

One piece of thrift store advice is to walk along the row of sweaters with your hand out so that you touch each and every sweater as you walk, and then just stop when you feel cashmere. This is how I routinely get cashmere sweaters for $5 instead of $125. Another piece of advice (obvious to most, but I'll say it anyway) is that when you find a suit that you're interested in, be sure to turn the trousers inside-out and inspect them closely for any type of discoloration on the bemberg lining. Any stains = put it back. Pristine = keeper. Someone mentioned that you should put back any shirts or suit jackets with someone else's initials sewn into it... I disagree -- all you need is a seam ripper. Then when you get home, carefully remove the monogramming. I did this to a Barba shirt I found, and you could never tell the initials were ever there. I also did this to a Tom James suit with working buttonholes that had a "made for so-and-so tag on the inside" - took it home and removed the previous owner's name. More advice -- if you're unsure whether a particular shirt you're eyeing has real mother-of-pearl buttons, hold a button up to the bottom of your lip (your lips are very sensitive) and if it's cold, then it's real MOP. If you don't feel a change in temperature, then it's plastic. Find out when the thrift shops that you visit have standing sales... e.g., there's one near my home where everything's 25% off on Wednesdays, and another where everything's 50% off on certain holidays. Always check the area near the dressing rooms where people put clothes on after they've tried them on and decided they don't want them... the "reshelving" racks and such... and also glance through the racks of new clothes that stockists are putting out on the floor - you know you're the first to see them and they haven't been picked over. Become familiar with as many high-end brand names as you can. Oftentimes, "obscure" (but not obscure to most of us here on SF) brand names like Lorenzini, Barbera, Kiton, Borrelli, Canali, Brioni, Bizzochi, Zegna, etc. etc. are priced less than "famous" brand names like Nautica, Gap, Geoffrey Beene, Claiborne, Polo, etc. It's always a good feeling to get a Lorenzini dress shirt for $5, when next to it is a Nautica shirt marked at $14.95! One rule of thumb is to always leave things just as you found them... don't try on a shirt and then just toss it over the rack of shirts when you don't want it -- put it back on the hanger. The thrift shop employees really appreciate this common courtesy. When looking at suits -- if the store marks the price tag with the size of the suit as well, DON'T just go by the size they say the suit is because they're oftentimes wrong. Always look inside the right breast pocket for the size/fabric content label and verify for yourself. Check out as many stores as you can, or as many as you have time for. Variety is the key... One of my best finds ever at a thrift shop was a 7-fold Kiton tie that I found at a thrift store in a seedy area of Washington, D.C. Don't be afraid to visit neighborhoods with thrift shops that you otherwise would have absolutely no business visiting. For a list of thrift shops in your area, enter your zip code here. Be sure to try everything on before you leave the store. One good thing about thrift shops is that everything (except the NWT items obviously) has already been laundered, so when you try on a dress shirt and button up the collar and it fits perfectly, you don't have to worry that after you send it to the cleaners it will come back tighter.

 

[merkur]

..

 

[Marcus Brody]

Originally Posted by amerikajinda

Become familiar with as many high-end brand names as you can. Oftentimes, "obscure" (but not obscure to most of us here on SF) brand names like Lorenzini, Barbera, Kiton, Borrelli, Canali, Brioni, Bizzochi, Zegna, etc. etc. are priced less than "famous" brand names like Nautica, Gap, Geoffrey Beene, Claiborne, Polo, etc. It's always a good feeling to get a Lorenzini dress shirt for $5, when next to it is a Nautica shirt marked at $14.95!

Related to this, it's also good to find out and remember the names of your area's former high end men's wear stores. Some might have gone out of business. Often you'll find really nice suits/jackets/etc tailored specifically for the store and some of them can be really nice. Often the actual brand can be kind of hidden, so you can do a quick quality estimate by looking at the store.

 

[idfnl]

Originally Posted by swb120

Agree completely with this poster. This removing tags business is absolutely dishonest and reprehensible.

Since this thread has gone off topic with phony richeousness, I deleted the bit about ripping the tags off from the OP. Let's focus on advice and tips, shall we?

• When it comes to ties, the first place most people inspect is the end (widest part) for stains/damage, I've learned to inspect the area where the front V of the knot would be made first, that's where the wear tends to be and perma-gunk from a guy that never un-did the tie and let his triple chin rub up against it for years.

• Fear not the sock bin... I have found many brand new pairs of socks there, and I dont mean once worn, I mean with tags.

 

[stevp1]

Originally Posted by amerikajinda

One piece of thrift store advice is to walk along the row of sweaters with your hand out so that you touch each and every sweater as you walk, and then just stop when you feel cashmere. This is how I routinely get cashmere sweaters for $5 instead of $125.

Another piece of advice (obvious to most, but I'll say it anyway) is that when you find a suit that you're interested in, be sure to turn the trousers inside-out and inspect them closely for any type of discoloration on the bemberg lining. Any stains = put it back. Pristine = keeper.

Someone mentioned that you should put back any shirts or suit jackets with someone else's initials sewn into it... I disagree -- all you need is a seam ripper. Then when you get home, carefully remove the monogramming. I did this to a Barba shirt I found, and you could never tell the initials were ever there. I also did this to a Tom James suit with working buttonholes that had a "made for so-and-so tag on the inside" - took it home and removed the previous owner's name.

More advice -- if you're unsure whether a particular shirt you're eyeing has real mother-of-pearl buttons, hold a button up to the bottom of your lip (your lips are very sensitive) and if it's cold, then it's real MOP. If you don't feel a change in temperature, then it's plastic.

Find out when the thrift shops that you visit have standing sales... e.g., there's one near my home where everything's 25% off on Wednesdays, and another where everything's 50% off on certain holidays.

Always check the area near the dressing rooms where people put clothes on after they've tried them on and decided they don't want them... the "reshelving" racks and such... and also glance through the racks of new clothes that stockists are putting out on the floor - you know you're the first to see them and they haven't been picked over.

Become familiar with as many high-end brand names as you can. Oftentimes, "obscure" (but not obscure to most of us here on SF) brand names like Lorenzini, Barbera, Kiton, Borrelli, Canali, Brioni, Bizzochi, Zegna, etc. etc. are priced less than "famous" brand names like Nautica, Gap, Geoffrey Beene, Claiborne, Polo, etc. It's always a good feeling to get a Lorenzini dress shirt for $5, when next to it is a Nautica shirt marked at $14.95!

One rule of thumb is to always leave things just as you found them... don't try on a shirt and then just toss it over the rack of shirts when you don't want it -- put it back on the hanger. The thrift shop employees really appreciate this common courtesy.

When looking at suits -- if the store marks the price tag with the size of the suit as well, DON'T just go by the size they say the suit is because they're oftentimes wrong. Always look inside the right breast pocket for the size/fabric content label and verify for yourself.

Check out as many stores as you can, or as many as you have time for. Variety is the key... One of my best finds ever at a thrift shop was a 7-fold Kiton tie that I found at a thrift store in a seedy area of Washington, D.C. Don't be afraid to visit neighborhoods with thrift shops that you otherwise would have absolutely no business visiting. For a list of thrift shops in your area, enter your zip code here.

Be sure to try everything on before you leave the store. One good thing about thrift shops is that everything (except the NWT items obviously) has already been laundered, so when you try on a dress shirt and button up the collar and it fits perfectly, you don't have to worry that after you send it to the cleaners it will come back tighter.

Wow. all excellent advice. I've seen lots of names that I don't know, although I'm learning, and I'm not sure if they're real high-end designers or just past used house brands from retail stores.

 

[YoungAmerican]

Originally Posted by the_economist

I think you're misunderstanding him. The OP never said he switched the tags (which would be like stealing the price difference), he said he rips the tag off of the overpriced merch. This is just mischief--it creates a hassle for the staff to have to re-price the items. He said it's a way to send them a message, not a way to get the stuff for the price you feel like paying. This is not fraud.

He removes the tags, then asks them to be re-priced.

That aside, thanks for lots of great tips from amerikajinda.

Above all else, if there's a store near you, talk to the folks who work there and find out when new stock goes out. Sometimes it's first thing in the morning, sometimes not. There are sometimes resellers that already know, and you'll have to compete with them, but they're usually looking for vintage more than contemporary stuff, and are unlikely to know all the brands that folks here know, anyway. When I lived around the corner from a Salvation Army, I got a lot of stuff by knowing when new stuff went out.

 

[YoungAmerican]

Originally Posted by Marcus Brody

Related to this, it's also good to find out and remember the names of your area's former high end men's wear stores. Some might have gone out of business. Often you'll find really nice suits/jackets/etc tailored specifically for the store and some of them can be really nice. Often the actual brand can be kind of hidden, so you can do a quick quality estimate by looking at the store.

This is a great one, and is useful on Ebay as well.

 

[otc]

Originally Posted by YoungAmerican

He removes the tags, then asks them to be re-priced.

Not that I am condoning it but this doesn't seem so bad. Switching tags is one thing but if you pull off a tag that seems extremely high and ask them to reprice it you should theoretically be OK.

If they put a new price on it that is lower then it probably was mistakenly overpriced vs similar items. You are still paying a price that the store is asking for that particular item (whereas switching tags you are paying for one thing and taking another). If they put on a price that is the same or higher then too bad, the store wants to sell it for that price.

 

[scwtlover]

Originally Posted by amerikajinda

For a list of thrift shops in your area, enter your zip code here.[

The link doesn't seem to be working. I get "page load error."

 

[jmacak]

Originally Posted by otc

Not that I am condoning it but this doesn't seem so bad. Switching tags is one thing but if you pull off a tag that seems extremely high and ask them to reprice it you should theoretically be OK.

If they put a new price on it that is lower then it probably was mistakenly overpriced vs similar items. You are still paying a price that the store is asking for that particular item (whereas switching tags you are paying for one thing and taking another). If they put on a price that is the same or higher then too bad, the store wants to sell it for that price.

Well, I can see where yanking the tag and getting the item repriced is good for the thrift if the item is obviously priced way out of range.

I've watched many of these overpriced items sit and sit until the 99 cent day for that particular tag. If they were priced (re-priced as advocated above), the maybe they would have sold at the more reasonable price before reaching the 99 cent giveaway price.

cheers

joe

 

[jmacak]

I find that sometimes if pays to check the ladies section even if you are concerned only with men's items.

I have found clothing that has either been mis-placed or that has been 'stashed' awaiting the special sale day by someone who is less than scrupulous.

It's good if you can try to remember the patterns of jackets/pants as you look through them. I don't know how many times, while looking through the pants, the pattern/color rings a bell, and I am able to make up a suit. It's even better if it fits and is something that you like.

cheers

joe

 

[jmacak]

One thing that has really helped me is learning to do my own alterations. With this knowledge I am a lot more confident that something that I buy (e.g. a suit) will be useful (wearable). I can determine if it is possible to alter an item to fit me nicely. This way, if I see a suit that I like, I need only try the jacket to see if it is a decent alterable fit. I don't think that any suit that I've bought fit properly without at least a little altering.

Anyway, who wants to pay more for alterations than the purchase price?

cheers

joe

 

[stevp1]

In a few of the stores I've been in, I've seen various items of clothing from a brand "Savile Row". Does this line actually have anything to do with the real Row? Or is it just a brand name somebody hooked on to? Is it quality stuff? i've seen shirts, jackets and other things.

Just wondering.