Bkmrk.
I prefer Salvation Army and the consignment stores. I heard the head of Goodwill is a big Lefty so I avoid that place.
We’ve furnished most of our very cozy home with Thrift store and garage sales treasures. Have done so for 49 years now, and I’ve have had to contain myself and STOP at this point.
I dropped several sizes this year and needed to replace spring, summer, fall and winter wardrobes and sometimes twice. Thrift stores kept each total makeover cost less than 100 a season. Included work and casual clothes. Even got senior discount.
Great way to start the day after Christmas, discussing some of my favorite things.
In the middle of a rain storm my wife saw me on a ladder cleaning out a clogged rain gutter. She came out and said, “You shouldn’t be doing that kind of work in a $150 Columbia jacket, you’ll ruin it.” I said “Its not a $150 jacket its a $7 Goodwill jacket.” ;o)
Oh, and not to hijack this thread I’ve also found amazing treasures in dumpsters. But that is for another time.
Might add that January will be a big haul month. People getting new stuff for Christmas will be donating their old stuff. Great deals ahead!
My closet is full of $12 sport coats from Goodwill.
Hart Schaffner & Marx.
Silk, camel hair, cashmere, etc.
Italian made.
Shoes include multiple pairs of essentially new Allen Edmonds hand-made in America. New: $400. Goodwill: $13.
Shirts by all the great makers, usually brand new. Retail: $50+. Goodwill: $6.99.
Most days, I’m completely GQ head to toe by Goodwill for under $50.
Just recently found a spit load of VHS tapes in the attic from the kids’ earlier days ( sporting events, graduations, pageant stuff, bozo show, weddings etc....)
wonder how am I going to convert these. Then it dawned on me, maybe “Savers” (a goodwill type of place) has old VHS players.
First good idea (according to my wife) I’ve had in awhile. Bought 2 for 6 bucks.(circa 1999) No remotes, but between the 2 of them, we were able to play all the old tapes.
I managed thrift stores for forty-three years until finally retiring three years ago. Unfortunately, now I keep having these convoluted dreams about them—which I never did when I was working.
I could write a book on all of the things I’ve found in thrift shops. I’ve got a side business reselling mostly thrift items online. It started a few years ago as a way to teach my kids how to use their brains to earn a little extra money instead of asking me.
We started with less than $500 and initially worked out of our garage. Today we’ve got a 3,000 square ft. warehouse full of inventory and a photography studio. I operate it by outsourcing as much as I can and I pay local contract workers for the rest. Because I worked hard to systematize every function, it’s almost on autopilot.
I’ve always been a “saler”. Now, not so much. I need to start downsizing a bit. My household has nearly all been furnished with wonderful finds from resale shops, consignment shops, garage sales, estate sales. I love the quality I find and I love vintage to antiques.
Cool finds! You’ve convinced me to stop by Goodwill tomorrow. Today I am being lazy & going to finish one of my favorite Lawrence Sanders books.
An old friend used to buy his clothes there. Top quality stuff which he would have tailored to fit by a little Korean seamstress. The ladies were always a bit gaga over him.
I found a 1962 Houston Colt 45s bobblehead at a thrift store for 50 cents a few years back. Just saw one listed on eBay for $655.
Quite a few years ago I bought a Narcotics Anonymous “blue book” 1st edition for a nickel and resold it on eBay for over $850.
I bought a Morris chair about 10 years ago at a Republican women’s garage sale. Paid $15.00. Its worth about $1200 now - I’d never heard of a Morris chair - I just liked it.
ping
This is the best time of year for finds at the thrift stores due to inventory overload from everyone wanting a year end tax deduction.
Like you, I'm always on the lookout for salvageable electronics at bargain prices. I prefer the classic stuff from the '60s for their clean lines (mostly silver faced with wood cabinets) and of course the faxability factor is more favorable with older gear. Replacing a power supply capacitor is less daunting than figuring out which IC might be toasted in a 20-year-old CD player.
My best single-purchase haul was three years ago when the local GW store had a shelf full of BASF 7-inch tapes, all of them sealed and in plastic boxes, for $.99 each.
Since it was a Saturday sale day, they were half-price.
So I came home with around 35 new reel-to-reel tapes for my ancient TEAC recorder to ingest for less than a $20 bill.