The Salvation Army, local churches bazars, garage sales, bartering groups............all are my favorites. How about you?
We use to shop some at a Goodwill, but that was it. We pretty much stayed with Big Box stores, but did look for discount pricing. Favorites: Best Buy, Kohl's, J.C. Penny's, Sears, Sportsman's Warehouse, Target, Bass Pro.
When I lived in So. California, I use to go to large outdoor Swap Meets quite often, as in almost every Saturday and/or Sunday. That was 25 years ago.
I don't believe I have been inside a thrift store (except for dropping off at Goodwill). Back during the 90's I would accompany my friends to garage sales but that trend seems to have died out around here.
I love yard sales, and also thrift stores, but we have not been to any of either this year. When my friend Evelyn lived here, she and I went at least once a week, and often we went more than that, and checked out all of the nearby yard sales, too.
I used to shop at second hand stores for clothes almost exclusively when I was working. You could get some really good bargains on nice clothes. Wealthy people must wear things once or twice and toss them. Also didn't like current fashions at that time. Later what were the current fashion at that time, started showing up in the thrift stores. I should give it another try. A generation has passed since I've been regularly. I need some clothes just to wear around the house. Because that's all I do now. lol
I have found some amazing buys at mission thrift stores. One such buy was a pair of cowboy boots for 50 cents that was accidentally placed on the shelves instead of being thrown away. The only reason they cost me that small amount is that I wanted to give something rather than the cashier just give them to me. As a couple of weeks passed, a sermon came to me that I gave at a rather large church in Winston / Salem and somehow, from pastor to pastor I have been asked to give that same sermon several, several times. Yeah, I’d say thrift stores can be a real blessing in many ways.
MY "new" book table (wrought iron / marble top) came from a thrift shop.....as is my table/plant holder...A friend offered to buy both pieces from me. No way.
I used to like second-hand stores but I think they've all discovered eBay now, and all the good stuff is offered for sale on eBay rather than in their stores. It seems like the only stuff I see in the second-hand stores are the stuff that no one would buy on eBay or the large stuff, like furniture, for which shipping would be expensive.
I will check out thrift store once in a while. I wanted a real nice full length overcoat to wear to funerals and such where a more formal attire would be desirable. I found a few real nice ones at a Salvation Army, but couldn't do it. Some thing about wearing some dead guys stuff just felt creepy. Yeah I know silly, but that is what it is. As far as non wearables go fine. I get parts for projects from cheap small appliances,sometimes books, got a couple of cross country poles for 50cents each for hiking sticks. But not clothes!
[QUOTE=", but couldn't do it. Some thing about wearing some dead guys stuff just felt creepy. [/QUOTE] Are you aware that most clothes are donated because "they don't fit"? Other, remember the item was used while the owner was alive.
I don't think so Silvia. Men do not take their out of style clothes to donate, and once a man reaches probably 50 years of age his sizes rarely change. Nope, I think that most mens formal or semi formal clothing is an estate donation. When ever any one in my family passes, the closets are opened and a bulk donation is made. I maybe wrong,but I just get creeped out. I am not claiming any logic!
Except in a few cases like mine, I have to agree with ya Pete. My sizes changed dramatically around 60 and are still changing but then, bodybuilding at 70+ isn’t normal. We guys are famous for wearing something until it isn’t suitable to wear any longer and then, for good measure and just to make sure, we wear it another few months. This year though, I went to a major thrift store to buy a winter coat since the stuffing in my old one couldn’t even be taped up with duct tape. Sadly though, they thought their used stuff was better than the new Walmart coats so Walmart got my business.