A new Goodwill Store finally opened in the next town over. I'm up there at least once a month, and have been watching the progress with anticipation. The store finally opened, and I stopped in today. I saw a few things I would buy if I'd had money, but since funds are limited right now, I bought two things. I got some beads for an upcoming project for the shop, and got something for the kitties. While I was there, I dropped off the donations that have been sitting in my back seat for several months, so now there's room for more. Time to start going through my things again. I just rubbed some catnip on the cat scratcher ($2.99), and Shannon's already marked it with her scent. It won't be long before the others follow her lead. Looks like it's going to be a hit .
We have the Veterans' Thrift Store here, and that is my very favorite. There are several others; but I think that this one has good prices, and it is easy for me to get to. Each week, they have one special color of tag that is half price all week long, and then on the following Monday, everything left with that tag is just $1. On Tuesday, they put out a new tag color for half price, and that is also Senior's Day, when everything is 30% discount. This is a great day for me because anything that I buy is at least the 30%, and some of it will be 50% off. They also have specials on other days, like students day and veterans day; but those do not apply to me, so we go on either Monday or Tuesday, if we go.
That sounds like a shop I'd enjoy. I donate to Purple Heart, but I don't know if there are any thrift shops nearby specifically related to Veterans. There are a lot of ones that consider themselves to be upscale, which means of course that the items cost more. Sometimes they're worth it. When I went back to work for a little while, I was able to pick up a few items of clothing for work at one of the ones nearby, but I couldn't afford to shop there on a regular basis. I don't qualify for most of the senior discounts yet, although I think Burke's Outlet starts theirs at age 50.
I use to have a Goodwill in my area, I use to love to go there. But unfortunately it closed down along with other Thrift stores that use to be in my area. I kind of miss having one, because there were always great bargains to find in these. I had no issue with buying stuff in them even clothes, hey some of the items look great and even brand new. To me these items were new once so what does it matter that they are now second hand.
If you like to guilt, or make things like stuffed animals for your family, thrift stores are invaluable for source. Old bath robes become great soft toy animals. Even the worst pieces of clothing can become beautiful quilts. There is such a nice feeling to old cloth. I was married and had two kids, before I ever stepped foot in a store with new products. I remember thinking how extravagant everything seemed.
I was hoping to find some yarn or thread in there, but that was none. I'm going to be near another one tomorrow, and that one usually has some crafting and sewing supplies, so if I have time, I'll check it out. I love soft cloth, especially older pieces. The newer cloth, like many new things, seems rougher and less well made.
I am a big fan of thrift stores of any kind. When I was growing up back in the 50's, my Mom would buy the dresses with the big skirts on them and use them to make dresses for me and my three sisters. She was a wonderful seamstress and made the most beautiful dresses for us. Yvonne and I will go "thrift shopping" together and we always get good buys on $.99 Mondays and on Senior Tuesdays when we go. We occasionally go to a place here in town called Value Village and they have good markdowns, too. I like to donate used clothing, housewares, toys ect to both of them. My daughter and grandson live with me so there is always a donation bag being filled at my house.
@Joyce Mcgregor Does Value Village have housewares and other items besides clothing? There was one I would pass when I lived in Houston, but it wasn't in a safe neighborhood, so i never went in to see what it sold. Recently, I saw mention of one moving down this way, but I haven't had a chance to check it out. I passed the good Goodwill yesterday where I know a friend gets a lot of craft supplies, but I was in a rush and it was raining, so I wasn't able to stop. Hopefully I'll get back over there someday soon and can stop in and spend some time looking at all of the goodies.
Value Village is one of the larger thrift store chains, and it is an awesome place to shop ! We had them when I lived out West, and I always shopped there, and even worked at one for quite a while. One of the things that I like about Value Village was that they also did the colored tag discounts, so there was always a half-priced color tag, and then on Mondays it was only $1, just like the Vetterans' Thrift Shop here does. They have all kinds of things there, and clothes are always separated by size and also usually by color. So, if you are looking for a white blouse, you just find your size, and then look for the white ones, and find the one you want. The one here in Huntsville is not as close to where @Joyce Mcgregor and I live, so we do not get up that direction as much as we would like to, especially with both of us having the unreliable cars. It is not just clothes that are hal-price; but anything in the store that has the right color tag. When they mark down to the $1 closeout, then it is only items under $20 that count, and over that, they are still half price. Those that do not sell are then usually repriced at a lower price, until they do finally sell.
We have a Goodwill Store at town. One closed that was in the neighborhood and Walgreens opened up there. The Goodwill in town is central and has a huge selection too. I go from time to time to check out to see if there is anything I want to buy. Sometimes you can find some great buys there at Goodwill.
Here's a blog post I came across recently about Goodwill Outlet Stores. I've been to the regular Goodwill Stores, we have several in the area where I live, but I've never encountered a Goodwill Outlet Store. The idea of having to wear gloves and possibly encountering broken glass concerns me, but it does sound as if there are some potentially great deals there. I don't understand why glass and other breakable items wouldn't be stored separately, though. Has anyone here every heard about or shopped at Goodwill Outlet stores?
I have visited a Goodwill Outlet Store and yes there was broken glass and it is best to wear gloves. It's no fault of the store itself but the people who come in that don't care how things are handled. There are huge table/bins filled with anything you can think of. Clothing, linens, electronics, and furniture are not included in the bins. I have decided to stick to the stores over the outlet.
We have a Goodwill store here; but I am pretty sure that it is just a regular one, and I do not remember it saying that it was an outlet store. In any case, it is kept clean, and there are no broken glassware, or anything else like that. We do not usually shop there because it is quite a ways away from the part of town where we live, and the prices in the Goodwill are much higher that they are at the Veteran's Thrift Store, where I usually go and shop. I think that Goodwill does have a Senior discount day, but it was never much of a discount, o just not worth driving all that way to shop there. Between Amazon clearance prices and eBay, I can often save as much by shopping online. We also have a liquidation store here called Essex, and they have new items, but the prices are close out prices, and every couple weeks, they drop the price further, until the item sells. We have found some items that were like 80% off the regular price, and almost free, but most things do not last that long.
Ugh @Von Jones They're probably resellers looking to suck up all of the bargains before others can see them, and don't care if people get hurt. I I don't know if there is an outlet store near me, but since I live near Houston, there's probably at least one. I don't need anything in bulk these days, at least nothing they'd be selling at Goodwill, so I'll avoid the outlets and shop at the stores. Like @Yvonne Smith I have other thrift stores I shop occasionally. There are shops for St. Vincent de Paul, which I support, and I like to pop in there occasionally. It seems many of the church and social service places have associated shops, and I'm happy to spread my money among the various stores.