When I lived in Denton, I went thrifting every week. I loved it, and I lived in one of the most hipster places in Texas – so there was always something cool.
Flash-forward to now – I live in Waco. Waco isn’t exactly the thrift-store mecca of Texas, and we only have a handful of thrifting stores.
Because of this, I have really gotten out of thrifting. I hate this because I love vintage clothing, and I love a good deal.
The past month, I have really pushed myself to make the best out of Waco thrifting, and I am honestly, so happy to be back in the game.
If you are thrifting specifically in Waco (which most of you probably aren’t – but if you are, follow me on Instagram), my favorite places are the Goodwill on New Road and Another Season. If you have any other suggestions, PLEASE GO TO MY INSTAGRAM AND SEND ME A MESSAGE!
Anywho, so there are three types of thrift shopping excursions. The first is just a general “I want to find some treasures today” thrifting. Then you have the thrift shopping trip where you are on a mission to find something in particular, like vintage jeans. And third, which did not exist when I was an original thrift shopper, online thrifting.
I will talk about all three of these in my tips for a successful thrifting trip.
Put on your favorite jams or a podcast while thrifting
Thrifting is very time consuming – especially if you aren’t looking for anything in particular. At most thrift stores, sizes are all over the place (even when they aren’t supposed to be), so if you really want a good find, you will be looking at every piece of clothing.
I find that if I play a good playlist or a podcast, time goes by more quickly. This is honestly the best trick in the books because it keeps you from giving up to early.
Learn your colors and textures
When you walk into a thrift store, know your colors and textures. If you are shopping for vintage or older clothing, avoid materials that wear down over time. For example, cotton holds up a lot better than polyester (especially that sheer polyester that wrinkles easily).
If you are looking for more contemporary clothing, know what you like. For example, I like very neutral tones and subtle colors. I also love to play with texture, and I specifically know what vintage cotton looks like.
This makes it easy while I am browsing through racks because I scan through things that I know don’t fit my wardrobe or style. I always can spot some vaguely faded cotton and grab it.
Know your labels
One of my favorite things about thrifting is I can find designer labels for half the price. Or better yet, vintage designer items that look amazing in 2020.
I know want vintage labels look like, especially jeans. I always look for the Levi or Wrangler brand, and I avoid big brands from the early 2000 because they tend to be low-riders.
I also look for classic labels like Ralph Lauren, BCBG, Guess and J. Crew. These are brands that are high quality and tend to do well after time.
If you have these brands burned into your brain, you will stop and look at those pieces, and maybe find something special.
Look at the rack by the fitting room
There are a ton of people that go thrift shopping and are skilled – so why not use that to your advantage? Always look at the rack right outside the fitting area.
This rack is full of items that people picked that just didn’t fit. You might get lucky, and it could fit you.
I tend to always purchase at least one item on this rack.
Check out the men’s section
The men’s section is full of goodies.
I always check there for vintage jeans, jackets and “athleisure”. The only thing here is you are always going to want to try these on.
This is the best place to find over-sized tees and sweatshirts.
Look at every section – seriously
If you are determined to walk out of the thrift store a winner, don’t stop at the women’s and men’s sections. Be sure to check out shoes, accessories and the home sections.
Thrift stores are a great place to find belts and lightly used hats. People are always buying accessories and NEVER wearing them. And then where do they end up you ask? THE THRIFT STORE.
And although this is in the women’s section, don’t forget about outerwear. In Texas especially, people are always buying outerwear they never use, and they donate it.
Be open to putting some work into certain pieces
While thrift shopping, remember you can make alterations at home. For example, if you love a tee, but it fits weird – can you crop it? Same goes for sweatshirts.
And if you love a pair of jeans but they fit too wide in the legs – cut them into jorts. Thanks to Youtube, you can learn how to sew a basic hem and make easy alterations.
And as for the home section, you can repaint and reupholster anything. The world is your oyster in there.
Try online thrifting
When I first started thrifting, Poshmark and ThredUp did not exist. Now, I can thrift while I am laying in bed. And better yet, everything is already organized!
If you haven’t tried either of those apps, download them now. They are a great way to start thrifting.
For ThredUp, I suggest looking at items by brand. I always am looking for FreePeople, Madewell, Levi’s, Lucky Brand, Anthropologie, and a few others. You can also sell your own clothes to ThredUp.
However, I use Poshmark the most. Here, you can also search by brand. When I search my favorite brand, I always look at them in order of Just In. Then, I hit the heart on any item I like.
This is so important! When you heart the item, the seller might come back at a cheaper price. I get a better offer about 70 percent of the time!
You can also sell your clothes on Poshmark, but instead of selling it to the app, you sell it yourself.
The key to both these apps is to make sure you put your sizes in. It will save you so much time!
