Thrift Store Shopping 101

It is a recession. Bad Black Girls are lugging TVs down flights of stairs, buying Macintosh apples and making their lunches at home.

So I was at the thrift store.

I thought I'd toss out some of my thrift store shopping rules. Feel free to add on--in fact, please add on. I could use advice myself.

1. Wear skinny Ts, heavy socks and stretch pants when you go so you can try stuff on. I am damn serious. Even if you are a skinny chick standard size woman, brands cut their clothes differently and you can't count on finding your favorite brand there. Yes I was in the aisle with my thick bootie shimmying into a pair of like-new Jones New York jeans that were only five dollars. And they look great on me.

2. Ignore sizes. Not only because brands cut their clothes differently but also because it is a thrift store which means the clothes have been worn, pressed, washed, stretched and pulled in ways that you won't find in a store. A medium might end up being a large and a small might be an extra-small. That's why I find it easier to try everything on first. I actually like thrift store jeans better for this reason--worn and beaten in jeans just stretch over my sumptuous hips better.

3. Watch for unfixables--big holes, messy tears, rips, missing buttons, yellow under arms, and grey collars. This is also why trying things on helps. I found a button down that looked great on the hanger and tried it on over my skinny T only to find that a middle button was missing. Holes in the crotch of pants are easily missed. Hems that are tattered can be missed too. Think of how you wear out your own clothing and peruse the clothes accordingly.

4. Weigh the fixables. Some holes can be stitched together. Buttons can be sewn on if they aren't designer. Some stains can be bleached out. I didn't try on a Kenneth Cole winter coat and ended up with a middle button hole that was so stretched the coat wouldn't stay closed (probably the reason it got sent to the thrift store in the first place). But the hole was just stretched--add a few stitches and the coat is like new. (The things people won't do to their own clothes...that is a quality coat even today)

5. Press yourself to be edgy in your style options. Again, you can't always come to the thrift store with what you immediately need (i.e. I need a white dress for a party tonight) because that may or may not be available. You can go if you in general know you need work clothes or fun clothes or summer clothes, etc. And you also can't always find--I have yet to find, but my fashion sense is mid-range--the clothes that are the fashion of the season. Because, duh, folks aren't throwing those clothes out (yet). But you can always find basics and old trends. Which means you can make your own style inspired by older trends but still classic enough to look good and unique. Black Lilly and Cornflake Girl can probably comment more on this. I tend towards more classic styles (button downs, jeans, plain shirts) to supplement fashiony stuff I get at department stores. But sometimes I also score with something kind of fashionista like. Either way, don't be afraid to push your own boundaries.

6. Devote time to the shopping. Thrift store isn't one stop shopping, get in and get out. You have to try things on, search for something that fits the style you are going for (or that you are willing to push your boundaries on) and that takes time. Clothes are generally organized by color OR by size. But even when they are, things are always out of order. You don't want to miss something by skipping over a section. I usually spend two to four hours in a thrift store. It is definitely something I have to work into my schedule.

7. Respect the staff and the patrons who really do NEED the thrift store. And be nice to them. Please don't go in there all yuppified (which is why wearing your try-it-on clothes also helps).

8. If you are buying electronics, which I don't, plug them in while you are in the store to test them out.

9. Wash or dry clean everything when you get home. Including the clothes you wore to try things on. I mean, the staff doesn't wear gloves to sort the clothes for no good reason.

That is all I can think of right now. My favorite so far is Unique Thrift Store in Chicago, north of Sheridan and Montrose. I've also hit Value City on University Blvd just past College Park, MD.