Thrift Shops in the USA...............

I looked for a forum on ATS to do with fashion, but I could not find one........

I am a great lover of intermingling fashions from different decades.....

I hate off the peg clothes they are so boring and made in such a bad way, the quality today is somewhat so sad especially being a man, the choice out there is so limited unlike the choice that women have.......

I am aiming to visit the US in early next year and wondered if anybody out there had any information regarding Thrift shops.........

I have many friends who belonged to certain bands who went out on tour especially in New York in the early eighties and came back with some marvellous clothes which cost them next to nothing.....

I am interested to find out if these certain thrift shops are as they used to be regarding clothes and what the prices are like these days.....

Has it come to the point now where these type of shops have realised the profit that can be made from original vintage/retro clothing and are as expensive now as if you went to any normal clothes shop for clothes off the peg.....

I have a great love for clothes from the 1920's straight through to the fifties and sixties.....

Are there as many thrift shops around today or have these shops become more specialist?

Look forward to hearing from any person who may be able to point me in the right direction.....

Any lovers of clothes out there please shove me in the right direction....

One item of clothing I am really after is an old pair of Oxford Bags trousers, they are so hard to come by...

Cheers davethebear...........

Most thrift shops are awesome in the usa. Goodwill and salvation army are the big names. Ive never been to a saovation army but ive actually bought a whole suit at goodwill for 15 dollars before. A few of them are ripoffs, like anything else.

Problem is im a very tall guy, 6'0, with big feet and long arms and legs. I have a hard time finding clothes anywhere, "big and tall" usually just means "fat" at most places :/

Theres also ebay.....

The Salvation Army near me is a rip off.
Up to twenty bucks a pair for shoes,
jeans that are 18 bucks at wall mart are 12-15 a pair.
Stains and all, they sell anything that has a
designer label for outrageous sums of money.
Forget vintage stuff they don't accept it here.

These places are suposed to exist for the less fortunate,
yet its in some cases its cheaper to bargain shop
the clearance rack at wall mart and kmart ,
for the 75 percent off and seasonal clearance events.
It just makes me sad.

Thankfully we have places like this around here.
www.rmsyr.org...

You can get tons of great clothes at thrift shops here, If your going to NYC hit the village there is alot of stuff some a bit costly but its your one stop for everything.

I have to say that Thrift stores are not the same any more, they have gotten very greedy. I use to be able to go and buy a whole bunch of things for very cheap and the things they were going to throw away and destroy were given for free to people or donated to the homeless.

But these last years i;ve gone I have seen a real change the same people do not work their from before and these "New" price tags they've added are very precise in value. I remember the Good hearted old man that would just look at the bunch of stuff i would get and then just randomly make up a price, very cheap price, for the lot. And those kind hearted people that wouldnt mind if i took a broken chair or tv for free because after all they were donated to them.


Now the donated items are being sold almost as brand new items. Each pair of clothes and garmets have their own prices. I was lied to and rip off from people who work their now

reply to post by shaneslaughta


Right! these people got VERY Greedy. Everyone knows that Salvation Army, like Goodwill, turned into a rip off corporation. They dont help as many people anymore plust they;ve hired security guards to check what you have. Shame such store that was developed from good turned evil

I think alot has to do with the economy.
The same people that donated their time to the cause,
now need work. as it is all over, so now they price gouge.
People used to be almost provided for in this country.
Now people have that entitlement thing going on.
That and the whole distraction issue makes no one want to stand up.
People now days are more miserable than ever, sulking along
with their day to day lives trying to survive.
Ever since the Clinton Administration fell this country
has gone banana sandwich.

The thrift stores in my city cover the price spectrum. We have the clothing "exchange" stores in the trendy areas, and we have the true thrift stores in the low rent areas.

You could look in the phone directory for the cities you will visit, then street view the addresses. You could tell a lot about the prices by looking at the neighboring businesses.
Around here the ones we like usually have a saint in the name.

Hope that helps.

I frequent thrift stores regularly.

I find the coolest things all the time.

I buy mostly art.

But just in the last two visits to one in my stupid little town, I found a antique silver cameo ring for 2.50 and it was well worth over a hundred bucks.

I also found a silver bracelet for 2.00 that was well worth more than 100 bucks in its weight in silver alone.

I have also found 3 original water colors by Martha Mans worth $1000+ each for a total of 40 bucks.

Found a vintage WWII US Navy bomber jacket worth $400 for $16.

Yeah.

I love thrift stores.

reply to post by Frankenchrist


Wish they were like that around here. Used to be
when i was a kid. Now days its pricey upscale crap.

If you make it to Cape Cod- check out Plush and Plunder in Hyannis. Vintage clothing, hats and jewelry, most of it from 1920s - 1960s. Very cool stuff and lots of it !

Depends on where you go and when. Sometimes you can find a top for 2.oo or 3.oo, pants for 4.oo or 6.oo. I have found real crystal glasses and fine china for cheap as well jewelry, books, cd's, dvd's etc etc. It's like a treasure hunt and you never know what you may find. Sometimes you will find brand new items with tags still atttatched. thrift stores are awesome.

Salvation Army and Goodwill are awful and expensive. outrageous prices for a shirt that it stained, broken items, ect.
Independent thrift stores are slightly better depending on the owners.
Learning how to clearance shop is the way to go. I have gotten #s on clearance at target for $2.50 each. Last year there was a pair of boots I really wanted for $59 at Kohls. I am not one to normally go crazy over shoes, but I wanted a pair like these since I was 6 years old. I watched and waited as the price dropped and eventually they were placed on clearance for $13 and I snagged them up. Wishing I would have gotten two pairs now.
The key is to buy off season when they are clearing things out for the new seasons inventory. In a couple of weeks you will be able to get shorts and short sleeved tees at places like Kohls and Maceys for cheaper than you could at any thrift store.

Well cheers guys for your replies..................seems quite similar in some respects to back over here in the UK.......

Due to the recession I think that many charity stores are taking advantage of the people who have not much money and still putting their prices up................I think sometimes the bargains are to be had when you go to a certain shop and rather than have just one or two items, ask them for an overall price on a number of items, that way they seem to work out cheaper....................thanks again...interesting.........

reply to post by calstorm


This is an excellent plan. I bought my first SLR camera years ago this way. I watched and waited..Eventually saving, about 80 bucks. It was a Canon-AE1..Which I still have, and still works. Though I've switched to digital.

Here, we have some independent clothing exchanges, where people go, for the best prices too.
The Chain Thrift stores, are not so thrifty any longer. You really have to go in with a plan.

Had my golf clubs stolen over a year ago.

Found a set of Ben Hogan Apex Edge Pros for $10, and a TaylorMade tour staff bag for $10.

Goodwill rocks.

We have a chain, here in the Atlanta area, called Value Village that really takes the thrift store thing a step further. They carry both new and used merchandise - and they display and shelve it all so that you really feel like you're in a big box department store like Target or Wal Mart.

It's really a trip. And it's cheap.

~Heff

Garage sales can be great place to find bargains as well as vintage clothing.

I've found top quality jewelry for next to nothing, as well as antique collectables at a great bargain.

Also many people sell their designer label clothing at a fraction of the original cost.

If you are patient, and willing to look around, garage sales are a great way to find the absolute best bargains, and they will barter.