There are many thrift shops to choose from — Savers, Goodwill, small local shops — and not all are created equal. Some are well-marked and organized, while others are brimming with mismatched piles of clothes. How can you tell which store is best?
Tyler Chanel, founder of Thrifts & Tangles, a blog that provides tips on thrifting, suggests looking up shops in your area on Yelp first. “The top-ranked stores are usually cleaner, more organized, and have a good selection,” she says.
Chanel, and a few other experts I spoke to, suggest starting at Savers, an international secondhand chain. It is also known as Value Village, Village des Valeurs or Unique, depending on where you live. Chanel notes, “Their overall layout is very pleasant, everything is marked very clearly, their employees are really pleasant, and there are mirrors everywhere.” And, of course, their prices are very affordable.
Codey James, a Minnesota native who regularly posts thrifting content on TikTok, says secondhand giant Goodwill can have a great selection depending on where you are located and what you are searching for. “The Midwest Goodwill stores are full of Carhartt and workwear that people might not think are fashionable, but when you come to New York, you see everyone wearing them,” he explains.
For the most part, James says, he prefers smaller mom-and-pop shops. While they can be more expensive than Savers or Goodwill, they are also more curated and will require less digging because the owners “already understand what’s in style right now.” Not to mention, you’re shopping small and supporting a business in your neighborhood.
Source link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2023/07/11/thrift-stores-shopping-guide-used-clothes/