the thrift shop

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You know how that truck comes to your house in the snoburbs and picks up all your stuff and takes it away for you?

Well, I then go to the thrift shop and buy that stuff for $1.99 or $4.99. I lovvvve thrift shopping. We have a huge thrift shop that sends trucks into the heart of snoburbia to retrieve loot.

My most recent, epic haul: Lucky jeans that fit like a glove, $4.99; orange cashmere turtleneck, $3.99; Adidas like-new sneakers that I've always wanted, $6.99; Gap black jacket, $4.99; brown cowboy boots that I'm going to cut off at the ankle, $4.99; and REI down bootie slippers, $1.99. And for the kids and husband: J. Crew khakis, $3.99; Nike basketball shoes, $4.99; North Face polarfleece, $1.99; Levi's skinny jeans, $2.99; American Eagle hoodie sweatshirt, $4.99; Under Armour shirt, $.99; and Calvin Klein pajama bottoms, $2.99.

I have friends who won't set foot in Wheaton Plaza, let alone a thrift shop. My gain, suckas!

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Comments

[Terri]

are you willing to share the location of said thrift shop? please!

[Lydia]

I don't know, Terri. Are you a size 4? Don't want any competition!

[Sally]

You are my American idol!

[emily]

I shop snoburbia thrift all the time here in California. Rich people throw away the best stuff!

[S]

Shhhhh!

[Queen of the Weezils]

Meh, I don't do thrifts. Not because it is a thrift shop, but because I hate shopping. You never know what you'll find at a second-hand, but I'm pretty sure what I'll find at the local mall. I can get it and get out, then go on to things I actually like doing.

[rm]

i am not a size 4, so where is this shop?

[Eve]

Unique/Value Village?
Goodwill off of Boiling Brook Parkway?
Others?

[Eve]

My favorite thrift shop find? Beautifeel pumps that retail for over $200, for which I paid less than $10.

[Lydia]

My favorite thrift shop find, hands down: A Coach bag, slightly scratched (but cleaned up good-as-new with black shoe polish), $29. I checked online and it's over $300 new. But you have to be willing to paw through lots of junk, which for me is part of the fun.

[Jim Breiling]

At least in clothing, there might just be a meaningful trickle down.

[Krazy Kat]

I visited the outlet shopping center with my daughter earlier this week. Naturally, J. Crew was the place that she wished to visit. Funny, but the deals didn't seem like such great deals. I'll bet she would've had her " pick of the litter" at the local snoburban thrift store if she had known better.

[m]

Greetings from Chicago! Best thrift store here in Chicago - Unique, too. Enjoy your posting, as always.

[Doris]

I realize I'm usually the odd woman out here, but isn't the Thrift Shop meant for people who can't afford to buy nice clothes at retail? You know, the people who don't live in Snoburbia (or even Outer Snoburbia). It doesn't seem right to me for people who can afford to buy these clothes from the source to take them away from the poor. It's something like the rich man who took the poor man's ewe lamb.

I'll tiptoe quietly away now. . .

[Becky]

Good point, Doris, that thrift shops do make clothing more affordable for people who might not be able to buy everything new. But a large part of the mission of many thrift shops involves what they do with the proceeds from the sales. They fund job training programs and many other social services that they couldn't continue without the revenue from the store. So even if you might be able to afford to buy your clothes new, your money still goes to a good purpose when you buy from a thrift store. And there's the added benefit of keeping something out of a landfill for a few more years if you can buy it and wear it well. I don't think anyone who enjoys finding a bargain at a thrift store should think twice about buying from one.

[Thrift Store Mama]

Doris, Our thrift stores are SO huge here that they need everyone to shop there. Believe me, there is plenty to go around. My favorite thrift store is the size of a Wal-Mart.