It’s been a few years since I started thrifting, and recently, I’ve stopped going to department stores altogether as I find thrift stores to be the cheaper and easier option. As someone who has thrifted so many amazing pieces over the years, I often have friends ask me how I have found such success. So, as a seasoned thrifter, I am here to share the tips and tricks I’ve learnt over the years to help you thrift like a pro!
Look at every item of clothing
In department stores, it’s easy to scan the clothes because they’re organized in stacks of identical items, making it less likely to miss anything. However, thrift stores are entirely different. To find an item of clothing you need to thoroughly search for it; this means going into each rack and looking at each item one by one. So many amazing clothes are hiding in the jungle that is the thrift store and will only be discovered if you extensively search for them.
Look at every size
For starters, sizing is incredibly ambiguous. Even with regular department stores, I notice I fit into various sizes across different brands. This is even more true in thrift stores since the items are a jumble of random clothes from random years, meaning the sizing varies and sometimes isn’t accurate to present-day sizing. I may find a small tank top that is just perfect, but also try on a large T-shirt that fits me like a glove. Not only are the actual sizes unreliable, but clothes tend to get tossed around, with people leaving their rejected items in a nearby rack. So although you may typically fit into a specific size, there’s no harm in investigating the other sizes because you never know what you might find.
Find the beauty in the ugly
Sometimes clothes look ugly at first glance, but there are times when these ugly clothes turn out to look great with some styling. Use your judgement, of course, if you don’t think you can style that specific item then don’t bother wasting your money on it. Occasionally, I’ll take a chance with an unattractive item because I have a vision and end up buying a new favourite piece. So if you see some potential in that clothing item, there’s no harm in trying it out.
Learn how to customize clothes
This is difficult to do and takes lots of practice, but ends up giving the best results. Learning how to cut and crop shirts has greatly helped my wardrobe, and has become a simple task after a little practice. I’ve also learnt how to draw on clothes using fabric paint, chalk, or markers, which creates original pieces to fill my closet. Learning to DIY your clothes can be a relatively simple process that gives you fun, unique clothing for an affordable price. There are many tutorials available on TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube that can help you achieve the specific look you want. Here’s a video that shows different ways to customize your tops using only scissors, and here’s another one that shows how to do a basic crop!
Avoid buying everything at once
Too often have I entered the thrift store on a mission to leave with armfuls of clothes. Time and time again, this has resulted in me rarely wearing the clothes I have bought. This is likely because the idea of leaving empty-handed makes me want to buy anything I see even if I don’t truly love it. Lately, I’ve changed pace, trying to only buy a few items at a time that I’m sure I’ll wear. I do this by picturing myself wearing the item in a few different outfits to ensure that I like it and that it goes with my current wardrobe. Being patient and intentional when buying clothes can help you save money and will likely lead to you having a closet of clothes you actually like and consistently wear.
Don’t skip the jewelry section
I’m also a victim of forgetting the jewelry section, but I wish I wasn’t. There are endless unique pieces in the jewelry cases at thrift stores that are always worth looking at. It’s always enjoyable to try on some rings, scan the necklace display, or rummage through the bracelets. And in doing so, you can buy fun items to accessorize your outfits at a relatively cheap price!
Go where you don’t think you’ll find clothes
Sometimes, clothes find themselves in weird places in thrift stores. Like when people leave their rejected clothes in the closest rack or the sections become unorganized after multiple people have looked through them. Often, I notice certain clothes are organized in unexpected areas. For example, I commonly find beautiful tank tops in the lingerie section because they’re made of silk or have lace on them. I wouldn’t have thought to look in the lingerie section since that’s not the clothes I aim to thrift, but it was definitely worth it to explore the unknown.
Of course, what works for some people might not work for everyone, but learning these tips has helped me succeed in buying thrifted clothes that I love. There’s no harm in trying out something new when shopping. So the next time you’re out thrifting, consider these tips and see if they help you as much as they’ve helped me!