HOW TO SHOP AT A THRIFT STORE

Outfit from a thrift store
Hello loves, welcome back to the blog, please I do enjoy your comments, so don’t forget to leave your comment and suggestions on what you will love to see on the blog.
Back to today’s post, I am sure most of you know my long running with thrift stores. The reason for this isn’t far fetched I do love a good challenge and also finding great pieces for little bargains see my post here. Right now I am making it a mission to find thrift stores around DMV that have great items that I consider priceless.


What can you get at a thrift store?
Thrift stores can house anything ranging from electronics to furniture, clothes, accessories, bags to books and kitchen utensils to toys. In Nigeria, it is rare to find thrift stores that do furniture but I’ve seen some for most of the items mentioned above.

How do you get your amazing stuff at Thrift stores?

I get this question almost every other time I post items from my thrift buy so I’ll try my best to break it down to a comprehensible text. Thrift stores are divided into three categories; The high end ones, the medium earning ones and the ones that you buy from and the earnings goes straight to charity donations.
In Nigeria, we rarely have thrift stores for charity, but people give their clothes freely as donations to charity organizations for the less privileged.  So you are left with bend down select (Okrika) or the big thrift stores in the market or in your neighborhood (gangster things).

Before you step out to go thrift shopping, like any other adventure, draft out a goal. Part of it should include what pieces are you out for to get, e.g. more skirts, blouses, sweater, work clothes, shoes, accessories etc. That guides you on what you are spending more time finding and reduces the risk on spending on unnecessary buys.

Next step is to have a color guide. I went thrift shopping recently and I did that when I got to the store and it clicked to me that having a color guide helps a lot in the type of items you chose and spot. The mind works in powerful ways, if you are out looking for pastel colors, your eyes tend to find only pastel colors (isn’t that amazing)

Another thing to do is search things that are on trend before heading out to the store, it helps you know when you have identified an item that you need especially if it fits your style. e.g block heels, denim jackets, ruffle skirt etc

Shop at the men’s section. This I find hilarious because they seem to always have the best print shirt for vacations. I know y’all love your boyfriends wardrobe and for same reasons, the rack at a thrift store in the men’s section seem appealing.

Do not get items that are already worn out just because it looks fashionable. I had to understand this in a hard way. I usually would buy things I knew where not up to standard, but where in style only to figure out few months later that I need to trash them because they were no longer wearable.

Take your old items to thrift stores for donation and get a coupon code that allows you shop for less: I am about anything that makes you not spend extra coins (This point mostly works in developed countries, which is a bummer).

If you need items that are high end like Prada, Gucci and all the other brands whose names are hard to pronounce, then you have online thrift stores and high end stores in the city and splurge your hard earned money…

Lastly pray! I pray about everything and little things like thrift shopping is important because I don’t want to waste my money on the unnecessary… I hope y’all enjoyed the few tips

List of thrift markets I know in Nigeria. 

Yaba Market  (Lagos), Dutse Market (Abuja) Karimo market (Abuja), Utako market (Abuja), Suleja market (Abuja).

List of thrift stores in DMV

Goodwill, Value village, Buffalo exchange

On another note follow my social media pages, I am restoring my wardrobe store and you will be able to shop my closet …leave your comments below

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6 Comments

  1. Martha Jeshurun
    Author
    March 8, 2018 / 9:07 am

    I always end up buying worn out clothes whenever I go thrift shopping, only a few pieces last. I haven't really found a good thrift store in warri yet. And yes having a colour in mind really works. Thanks for all the tips I'll definitely put them in mind when next I go thrift shopping. Thanks 💕💕

    • Grace Alex
      Author
      March 9, 2018 / 10:18 pm

      Ahh, I hope this helps dear, It can he heart wrenching but have the number of the person you buy from so when they open bale you know and have the chance to get good items.

  2. Henriquetta
    Author
    March 9, 2018 / 3:40 pm

    Amazing..alot of persons do not really get the idea behind thrift shopping, this post is enlightening
    enlightening.

    • Grace Alex
      Author
      March 9, 2018 / 10:19 pm

      Thank you so much Henriquetta. I'm glad I could help