You know, it always amazes me how many people shop “in a box”, and won’t step out of it for anything. There are, much to the surprise or dismay of some, lots of places to shop other than the mall, outlet malls, strip malls and “boutiques”. Consignment stores and the retail stores of charitable organizations like the Salvation Army and the Goodwill are great places to find a deal.
Consignment stores are retail locations where people take their gently used clothing and accessories are sell them at a fraction of what they paid. The consignment store then turns around and sells the items at a discount. This means a great savings on things for you. A small disclosure…you DO have to scour the racks for the gems, and you DO have to scour the items for defects and you should ALWAYS wash the item before using/wearing it. Also, I personally wouldn’t buy undergarments, swimsuits or shoes secondhand, unless your options are completely limited. The discounts at some consignment stores can be up to 75% off the retail price, and there are consignment stores that are targeted to a specific audience, such as young teen/college age and professional women and maternity. Check your local community for the options available to you.
As far as charitable retail sites like Goodwill and the Salvation Army, the same rules apply. You have to look through things carefully before choosing to buy from them, and some things might “need a little work” before they can be useful to you, but these are not bad places to find a deal. Not everything there is “crap”. A lot of the time, things are merely discarded items that people no longer want…that doesn’t mean they aren’t worth anything. As a matter of fact, Goodwill has an auction website, similar to Ebay, called shopgoodwill.com. You can find antiques, collectibles and luxury goods that have been donated to Goodwill to bid on at this site!
No matter what your thoughts on these places are, you shouldn’t judge them unless you’ve been there at least once. If, after going to a consignment store, you don’t like what you see, simply don’t go back. If however, you find it a worthwhile place to shop, then you are likely to save quite a bit of money over the years!
Tags: Budgeting, Discount, Frugality, Money tips, Shopping
