Hey Thrift Store-You're Doing it wrong!

After a lifetime of going to thrift stores, I have learned that there is a "wrong way" and a "right way" to be a good thrift store.

1. Bad Way--A thrift store that  has an Ebay store. This means that they already took the "good stuff" out of the store and are selling it elsewhere for more money. You are left with 1990s tumblers and plastic wastebaskets.

2. Good Way--A thrift store that doesn't even know how to operate a computer. Can't research items to find out the worth, and can't sell things online.

3. Bad Way--A locked counter or cabinet. This means that they have taken all the good stuff and locked it away so they can charge you more. They know what things are worth and they want every penny of it!

4. Good Way--No locked cabinets or counters, because they don't know or care what things are worth. As far as they are concerned, its all worth a quarter.

5. Bad Way--Thrift stores that count every item in your cart, no matter how much you have. They make you put it all on the counter and they ring each and every item up, even if you have 2 baskets full.

6. Good Way (my favorite way)--The cashier just takes one look at your giant haul and says, "$5.00". I am guessing that they are too lazy to ring all of that up, but I just pretend its because they like me and I am special.

7. Bad Way-- The store is overall too clean and organized. That always spells trouble for me. It means that everything is probably priced at retail, everything's been researched, cleaned, fixed and organized. Never a good sign.

8. Good way--I know this sounds weird, but if I go it to a place that is a jumbled mess, with random piles everywhere, I know I have found a gold mine! It means they don't know or care about any of it, they don't research anything, clean anything, inspect anything. It just comes in as a donation and they just dump it all on the shelves or in bins. It really is like panning for gold, I find I do the best at these kind of places.

9. Bad Way--thrift stores that charge retail. Seriously! Why?  Its supposed to be a "thrift store". $25 for a Fire king bowl, not even a rare one?

and 10. The Good Way--everything is a quarter.


So with that being said, sometimes the rules don't always apply. Last week, I passed by this delightfully crappy looking thrift store. You know, the kind that I mentioned in #7 being awesome gold mines...well this was more like panning for turds.

They even had a homemade crappy sign...I really had some hope for this one...the fact that there were zero cars in the parking lot, should have been a red light for me. But it wasn't, I had to go check it out, cause you never know, right?

First of all the whole place smelled like pee-pee. And it was full of dumpster dive stuff. I admit, I have dumpster dived myself, I'm cool with that, however, this was more like they dumpster dived after all of the professional dumpster divers already got the good stuff (yeah, I know "dumpster diving" and "good stuff" don't really belong together in the same sentence....), well, this shop got the stuff that the dumpster divers didn't want. Basically, if it was not up to the standards of dumpster divers, it ended up here. They were selling promotional pharmaceutical knick knacks, broken furniture, stuffed animals (seriously ick!) with a sign that said "SALE, normally $2 each, today, only $1 each) and they were all shoved into a nasty dirty stained baby play pen.

It takes a lot for a thrift store to gross me out....but this one did.

So needless to say, I came out, I mean ran out, empty handed.

Here are some random finds that I found elsewhere:

 I have never carried any crocheted afghans in my shop before, but I thought I would just try something a little different. The weather is getting cooler up north (not here in Florida), and I was really drawn to these colors, so I thought I would list a few in my shop and give it a try. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I have never seen one of these before, but I thought it had the cutest retro pattern so I couldn't resist. Its a heating pad cover, how cool is that?

Items available on the links on the side bar to the right.


I was able to pick up some really fun retro reads this past week, pleased about these!

1950s Cub Scout book

 

 

 

 

1960s Cowboy book

 

 

 

1938 Santa book

 

 

 

1960s Poodle clipping book. (seriously, I have listed and sold many times before anything vintage poodle, its an oddly popular hot seller for me, go figure!)

1960s fun retro Christmas ideas book! Just in time for the holidays!

 

 

 

Mid Century music book. Full of super fun mid century illustrations. I can never resist that kind of stuff!

All of these items are available in the links to my shops on the sidebar (right hand side)


Linking up with my friends SIR THRIFT A LOT  and WOMEN IN REAL LIFE and A LIVING SPACE, and also THRIFTER MAKER FIXER FARM


Enjoy your week, my friends! I always welcome your comments.