Tips: Thrift Store shopping

I never understood why people liked second hand clothes so much and just this past weekend I realized why. But I did however find out why it's not always the best environment to shop. It's second hand clothes and you don't always know if all the items are washed before donating them and the place can be a bit dirty. Just a week of visiting thrifts stores and I feel a bit of an expert now bwahaha - okay maybe not but still I gained a few knowledge about it. I found out today that I actually prefer to shop at the Goodwill because they have a 2 days a week $0.99 sale!!

1. Always bring hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes. (Wipe hands on basket, door knobs, and cart. Sanitize your hands after shopping.)
2. Wear comfortable clothing and no jewelries. (Jewelries can get caught and thrift stores don't always have AC. Too much clothing and jewelries will be more complicating to try on. Leggings and a tank top would be a great outfit.)
3. Keep hair up in a pony tail or better yet, a bun. (Like I said, it can be dirty so you don't want your hair flying everywhere touching them and smacking you in the face.)
4. Check their daily clearance color tag. (Goodwill has colored tags and routinely change the 50% off mark down.)
5. If possible, ask an employee if they offer DOLLAR DAYS and when. The Goodwill I visited today have Mondays and Thursdays as their $0.99 clearance on a certain color tag. This would be the day they are mostly busy.
6. On crazy clearance day, either go early in the morning when they open to avoid over crowding or go just 3 hours before closing time. (In between is usually the craziest!)
7. To avoid confusion on at the register, make sure you double check any sign about their daily sales and the rules. (My Goodwill offers $0.99 for blue tag items today but not for $8.99+ blue tags item, instead they are 50% off.)
8. Always try out the clothes. Just because it's cheap, it's still money and you don't want to waste it. 
9. If you see an outfit but it has a stain, don't bother buying it. Don't assume you can try to remove it, just don't buy it.
10. Double check the item for any damage such as holes, rip etc.
11. Don't purchase swimwear from there, please. I don't even have to explain! :$

After shopping Tips

1. Never lay on your bed or anywhere in the house once getting in. Always shower and change clothes. Yes that includes your bra! Change it!
2. Don't bring in your bag of items in any room, rather sort it out straight in the laundry room and wash them as soon as possible. It's best to wash them with warm water and fabric softener. Don't be stingy; add an extra rinse. DON'T FORGET TO CHECK ITEM LABELS ON LAUNDRY CARE!
3. Hang them to air dry if possible, but dryer would be best. Heat can kill bacterias and the rest of the thrift store smell. But check label first. 
4. Iron cool would be a bonus but you really don't have to. 
5. Now look thru your "new" clothes and create an outfit :)

I never knew how much I would enjoy thrift shopping but I really do! Not only are they super cheap, helping the environment by recycling and reusing, but you can buy a one of a kind piece. It's a thrift shop and there's no two of a kind in there; well just maybe once in a while.