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Thrift stores are great places to find one-of-a-kind unique clothing pieces, reduce waste, and save money. They’re filled with loads of secondhand clothing at great lower prices. However, they’re usually jam-packed with items and it’s easy to get overwhelmed when visiting these stores. Here are our 5 top tips for shopping at a thrift store:

1. Have an open mind: sometimes articles of clothing don’t look like much on a hanger and look better once it’s tried on, so keep your options open! Feel free to step out of your comfort zone and don’t judge or completely write something off until you’ve tried it on. Choose items in different styles and one-of-a-kind prints that you might not have considered in the past. Since prices are often kept low at thrift stores, they allow you to experiment with different styles. You might even surprise yourself and discover your next favorite clothing piece.
2. Add everything you like to your shopping cart and sort through your options later on: if an item looks remotely interesting to you, put it in your shopping cart. You might regret putting an item back on the rack, continue to browse the store, and change your mind and return to the item, only to find that someone else has already picked it up for themselves. Thrift stores are filled with unique pieces and it’s unlikely you’ll be able to find another identical item, so to ensure you don’t miss out on anything, it’d be safer to put it in your cart and sort through all of your options in the end.
3. Keep an eye out for colors and fabrics that stand out to you most: thrift shops can be a little disorganized and rummaging through seemingly endless racks and piles of clothing can get overwhelming. So if you’re short on time or don’t have the patience to sift through every article of clothing on a rack, go through all the aisles and do a quick scan of the racks to single out items that appeal to you most.
4. Wear comfortable clothing: wear simple clothing – such as a plain T-shirt, form-fitting tank top, or leggings – that’d be easy to take on and off in fitting rooms.And in the event that there’s no fitting room available, this would also allow you to slip over any clothing you’re trying on. Also to make your shopping trip a more enjoyable experience, you should wear comfortable shoes to avoid any foot pain or discomfort.
5. Inspect your items carefully: once you’ve decided on what you want to purchase, make sure you thoroughly inspect each item before heading to the registers to avoid buying pieces with any rips, tears, or stains. It’d be disheartening to go home and find out you’ve purchased a defective piece of clothing (and depending on the store’s return policy, they may not allow you to make any exchanges or returns.)