Thanks for all your kind comments regarding my thrift / op-shop finds. It certainly has become a hobby, possibly even an addiction!
Now for all those lovely bloggers who lamented that
"our thrift stores aren't as good as yours" or
"I can never find anything like that" or
"I wish I had the time to go thrifting"
I am going to give you my five top tips for successful thrifting.
1. Go regularly
You need to go at least once a week, if not more. There are two shops
where I go once a week and our largest store I have been known to go three
times a week. This sounds time consuming, but it's not. If you go
regularly you get to know the stock and new items stick out like a sore thumb.
2. Develop relationships
By attending regularly you start developing relationships with the staff.
Take time to stop and chat with them. Eventually they get to know what
you are hunting for; if it's not against policy they may even keep things aside
for you. Make sure they know you’re not a dealer out to make money on
your purchase.
3. Support charity
Remember it's a charity, raising money for a good cause. So support the
charity by donating items on a regular basis. If your purchase comes to
$4.50, round it up to $5.00, because what goes around, comes around.
4. Have fun
Make it fun, make it a family event. Quite often we go in as a family, the kid's head off towards the toys, Ian is in the record/book section and I go straight to the clothing section.
5. Don't limit yourself
Remember there are more than just charity stores that have treasures.
Visit
-Junk shops/2nd hand shops
-Car boot sales
-Garage/Yard sales etc..
Hope that may be of some inspiration and help to all those thrifters out there!
Happy thrifting! xx
