thrift store shopping-Central Ave, Albany NY

I wish I could remember my first trip to the thrift store.  All day I tried to recall my first time in one but I couldn't.  It's like I've been going to them my whole life.  I just seem to know where they are, when they are open and I just LOVE going to them!  I try to post on Facebook each time I go about the fantastic finds and there are usually a few comments- "where do you go?"  "Where is that?"  "You have got to take me with you sometime!"  So, I thought I would start blogging about my experiences.  Input is greatly appreciated as I am fairly new to blogging. :)

There are some people who just can't get into thrift store shopping.  I can understand that.  Some places don't wash the clothing before putting it out (of course, it's ALWAYS a good idea to wash the clothing you get) and that can be kinda skeevy.  I get it but I can look beyond that.  I know that a good run through the washing machine will make it as good as new and as good as mine.  

My trips this week:
 
Wednesday, September 19th, 2012

Salvation Army on Central Ave

In search of:  Scrub tops and bottoms

Sale of the day: All colored tags 1/2 off except for green 

Pricing: $

Hours of operation: early a.m. (I believe 9)-5:30p.m.

This is the least expensive place to go as far as thrift stores go.  Now, for those of you who may not be familiar with the Salvation Army, they are an organization whose profits actually give back to the community, to those in need.  This is a big attraction factor for me.  The clothing is organized by type and color so you really have to sort through to find your size.  This is why no one goes with me on these trips because I spend at least 45 minutes browsing the racks.  Their "sale of the day" goes by the color tag on the clothes and their is a different sale each day.  

This particular Salvation Army is probably the largest in the upstate area.  This particular location seems to specialize in mens clothing, scrubs and fancy dresses.  There are also a large selections of tops, pants, skirts, furniture etc.  The shoes aren't that bad, either.  I actually saw a man leave with a brand new pair of $100 cowboy boots for $20!!  On other occasions, I have found brand new pumas for $8 and a decent pair of New Balance sneakers for $7.  

Anyway, on this particular trip, I was in search of scrubs.  The Central Ave Salvation Army has a good selection of these.   I found 2 brand new scrub tops and 2 gently used scrub tops.  No rips, tears, discolorations.  Same goes for pants....they had plenty but none in my size. 

I also grabbed a few pairs of khaki pants, as well.  Again, all gently used, no rips, tears or discolorations.  I then made my way to the register.  

Now, here is one downfall of the Salvation Army and I understand why they do this but I hate it just the same.  If one of those colored tags falls off the article of clothing, they will not sell it to you.  They are just trying to prevent a situation where someone tries to get an article of clothing for less.  Use caution when trying on clothes!  Due to this, I was unable to get one pair of pants.  The cashier said, "Best I can do is have you come back tomorrow when it will be re-priced."  ugh. 

4 scrub tops

3 pairs khaki pants

 

End price: $25 and change.  Not too shabby seeing that 2 scrub tops would cost about $20 at their cheapest. :) 

My next stop was down the road (towards Albany) to the Goodwill store.   The Goodwill store could be considered a 'step up' from the Salvation Army, both in price and due to the fact that a chunk of their merchandise comes from Target distribution trucks.  What happens is when clothing or other items falls off the truck, they will not sell it in the store and it gets sent to Goodwill.  At these stores, you will find lots of items with tags still attached and at a fraction of the price.

Goodwill Store

Location: Central Ave

Sale of the day: 1/2 off blue

Hours: 9-9

Pricing: $-$$

The way Goodwill runs its sales is similar to that of the Salvation Army, except they use plastic colored tabs to indicate pricing. There are some stickered items, as well.  Goodwill is really good for coats, jackets, dresses and jeans.  They also have a fairly good sized decor section which they update with the changing of the seasons.  It's also a good place to search for used electronics.

I first searched for pants, hoping to find just a couple more khaki pants.  I found 2 more pairs-one being a brand new pair from Old Navy priced at $5. 

I am a sucker for hoodies and winter coats so I went in search of those.  Picked up 2 hoodies, a brand new winter coat for myself ($20) and a brand new winter coat for my husband ($30).  On a whim, I checked out the pajama section and, sure enough, they had mixed in scrub tops and bottoms.  Found 3 more scrub tops and a pair of scrub bottoms.  Also in this section was a long Victoria's Secret nightgown for $10 (I looked it up later and it retails for $60!!!).  Grabbed up one tank top and was at the register.  

2 pairs of khaki pants

2 hoodies

2 winter coats

1 tank top

1 nightgown

3 scrub tops

1 scrub bottoms

 End price: $97

I try to imagine how much something like this would have cost me at the mall....hmm....let's see.....at their cheapest in a department store of sorts....

5 pairs of khaki pants- $125 (if they were $25/each)

2 hoodies- $40 (@ $20/each)

2 winter coats- oh, at least $200....

1 tank top- $10

1 Victorias Secret nightgown-$60

7 scrub tops- $70 (@10/each)

1 scrub bottom- $10

Total price: $515 (I believe my math is correct.....)

I spent: $122 and change :)

Savings of: $393!!!

Thus why I deeply love thrift stores ;)