Thrift stores

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there's this place in my town called "shop n' hop" which one never knows what they will have in day to day. in a small town like what i live on the outskirts of, one seldom finds fancy stuff like treacle or asian foods or high-toned things like gluten-free or what-have-you, but in the shop n' hop they get that stuff in from the stores in outlying areas [like olympia and chehalis] where it doesn't sell and gets remaindered, so shop n' hop takes the stuff off their hands and sells it in their little store.

Value Village, where it is known where I am, is also known as Savers elsewhere.

I went to Savers a couple of weeks ago and got two of pairs of pants and two shirts for about $20 or $30 dollars (you get a 20% discount if you donate some clothes). The pants in particular were things I had been looking for for a while - one pair is just plain black with straight legs, no pleats or adornments of any kind; the other pair is sort of a light grayish blue and also very "plain-looking". I hadn't made the thrift store rounds for quite a while and was feeling kind of bummed out about rarely being able to afford new clothes. I tended to assume that the best things would already be taken, but I was really happy with what I found at the place I went to. I think I'll definitely go back there before I consider paying for new things.

To those who feel a bit insecure about buying clothes at thrift stores: Two washes in warm water does the trick.

Oh, I never wash the clothes I buy before I wear them. I think part of the fun of buying things at thrift stores is imagining the people who had the clothes before you, putting the clothes on with nothing on underneath, and rubbing yourself all over while you imagine the previous owner's bodily essence just sinking into your pores! That's why I buy so many dresses and bras, even though I'm male. (kidding, if it wasn't obvious)

What are "thrift stores" exactly? Are they like charity shops or are they a little different from that?

thought i read elsewhere that they are called "charity stores" on your side of the pond.

We found a good rocking horse for $14.99 at Goodwill so we got it for our son. My husband also found a air filter machine for $6.99 to use for his bedroom and it was brand new. I also found a pack of size 3 Pampers for $4.99 at the value Village so I got them for my son since my whole family doesn't like cloth.

Got my Value Village card.

Love love love thrift stores (or 'op-shops' as most people around where I am call them - I believe it's short for opportunity shops). I mostly buy skirts there, as I'm a fan of knee length skirts with cute details or patterns. There's a much larger selection than in mainstream shops and the prices are much more agreeable. Just last week I bought three summer skirts for $16.

in goodwill stores have i found most of my obscure collection of obscure books and musics.

I love them, and yard sales. I like retro and vintage clothes and I buy a lot of them at places like that.

Just got SMB2 for $5 at Value Village.

No we don't. In the UK, a charity shop and a thrift shop are not the same thing. I used to volunteer in an RAF thrift shop, so I know.

A charity shop means that goods are donated by the general public and 100% of the proceeds from the sales of those goods are passed on to charity (after paying things like rent of the shop, etc).

A thrift shop means that goods are brought in by the general public and those goods are then put on sale. When they sell, the customer who brought in the goods receives a percentage of the money that they sold for. In the case of thrift shops run for charity, the rest of the money goes to charity. In the case of thrift shops that are run for private profit rather than for charity (such as Cash Converters) none of the profit goes to charity. It is split between the customer who handed in the item, and the shop owner.

So UK thrift shops do not work in the same way as a UK charity shop. In a charity shop you just walk in, leave the goods, and walk out again. You are not required to open an account. In a thrift shop, you need to have an account in order to hand in goods for sale, and the shop staff will label all your items for sale with your account number. That way they can keep track of whose items are whose, and when your item sells, you will get your share of the profit. At least, that was the way it worked in the RAF.

How does it work in the US? Guessing by the name, I'd imagine that "goodwill" stores are the equivalent of UK charity shops. Are "thrift stores" places where a percentage of the profit goes to charity, or are they run for the owner's profit?

I love both thrift shops and charity shops. My best buy ever was a bag I bought for £4 that turned out to be worth £600.

In Anaheim there are both a Savers and a Value Village, just a few miles from each other, but the Inland Empire, especially S. Bernardino, has heaps of thrifts in a concentrated area that have no profit motive, I'm talking practically NWT Converse Chucks for a buck straight.

Assistance League, which pretty much every incorporated city has, offers decent merch at decent prices though the inventory gets a bit stale. Other than that, plan on paying the Hipster Tax at the majors and all the places that are on Yelp

I see. Wonder about metro L.A......