Thrift Store Shopping links and tips

I just LOVE thrift stores. Nothing like stumbling upon a great thrift store while strolling through a undiscovered area of any town.

The only thing that beats finding a new great thrift store is finding a new great article with links on how to FIND new and great thrift stores. Let's face it... you can stumble around many a town looking for a thrift store and not find it without a map. Kind of like the fellas who were trying to find a waterway through the American continent. I'm sure they would have liked a link to a nice google map.

Well, the good folk at Webfloss (great site for all kinds of nifty thrifty ideas) wrote an article on how to shop at a thrift store. The article outlines some very good shopping strategies (especially if you have kids).

One of the tips is to check for functionality - make sure that the zippers, snaps, and buttons are in place and working. I know I need to do this and yet, just the other day I failed to check and ended up with this fabulous hoodie with a broken zipper. Now I have to decide whether to cut it into rag material or replace the zipper. Replacing the zipper will cost more than I paid for the hoddie. Oh, how I wish I had just checked the zipper in the first place.

The article ends with links to sites that help you find thrift stores in your area.

Some of these links were brand new to me!! Yes... imagine!!

My favorite way to find a new thrift store is still The Thrift Shopper which I wrote about here. But some of the other links are worthy of perusal (Goodwill locations, Thrifty Planet, and Habitat for Humanity stores.

If you are a thrift shop owner or a fan of a particular thrift shop, then I suggest you get yourself listed on all of these links.

If you are a thrift store shopper, then don't leave home without consulting some of these links to see what new great thrift shop might be on the block next to where you are headed.

Thift Shop Finder

Finally.... someone made the website that I always hoped would be created ... an online national Thrift Shop Finder! The website is called, "The Thrift Shopper." (www.thethriftshopper.com) There are already over 7300 Thrift Shops listed. Just a few clicks and you can have a listing of charity based thrift shops in your area. The listing includes store name, address, hours, telephone number, affiliated charities, and a link to a map. Who could ask for more? Well... there IS more... an online magazine, a forum, classifieds, etc. Get ready for a fun web surfing time on this one.

If your favorite, charity based Thrift Shop is not listed, you can add it. You can also rate the shops that you know. Help your favorite shop get some good publicity by posting a good review.

Don't forget to visit this site before you take a vacation. Make a list of Thrift Shops in your vacation destination. You can pick up local memorabilia for a fraction of what it would cost retail.

There is also a link to a syndicated cartoon strip that takes place in (of course) a Charity Thrift Shop - cute. It's called, "Heaven's Love Thrift Shop." (www.heavenslovethriftshop.com)

So, check out this site. Create a local list for yourself (including the maps). Stick the list and maps in your glove compartment. Then... when you find yourself in the area of town where the shop is, you can drop in and check it out. We must use our gas miles wisely.

Happy Thrift Shop Shopping!