How to Refine Your Thrift Store Search

Today we have a special guest post for you from the Bargain Baglady! I love guest posts because they’re an opportunity to learn about new things and to see things from a different perspective. For example… before this post I’d never heard of a thrift shop referred to as an Op Shop before! There’s always something new to learn! So without further ado… let’s learn a bit about how to refine your thrift store search from the Bargain Baglady!

Hey Gems,

Since starting Bargain Baglady, I have noticed that I’ve become even pickier because I really want to live by my mantra – living the bargain life whilst looking and feeling fabulous!

A lot of people ask me how on earth do I find the amazing bargains and treasures that I do while thrifting? How do I find these amazing brands at up to 90% of the RRP? Well, we may have to back it up a bit, since you know, I’ve been thrifting before I could WALK, let alone speak 😉

Mumma Yoda is an avid op shopper who taught me everything I know. From a young age, I have been encouraged to hunt through piles of clothes and define which pieces are something of interest and what’s not worth my money. Over time, I have discovered my own personal flavor and what I desire as a young woman.

I believe that the KEY to finding a great bargain is refining your thrift search. Now some of you may be asking, Bargain Baglady – how do you do that? Well, I thought I’d use a hierarchy to demonstrate how I refine my Thrift search step by step.

I used “Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs for my example. but have done the pyramid in reverse. (Maslow’s needs generally start from bottom to top.)

These are the basic categories that I shop for. You might be looking at this saying, holy mackerel that’s a lot of stuff lady. I agree, it appears like a lot, so the next step is to REFINE those categories again (subjective to what you are looking for.)

This is currently what I am looking for whilst out thrifting. It still looks like a lot, but I now know when I go to that particular category, I am able to know exactly what to search for which saves both time and energy. The more you refine your thrift search, the easier it is to see exactly what you want. You could even refine this search down again, and the best way to do that is by the following options:

Will it fit?

What is the price? Is it on sale today?

Is it in great condition for the price?

If you have answered Yes to all of these questions, then you, my friend are ready to buy til your hearts content! 🙂

Lastly, I’ll leave with some bullet point tips that I always recommend to further refine your thrift search. Sometimes we may only have 15 minutes to have a hunt during our working lunch, so we have to thrift with pizzazz.

Shop in one direction (clockwise or counter-clockwise): to ensure you have not missed any sections of interest.

Leave clothes to last: Due to that being the busiest part in the store, it can be more accessible by the end of your thrift search.

Only pull out clothing that catches your eye: This saves you time and well, lots of time. then you can refine by size, price, and condition.

If you think it’s too much, don’t buy it: Your gut instinct is generally right on point about these things – if you can’t stop thinking about it after 24 hours, go back and buy that bad boy (hopefully it’s still waiting for you!)

Thanks again to Betsy for having me on her blog, it’s been a blast! I cannot wait to meet you all over at Bargain Baglady – where the bargains never stop!

Until next time Gems! {xx}

So what do you think? I loved all of her fabulous tips! I tend to be a bit spontaneous when thrifting… which means that I end up with a bunch of things I don’t necessarily need! Going in with a plan makes so much sense… and you’ll only take home things you truly love. Which is ultimately the plan! If you loved the Bargain Baglady’s advice as much as I did check out her blog and follow her on social media!

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So what about y’all? What’s your favorite thrifting tip?