After my Magical 4 Rules to Save Money While You are Thrifting guide, I received many emails asking to share more tricks about thrifting and how to get the best from it.
That’s why last week I wrote the first part of How to Get the Best From Consignment Stores and today I’ll share with you the second and last part with more juicy advices. :D.
I already explained in the previous post why I think that consignment stores are better than thrift stores when it comes to look for massive furniture and how to be sure to find new ones every time you visit the store.
Discounts
One of the reasons why I love the furniture consignment stores are the discounts: if the objects on sale, after a while, are not sold yet they get automatically a discount.
If I spot some things I like, but that I think are too expensive, I make a list of them -can be retro lamps, furniture, chairs…doesn’t matter- writing down for each of them in which day they will get the discount.
In this way I avoid to come back to the store too often -if I don’t have time enough- and I’m sure that the next time they will be cheaper, hoping to still find them 🙂
The Best Time to Go
You’re probably wondering, what if I don’t have time ? What if I like to thrift a couple of times a year only. Which is the best time to go to a consignment or thrift store?
I wrote how to find out the best days to go to the consignment stores in the previous post, but for thrift stores is different:
- the best time is: early in the morning,
- the best days: Mondays or Tuesdays.
The people bring their objects –specially to thrift stores- during the weekend then Monday or Tuesday are possibly the moments when the new arrivals show up in the store and early in the morning is the time with the lowest ‘competition’ 😉
Moreover, I recently found out that -in the US- December is the best moment of the year to go for thrifting!
It seems that in the US is possible to fiscally deduct charity donations; and the ones to thrift stores are charity donations indeed.
The last possibility to do it is in December and that’s why many folks get rid of their stuff during the last month of the year and the thrift stores should be full of new arrivals.
Thrift When you Don’t Need To
Another thing I realized over time is that it’s better to visit the stores when I don’t need anything: yes…
Because, as in the 90% of the cases, if you go shopping looking for something you need it’s likely you’ll not find it!
Just have a tour when you’ve time and you’ll probably find some unexpected treasure.
Summary: Which Kind of Store is Better for You
To summarize, which kind of store is better for the retro furniture hunting?
It depends. Both consignment and thrift stores have pros and cons.
Thrift stores:
Pros:
- are normally cheaper than consignment stores,
- it’s easy to understand the best day to go: Mondays or Tuesdays are probably the best ones,
- you will help the charity organization that runs the store.
Cons:
- it’s difficult to get a discount,
- they don’t always have a newsletter.
Consignment stores:
Pros:
- you can easily find out which is the best day to find the new arrivals,
- they have periodical sales: some of them every specific day of the month and objects get discounted if not sold after a while,
- the biggest ones have a newsletter.
Cons:
- the prices for furniture are higher compared to thrift stores,
- if you are not a frequent customer, it can be difficult to find out the best day to go.
I want to share one more thing: go as far from your city/neighbourhood as you can!
Further you go and more possibilities you have to find what you are looking for.
I hope that also this short guide on how the get the best from your thrifting will help you.
Let me know your tricks and in the meanwhile keep following Mid Century Home for free trough the RSS by the Mail List or Twitter!
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Ciao!
