Having shopped second hand for many years now, I like to consider myself quite the connoisseur. Besides, who doesn't love a good list? Here is my so called wisdom on the matter...
1. Look through EVERYTHING and I mean everything. The men's, the kid's, the home wear, the books, CDs e.t.c. You can find some great pieces in the most unexpected places. If you're fortunate enough to be on the slim side, you may find you can even squeeze into some of the older children's clothing. Conversely, the men's section offers up a fab array of oversized shirts, t-shirts and jumpers. Within the home wear section lies a plethora of possibility. A floral cake stand becomes a jewellery stand and that 60s style tea cup can be transformed into a dainty candle holder. Which brings me nicely onto number 2.
2. Be open minded. You can easily change something to fit your taste. Like the dress, but not the length? Hem it. Like the top but, not the colour? Dye it. Love the shoes, but they're too small? Get them stretched. If you don't possess the skills for all that crafty business you can always go to a shoe repair shop or seamstress. This may sound particularly pricey but surprisingly, in my experience, it's a lot cheaper than expected. Their services often only cost a few pounds.
3. Go early in the week. Stock is usually sorted over the weekend, so if you time your visit for early in the week you have the first pick of the haul. I recommend Tuesday.
4. Go late in the week. By the end of the week, if some stock is getting hard to budge it will find its way into the euphoric "bargain bin". Amongst the questionable knitted skirts and denim flares hides a multitude of good quality clothing. You just have to rummage through all of it (see tip 1). On one memorable occasion I unearthed two lovely dresses and a denim shirt from a "3 for £1" bin, 33p each! I had to restrain myself from kissing the shop assistant.
5. Beware of the "vintage". As soon as someone attaches a "vintage" label to anything it suddenly triples in price. This is acceptable in antique shops and the like where the items truly are vintage. In which case you may consider it worth the money (and in such places you can always barter down!) However, when a charity shop claims a Primark top to be "vintage" I lean towards scepticism. If you want some real vintage pieces for less money I would recommend independent charity shops, car boot sales and junk shops. Each item is usually a mere pound.
Happy thrifting!
Much love,
Louise. x
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