Preparing yourself for a good thrifting experience

I don’t know if I’m going to get downvoted for this, but I want honest advice or opinions. I go to Savers maybe once a month, go to used book stores, browse eBay, etc. I found great used stuff when I moved to my house 2 years ago, including lamps, a fancy fan, an Art Deco print, metal yard furniture, a solid wood dining table, etc. I love the idea of toning down consumerism and boycotting companies like Amazon. But I feel like lately I get so overwhelmed when I go thrifting. The crowds, the weird mothball smell, and all the stuff often make me end up leaving without checking out what I’m looking for (I just want a nice mirror and a nice vase, lol). There’s a small thrift shop in the downtown area where I live that’s so crammed with stuff you can barely walk the narrow corridors. Then there are fancier ones that can be super overpriced. I’ve found some places that are better at organizing and curating stuff, but I don’t want to be a snob about it. There are also some pretty cool flea markets in the summer.

I love people posting great finds and feel lame because I chicken out. I want to know how to enjoy it or learn how to find the stuff I want.

How do you go in without getting overwhelmed (I’m an anxious person with agoraphobia)? How to you just enjoy it and discover cool shit?

in thriftingby ScarletRainCove

91%

1mo

bill0ddi3

1mo

Can you take a friend? Maybe scope the place out for quieter times?

ScarletRainCove

1mo

I go with my husband and he gets excited over everything 😖 he’s also a bit of a hoarder. Maybe I can find someone else to make the experience less overwhelming.

bill0ddi3

1mo

Great he shares the passion. I'd hope he's a reasonable go and accommodate any feelings you have in any way that makes your experience better.

ScarletRainCove

1mo

He is! He notices when I start getting panicky or a smell or fluorescent light triggers a headache. He’s a trooper!

Ok-Equivalent8260

1mo

The thrift stores are my happy place. I could just browse for hours. I don’t have anxiety or agoraphobia, so that helps. Maybe put some headphones in.

HelloThisIsPam

1mo

My favorite thrift store is an absolute honey hole and absolute nightmare at the same time. I have to do deep breathing before I go in there and then I'm gripping the shopping cart and counting to 10 and deep breathing the whole time. It's so crowded and everyone runs over you and touches you and is super rude.

Trixie2327

1mo

Touches you?? I had some rude woman try to grab something out of my hands once, but she, luckily for her, did not grab ME. That was the last time I have been in a thrift shop. I also kept noticing weirdos looking in my cart, trying to dig through stuff in my cart. I don't like rude people! It's too bad because I really found some crazy stuff there for practically nothing. For myself, I'm not a reseller.

HelloThisIsPam

1mo

I don't want to say anything bad about anybody's culture, so I won't mention the exact culture, but it is 90% a group of people from a certain country and their personal boundaries are very small. Every culture has its own personal boundaries, for example the Germans and the the Japanese have a larger personal boundary space than Americans do, and this culture has a very small personal boundary, so they will literally touch you, step on your feet, run into you, hit you with a shopping cart, body check you, etc., with absolutely no acknowledgment that they did it or that you are even standing there. It's mostly the women that do this. Not an "excuse me," nothing. So I have to really gas myself up to go there.

Then, the people that work there are from a different culture with a smaller boundary than Americans have as well, so they will run over you with a shopping cart, push you, touch you, etc., but they WILL say "move" as they annihilate you, and occasionally say pardon me, but they say it rude, like you are completely inconveniencing them by shopping there. So between the workers and the rest of the clientele, it's VERY stressful. If it wasn't so amazing, I would never go there.

featureteacher2023

1mo

Now I’m dying to know what culture this is 😂

HelloThisIsPam

1mo

I will get downvoted and canceled for saying it!

HelloThisIsPam

1mo

I won't say anything more than this, but I will give you a hint. It's 2 different islands. And I'm not saying anything bad about them, it's just a different culture and I'm not used to it because I didn't grow up in it.

muzickel

1mo

This.

DapperDanThrifts

1mo

Find the thrift stores that you feel comfortable in and avoid the ones that make you feel uncomfortable, myself I will avoid certain stores for all the things that you have mentioned above.

Beatsbythebong

1mo

Depends on your location, where I'm at now I hardly go to thrifts as anything they have is cheaper on ebay or mercari or Amazon. I much prefer yard/garage sales and swapmeets to shopping at thrifts.

ScarletRainCove

1mo

I’m in MA. Consignment stores are overwhelming and smaller thrift shops are either high end or hoarder-full of stuff. You’re right about not focusing solely on the stores, though!

Moreplantshabibi

1mo

I use ear buds to listen to audiobooks while I’m thrifting. That way even if I don’t find anything good, I still got to listen to a good book! (The Libby app lets you check out audiobooks and ebooks from your library directly to your phone.)

ScarletRainCove

1mo

This makes me happy. I’m a librarian and curate my library’s (on my own) and the network’s (with a team) Libby collections.

Moreplantshabibi

1mo

I’m in my car for almost two hours every weekday, and Libby has saved my sanity!

sanguineseraph

1mo

I shop alone in noise cancelling headphones. I generally go on weekdays - weekends are too busy and the good stuff gets snatched up quickly. ETA - I am always wearing a KF94/N95 mask in public anyhow, but it definitely helps with thrift smells.

ScarletRainCove

1mo

I was scared I was making up the smell part! I’ve seen many people mention headphones, so maybe that’s the trick.

PistachioPerfection

1mo

A while back my mom and I went to an estate sale and the whole place just reeked of OLD. I couldn't stand it. It was during the time when everyone still had a mask handy just in case, so I put mine on and was able to browse to my heart's content.

sanguineseraph

1mo

No not making it up - think of all of the smells from clothing and possible perfumes from unwashed clothing mixing with that awful disinfectant they put on everything. It's NASTY!

ParticularRabbit0809

1mo

Hey, I love thrifting but I have definitely gotten overwhelmed in super crowded spots before. I usually step outside, get some air and if it’s too overwhelming sometimes I leave and come back later in the day or even the next day. I find that usually after work/school hours on weekdays are pretty quiet and of course if you can go during a weekday it will be way quieter than on a weekend. I would also just go with 0 expectations on finding anything, this way you’re not overwhelming yourself with the pressure of finding that perfect item and instead are simply just enjoying the hunt where you may or may not find what you’re looking for!

xheyshorty

1mo

You can wear headphones playing music or noise cancelling ones. I try to go at less busy times. I come fully fed and fully hydrated. Making sure I pee before heading in. lol. Seriously if I am hungry or have to pee it’s not going to be fun experience. I try not to rush. If I’m feeling overwhelmed in a certain area I’ll skip that section. For example, the jean section of my goodwill is a hot mess so I always skip because it stresses me out.

ScarletRainCove

1mo

I can’t do any clothing or shoes because I feel that’s where the smell hits me hardest. Also, I’m peeved by the underwear part 🤣 I work during weekdays- so it’ll be something to consider for vacation time.

Outrageous_Key_9217

1mo

Sometimes I narrow down what I’m looking for to a couple of categories because I can’t handle looking at everything. I have a medical condition that makes my eyes not work together as well. And it gets very overwhelming.

inhabitshire

1mo

Weed

strawberry-sarah22

1mo

Every store is different so you want to find your favorites. My favorites are more organized (like by size) and I also try to go to ones with a good mission more. From there, I tend to go in with a couple of things in mind. I’ll look through more racks than just what I went for but it’s less overwhelming that way. Somehow I find that I get more stuff when I went in with a goal, even if I get totally unrelated stuff. I also like when stores have a discount rack (I went to one last week with a dollar rack and a “last chance” rack and those are where I got most of my items)

IrukandjiPirate

1mo

I haven’t been able to go thrifting for a while, but the last few trips were very disappointing, it seems every place had at least doubled their prices.

Goofyteachermom

1mo

Maybe start with yard sales. Smaller, outside, can always do a drive by if you’re not feeling it

Comfy_Blond_Chick

1mo

Savers has the best finds!

_baegopah_XD

1mo

I wear ear plugs or ear buds and tune out the people and music with my own.

I also stop and leave when I’m overwhelmed or over stimulated. Some days I can thrift all day. Other days I am cranky early on and go home.

Acrobatic-Building42

1mo

AirPods help me a lot! Sometimes it just isn’t the time though and I leave. What was different about the experience a couple years ago? Maybe reflect on what made that a success?

fishbutt1

1mo

I wear sunglasses and sometimes ear plugs. Helps with sensory overload.

cbh10op

1mo

If you think thrift stores are gross, just stay away.