When Thrifting Isn’t Thrifty

My husband and I recently traveled to New Jersey to visit family and while we were there, we took the train to New York City for a couple of days. Now while some people might get excited about seeing the Empire State Building, Times Square, the Stature of Liberty or any of the many museums and other attractions, I was excited to visit some thrift stores. New York City is one of the world’s leading cities for fashion so I could only imagine the steals and deals I could find. I researched thrift stores in the area, made a list of the top 5 rated, got the addresses and was ready to go. Our original plan was for me to taxi to the stores while my husband did his thing but after a few cab rides when we first got there, with the drivers asking US where  locations were, even when we gave them the address, my husband decided he should accompany me.

Now I didn’t want us to spend the entire trip traipsing through thrift stores, especially since this was our first trip to New York as a couple (we had both been before we met each other), so I made sure my list contained stores that were close to each other, or so I thought. We took a cab to our first location which was on the Upper East Side, where the cab dropped us off, and the cab driver pointed down the street, telling us our destination was “over there”. After a 30 minute walk, we finally called the store, only to find out it had moved! Another 45 minutes were spent walking, trying to make sense of the addresses and just as I was about to give up, we located an area that contained 2 of the 5 stores on my list. Whoohoo!

Now if you aren’t familiar with thrift stores, they are stores that sell used items (you can find new items too sometimes), that benefit non-profit organizations, at a fraction of their regular prices. I’m a “pro” at thrifting, and was specifically looking for high-end designer labels that I knew I’d pay more for, but still be able to get a good deal on. We couldn’t take pictures inside the store but we did get some shots of me standing outside a few of the stores we visited. As I talk about our shopping experience, I just want to say, the pictures aren’t necessarily pictures of the stores I’m talking about. I appreciate the fact that thrift stores aid causes so I don’t want to be negative about a specific store.

As we entered the first shop, my eyes immediately went to a display of designer purses with names like Louis Vuitton, Coach and Chanel. I’m not a “label” shopper typically but hey, if I could snag a Chanel bag for less, that would be fine by me! I’ve seen USED Chanel purses for sell ranging in price from $1,200 to over $3,500 (yes, that’s for a USED bag) so I was expecting high prices. Therefore, when I saw the prices on these bags ($800 to $1,250 for some), I wasn’t that surprised but I was shocked at the condition these purses were in. Stains, broken clasps and torn leather…seriously.  A Chanel bag that I was interested in was priced at $350 (it had a tag on it that said it originally sold for $3,200). Now let me just say, I would NEVER imagine paying a price like that but we had agreed beforehand if I found an excellent deal on a once in a lifetime splurge, we’d do it. The only problem? It had 3 cigarette burns in the leather and ink stains across the front. It looked like trash and something I would have tossed rather than donate! And they wanted $350 for it? I don’t care if it was 90% off the original price, or that it was a designer bag, it was in horrible condition. Who would spend that kind of money on something in such bad condition? I looked at my husband and said, “We’re not in Colorado Springs anymore!”

Shoes were my next item to check out. Christian Louboutin and Manolo Blahnik labels were everywhere! (They typically sell for $500 to over $8,000.) I had “budgeted” up to a couple of hundred dollars for a pair of fabulous shoes so again, I was excited to hunt for a deal. Most of the shoes were priced at $250 to $350 but….OMG, they were nasty! One pair of Jimmy Choo heels actually had the heel missing!! And they were priced at $275!! Seriously? Seriously, who would buy them, even if they were $1.00? Yes, you could take them to a shoe repair shop but what are the chances they could match the heel, how much would that cost, and for $275, I want something that isn’t broken. Run-down heels, torn leather, stains, and seriously nasty smelling odors….NOT what I consider a deal.

Another item that caught my eye, because of the price and condition, was a Gucci leather braid belt. The leather was cracked in places, the braiding coming undone and something I wouldn’t have spent 99 cents on…priced at $250. After we got back to the hotel, I actually looked for Gucci belts online and saw an almost identical one selling for $245 brand new. So paying $250 for a used, and in horrible condition Gucci belt would just be stupid! (In my personal opinion.)

We visited several stores and for the most part, these were typical of the “deals” we found. On the plus side, we did see some great furniture and household items that were reasonably priced but too big to carry back on a train and plane, and the shipping charges would have been costly. I have to admit, I was very disappointed. What surprised me even more than the prices and poor condition the women’s fashion items were in was the fact that shoppers were actually buying some of these items. Most of the items I saw, were things I probably wouldn’t even give a young girl to play dress up in! But they were selling.

One item I saw that totally shocked me was a Merona top that was priced at $65. In case you’re not familiar with the brand, Merona is a Target brand and didn’t cost $65 when it was brand new. It also looked like it was 20 years old, and not in a vintage/retro way. And to further add to my “what the heck?” state of mind, the entire seam on the right side was torn from top to bottom….for $65! I kid you not.

At this point, I was like, “I’m DONE!” We had spent time on cabs, trying to find the actual stores, browsing the stores… to be very disappointed and in awe that the items with their prices and conditions, while I thought horrible, were actually selling. Maybe it was just super rich people buying items to help out non-profit organizations? But if someone thought buying a cracked and torn Gucci belt was going to make them look fashionable, sorry, they were just going to look like they couldn’t afford something better and might have dug it out of a trash dumpster.

I never found the Goodwill store I wanted to visit so I don’t know what the merchandise or prices were like but we did discover a thrift store in the basement of a magnificent church. My husband and I like looking at old buildings, and usually pop in to old churches wherever we go, to  admire the ornate architectural details and designs. So as we were taking pictures of this breath-taking building, St. Jean Baptiste Catholic Church (established in 1882 and one of the few Catholic churches in NYC with a dome), we saw a sign pointing downstairs to a thrift store. Of course we had to check it out. Now this is what I had been looking for all day! Overflowing shelves and racks of good quality “finds”! Designer labels for $25 or less, unusual household items, tons of books and toys, all in good condition. We poked and prodded and I tried on several really cute dresses (unfortunately nothing fit). We spent an hour there and while we didn’t buy anything, we had an interesting visit with an older woman who was “minding” the store while the shop worker went out to grab some coffee. She told us a bit of the history of the church, which was way more entertaining than just reading about it.

I’m very happy that my husband and I have similar personalities in certain areas like our attitudes. The day started out disappointing but instead of letting that ruin our day or grumbling about it, we took it in stride and continued to explore the area we were in. After we left St. Jean Baptiste, we came upon a French restaurant, located on the corner of Lexington Avenue and 75th Street that was fabulous! It had an outdoor patio we sat at as we sipped a delightful bottle of wine, dined on escargot; homemade pate, sausage and dried meats; and oysters, clams, shrimp and crab claws while we people-watched. (I personally was looking for people with bags from some of the earlier thrift stores we visited, wondering what kind of “deal” they thought they got!) It was a wonderful, unplanned discovery!

Well, now I’ve gone from thrift store shopping to French dining! So I’ll get back on track to what my original point was. Everyone who knows me knows I prefer buying used versus new when it comes to most anything and everything. But just because something’s in a thrift store, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a good deal. Especially if something is marked higher than the original cost (unless it’s something that appreciates over time.) And just because an item has a designer label, if it looks like trash, why would you even spend a dollar on it? Now I of course didn’t visit every thrift store in New York and I’m sure there are lots of great shops, I just wasn’t able to find them. But that’s true of all cities. Some thrift stores have better prices than others, some have better merchandise….it all depends on who’s donating items and the thrift store’s criteria for what they sell. And because we saved money on not finding any deals, I didn’t feel too bad about spending about $150 for a late lunch (I did say we ordered a delightful bottle of wine!)

Regardless of where you live, you can smartly shop at thrift stores and snag bargains that are actual bargains. Here’s some tips on thrift store shopping we previously posted in case you missed it…

** Again, our pictures aren’t necessarily pictures of the actual stores we shopped. I don’t want to appear negative when thrift stores help benefit (as in these pictures) cancer and arthritis research and those in need. I love thrift stores, getting deals, and helping others with my purchases.

And I came home with extra money I ended up not spending, which I’ll happily and gratefully spend at our local Discover Goodwill stores here in Colorado Springs!!