Rules for Shopping at the Goodwill Outlet:
1. Wear flat shoes. This should be fairly obvious, but you never know.
2. Don't bring your normal purse, unless it is a cross-body. You need both hands, and purses can be cumbersome. If you don't have a cross-body bag, try to fit everything securely in your pockets or a smaller bag, like a wristlet.
3. Don't wear your coat in, even if it's cold out. It will also be cumbersome and make you hot.
4. Bring cash. I believe they take cards, but I have been advised that cash is the best option.
5. Bring hand sanitizer (or at least make sure you wash your hands right when you leave). It is not a particularly clean place.
6. Bring your own bags. They don't have bags, and you can end up with a lot to carry.
7. Have patience and accept the fact that 95% of the things you see, you will not like.
8. If you do like something, even just a little, pick it up. If you don't, someone else will, and then you will be sad. You can always change your mind.
Ok, so once you know these things, you are ready to go.
I'm not sure if all Goodwill Outlets work the same way, but at this one, you grab a cart right when you walk in and then put it against a wall, so it's not in the way. Then, when you find things you like, you bring them to the cart and start making a pile. Like I said in rule #7, you can always change your mind. Just put the things you think you may like in your cart, and then you can go through them later. There are constantly new things being brought in, so be on the look out. When there is a new batch of things, people flock to it, so be prepared to snatch things up.
You can't try anything on, but that's ok because it will cost you almost nothing if it ends up not working out, and I think most people know pretty well what size they are (everything that I got today fit). When you are done, you weigh everything and pay by the pound. I believe it is $1.39/lb if you have less than 20 lbs, and $1.19/lb if you have over. A few things (like shoes) are sold individually.
So, like I said, this can be intimidating, but if you go into it with an open mind and view it as almost a type of treasure hunt, it is so much fun. Everyone should go at least once to see for themselves!
For and idea of what kind of value you can get, here is what I got:
- 9 shirts
- 4 skirts
- 4 sweaters
- 1 pair of jeans
- 1 dress
- 1 purse
- 1 pair of athletic shorts
- 1 scarf
- 1 leather jacket
- 1 apron
- 1 happy Christmas tablecloth
- 1 dishtowel
Guess how much I paid for this all. Drum roll, please...... A grand total of $19.00 (which weighed about 12.5 lbs)!!!
Now, I may not have bought every single piece that I got off of a full price rack, but most of them I actually love. Also, because it is such a good deal, you can take some risks. For instance, I am going to make the jeans into shorts (I am usually very against jorts in any situation, but am making an exception because they are very high-waisted vintage-y Levi's) and the dress, which is fairly hideous, into headscarves because the print is great.
The brands vary anywhere from Target, to Ann Taylor, to Brooks Brothers, to possibly-handmade, to random-that-no-one-knows-what-the-heck-it-is. It is just mind-boggling to think about what all of these would have cost retail. Many of them still had their Goodwill tags on them from when they were in a normal Goodwill store, and even that total comes to $84.86, and that is only with about 2/3 of them tagged. If that doesn't convince you to go, I don't know what will.
**Unrelated, but necessary, note: I also got fleece-lined leggings, which cost more than this entire Goodwill trip, but are sooo worth it. They are from Motherhood Maternity but are one size, so you don't have to be pregnant in order for them to fit. My friend who was just pregnant pointed me to this store, and I'm so glad she did. They are so nice, especially if you live in a cold climate. They are warm, thick, not see-through, and don't bunch at all. They are for sure a worth-while investment. I know that finding good leggings can be a struggle, so just letting everyone know.
