BY JOSIE HOLT 

It truly has passed the phase of just being a new trend. Thrifting is now considered a viable choice for buying clothes,accessories, and even furniture for cheap, while still retaining good quality. Many are starting to jump into the world of thrifting blindly, so I’ve written up a couple of tips. This is the self-proclaimed, thrifting expert’s guide to thrifting. 

Before everything else, decide where you want to thrift. Believe it or not, this is actually a very important question. Taking stock of your local thrift stores gives you a better idea of the quality and quantity of items. Some thrift stores are furniture only, others are in areas of lower or higher incomes and will therefore have different quality pieces. 

Doing a little research is very easy and effective. This may also be a great time to research the policies of each thrift store: Do they allow returns and some may not? Do they have deals on certain days? What is their company atmosphere or what values do they believe?

Once you’ve chosen where to thrift, the next question is how do I thrift? I recommend creating a list of the specific items you’re looking for. This could include items for a specific season or style, or even pieces made with a particular material or color. This is up to interpretation and it should be completely up to you, there are no wrong answers. 

The rest is really up to you and your list. But I’m going to include some of my favorite tips.

• Taking a tape measure can be very helpful to make sure pants fit, or rise to a certain area on the torso. 
• Definitely keep your size measurements somewhere on your person while thrifting. Clothes sizes vary in every way, and even shoes sizes can vary. 
• Don’t be afraid of the shoes, yes of course it is a little disconcerting that these shoes came from some random person, but thrift stores can have some amazing shoes. 
• Looking up the brand of a piece is a great idea. Sometimes it can lead to a new favorite. 
• The men’s section usually has great shirts, sweatshirts, sweaters, pants, vests, and even coats. The male silhouette is also very popular right now so it’s the perfect time to pick up some big, comfy clothes. 
• Don’t race through the store. There’s going to be a lot there and it may feel a bit overwhelming, but take your time and go through each piece. You wouldn’t want to skip over a perfect piece.
• Make sure to check for holes or stains before checking out, and if you still wish to buy a piece with a hole or stain try asking for a discount at the register.
• Go with an open mind. You never know what you’re going to find.