Thrifting Tips

Savers offer a 20% off coupon ($10 purchase min.) every time you donate an item. These coupons usually expire on the 31st of the month or following month when the donation is made. I find it best to keep a small plastic bag full of magazines, old books or other small items I no longer need in my vehicle. Once at Savers, if I happen to find an item(s) I want that totals more than $10, I simply go back out to my vehicle, grab an item to donate and get the coupon. You can use it right away! I found this technique works better than stocking up on coupons, since when they are about to expire you feel the need to 'use them or lose them', and make bad purchases.

Goodwill and Savers both use a color-coded price tag system. Generally, all the items priced during a certain week will have the same color price tags, excluding specialty items. The reason for this is to make sure old merchandise does not sit in the store for too long. Each color goes through a series of stages. First week, usually not on sale. 2nd or 3rd week, daily or week long sale of 25-50% off. The day after the color has been at 50% off for an entire week, the color is moved to .99 special, where every item in the store with that color tag is only .99, no matter what the original price. Each location will have a sign stating which color is on sale for that day/week.

Many thrift stores will also have daily % off sales for certain types of customers. These may include:

• Seniors discount
• Police/Fire/EMT/Nurse/Military discount
• Casino employee/player discount (show players card)
• Show previous weeks receipt discount
• Show receipt from partner store discount (Albertson's receipt at Goodwill)

Some thrift and antique stores that are not chain stores (Goodwill, Savers, Deseret, Salvation Army) are willing to barter/negotiate on their items. If you get the feeling that the owner of the shop is the one you're speaking with, feel free to ask for a lower price... politely.