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Saturday, April 11, 2009

A Goodwill find. . .

Late last month, I went on a quick tour of the Goodwill store located closest to my work, which also happens to be a 'high quality' Goodwill. Meaning that any designer items or even higher priced clothing (such as Banana Republic castoffs) will be funneled to this particular store. Of course, the prices at this store are also quite a bit higher than at other Goodwill locations around town. In spite of the high prices, some good deals can be found.

For example, I've been on the search for a good pair of jeans---I like the designer stuff, but I'm not willing to pay more than $40 dollars for a pair of jeans. Hence, I wear a lot of Gap, Old Navy, and Banana Republic jeans.

However, on this particular day, I came across a pair of 'Joe's' jeans at the local Goodwill. They fit me well, the length was perfect with boots (difficult when you're only 5'4"), and they were in good shape. At $29.99, they were more expensive than I'd expect from a used clothing store, but I thought it was worth it.

Upon arriving home, I checked the Macy's website to see how much this particular brand generally sells for. What I found was astonishing! These fairly run- of-the-mill jeans typically sell in the $155 to $175 range! Unbelievable (I would NEVER spend that much money on a pair of jeans). What this means is that by shopping in a used clothing store (even a more expensive one), I saved approximately $140, or about 80% off retail!

7 comments:

Lucy said...

Awesome find!

Jillbert said...

I love Goodwill! That's a great score for jeans! Yesterday, I bought a brand new Banana Republic tee shirt for $3. It still had it's $28 store tag on it. I'll never shop retail again.

Amanda said...

Turn around and sell those sweet jeans on ebay!!!

Anonymous said...

"What this means is that by shopping in a used clothing store (even a more expensive one), I saved approximately $140, or about 80% off retail!"

Well, you didn't actually SAVE 80%, since you had absolutely no intention of buying $140 jeans in the first place.

But still . . . nice find. ;-)

Love your blog . . .

JP in ATL

danana-banana said...

How can I find out the "high-quality" Goodwill locations in my city? Is it just trial and error?

Finally Frugal said...

Oooooh, Amanda, what a great idea! It never occurred to me that I could sell these jeans on Ebay and make some cash! I'll have to look into that---I'm not THAT attached to them, yet!

As for finding the 'better' Goodwill/thrift stores, I'd recommend asking! If you're in a good-sized urban (or even suburban) area, I'll bet the thrift stores funnel the higher-priced clothing to one location. Another way to do this is to find Goodwill/thrift stores that are located in or near a hoity-toity (translation: high income) area of town. I keep meaning to find some of the thrift stores in Lake Oswego, where many of the wealthier people live---I'm sure to find some good stuff there!

Debt Reduction said...

Nice blog post.

I've been having a partnership with my fashionista friend and make some part time income while clearing the clutter out of our closets. We started selling them to our neighbors then after a few weeks signed-up for eBay. The business runs well and I, myself could tell you that it's better to have a partner in doing doing business while enjoying the experience and making your friendship grow fonder.

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