Sales at thrift stores

[lv2thrift]

When I go into a thrift store and see flyers for an upcoming 4th of July sale, for example, part of me wants to leave the store and come back when the sale is happening, and the other part of me remembers how crowded thrift stores get during sales and how hard it is to maneuver through the store during a sale and look at everything and how long the lines get for the dressing rooms and cash registers.  

Does anyone else have this dilemma or do you wait for the sale and then march on in and push your way through when you can't get to what you want?  The older I get, the more I want to avoid the hassle, but then I guess I'm missing out on some great bargains.  

I know some people will go in before a sale and hide things they want throughout the store so they can retrive them later and get the sale price, but I feel like this is unfair.  Just the other day I found a nice high heeled shoe hidden among the ties and then I found the match for the shoe hidden under a shoe rack.  I put the pair together and put them out on the rack so someone could buy them.  I mean, what if the person that hid them never comes back and you, Jane Q. Thrifter, is wishing you had that exact pair of high heels?  I think first come, first serve has to come into play in this instance.

[Zed Simon]

Two big questions I'd ask myself: one,  "How big is the discount?" and two, "WIll it be here when the sale is on?" If it's a big enough discount, move on to question 2. That's the bugger. If it's a gotta-have that you just don't see around, it may be worth paying a little extra for now as your insurance that you'll get it.

I totally agree with the first-come policy. If I were a manager and caught someone hiding something, there'd be a strong reprimand in store for them. Either buy it now or hope it's there later. And if it's there later, hope it's in the same condition. It may not always be.

[Josie Rosy Posy]

It's soooo hard to leave something and expect to come back to it, that's why I never do it.  I either buy it or not, and consider the money I save well spent on something else I may want or need just as much. And if I plan to go to a sale, I have to discipline myself not to go to the store any small amount of days prior just to avoid the situation you're talking about! As for hiding things with the hopes that it will be there when you come back, I consider it fair because though I never try it (I don't expect it to work), I am usually the one to find the seemingly "hidden" items and I definitely scoop them up! That's what makes  the "treasure hunt" factor so much fun!

[tvgirl4fun]

Can't say I remember a thrift store having a "sale" in my area.  Most of the stores I go to have weekly specials depending on the color of the tag on the item.  Have gone back the next week to see if that's the color discounted that week.  Sometimes the item's been there, sometimes not.  Another store I go to has a special the latter part of the week where you get to fill a bag (plastic shopping bag) for $10.00.  If you take your time and fold the items when you put them in the bag, you can easily get over 10 items in the bag.  That comes down to less that $1.00 each!  Jaie

[ChrisMiss]

I understand your dilemma regarding thrift store sales, should I stay and buy it at regular price or come back when the sale is on and hope to find the items again.  I’ve found that usually the items are gone by the time the sale rolls around so if I really want it I buy it now and not wait.

I do go to the store on the day of the sales and there isn’t too much of a hassle with crowds except for within the first hour of the sale it seems.  Of course, the store is busier than when there isn’t a sale but the crowds aren’t as bad as within that first hour.  I’ve been one of those who are standing in line waiting for the door to open too.

 Also what day the sale is being held seems to affect how big the crowd is.  The day after Thanksgiving sale crowds are not as big as one would expect.  I guess the sales going on at all the major department stores is what draws the crowds on that day.  I go to all the thrift stores I can on the day after Thanksgiving and buy, buy, buy.