Last weekend, my friends and I traversed into the Warwick Savers with the intention of finding dresses for our friend’s upcoming Sweet Sixteen. Going to a thrift store for the first time can be intimidating, with so many items and so many people. It’s difficult to know where to start. Here’s what I’ve learned.

A primary first rule to follow when going to the thrift store is to make sure you’re not only getting from the store, but giving. Be sure to donate old clothes or household items (that are in good condition- thrift stores aren’t dumpsters) before purchasing anything. This also ensures that you’re not procuring an excess of items. 

Once in the store, it’s highly probable that you can end up wandering aimlessly through the aisles of clothing, not particularly sure where to begin or what to look for. So, go into your shopping with a pretty strong idea of what you’re looking for; that way you can bee-line to the sweaters or dresses and avoid making unnecessary purchases just because you feel the inclination to buy. 

As you push through the clothing on their hangers, pay close attention to the brand names on the tags. Every once in a while you can come across high quality or even designer brands. Personally, I’ve come across pieces from J.Crew to Calvin Klein for less than half of their initial prices. Another plus of paying attention to brands is that clothing by high-end brands is of great quality and likely to last you for very long. Avoid clothing from fast fashion brands, as they’re far less well made and likely to end up being trashed after prematurely falling apart. 

However, don’t set your expectations too high; it’s important to keep an open mind. Don’t settle for something of low quality, but don’t reject everything that isn’t exactly what you want, there’s a possibility that you could pass up on a piece of clothing you could never find anywhere else.    

Once you’ve bought your clothing, be sure to wash the clothes before you put them on. Most secondhand stores don’t wash their clothing, and there’s no way of knowing where the clothing was before. In this day and age, it’s always a good idea to be extra careful with items that have probably been touched by countless hands. 

That’s my unofficial guide to thrifting. Using these suggestions should make your second-hand shopping endeavors go smoothly and successfully.