When I lived in Missoula, there was only the Goodwill as far as chain thrift stores. I moved the Spokane, WA at the beginning of August last year and immediately sought out thrift stores. I fell in love with the Value Village. It is a chain thrift store that donates money to local causes and charities and I would much rather support them than the Good will any day after hearing about some unsavory things having to do with how the Goodwill runs their operations.
Being that I shop at the Value Village on a weekly basis, (sometimes more than once!) I thought I would share some of my tips for shopping there.
Value Village Shopping Tips
Make sure you check out their website. You can often find DIY ideas from Halloween costumes to refurbishing furniture tips. I find the website is a great place to check out some fun articles as well as info about the stores.
Join the SuperSavers Club. It’s free and it is your pass to great savings. It allows you to get 50% deals on clothes, shoes and even books during special sales that happen almost every month. Plus, there are sometimes pre-sales to ones that are offered to the public that only SuperSavers Club cardholders get. You will also get emails about the special sales coming up. SuperSavers also save 20% on their birthdays! Just don’t try to join on a sale day. Many times, it will be against their policy.
Get there early in the day to get the best chance at getting a great item on sale days. While they do put new items out all day long, you want the best shot at getting the newest stuff to hit the shelves as soon as they open. Plus, sale days tend to be crowded, so hit up the racks before they do.
Donate items to them. They give you a tax write off in most states and sometimes, they have extra deals like getting 30% off your next purchase or donation punch-cards that get you super discounts.
Make sure to pay attention to the color on the tag. On Non-big sale days, they often have sales on the tags. There is usually a different color each week, so make sure you ask what the color is when you come into the store. These get you 50% off all tags of that color in all departments, not just clothing like with many of their sales.
Shop off season. I have noticed that many off season items such as sandals in the winter and hats in the summer are on sale during off season times. They may not be marked on sale, but the prices are often lower than if you try to buy them during the season.
Get their book bargains. At Value Village, if you buy 4 books, you get the 5th for free. However, make sure they are all around the same price to get the best deal.
Go on discount days. On Wednesday, for example, Seniors get 20% off. Take your favorite grandma shopping on this day!
What are some of your tips for shopping at the Value Village?
This post was NOT SPONSORED by Value Village. I just really love it there!
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Spokane has a wealth of thrift stores, which I am sure you have discovered by now. Generally, VV is one of the LAST places I shop in the area because they are so much higher than many other stores. Living in Coeur d’Alene, I have to say we have some great stores over on this side of the border, especially Good Samaritan. I do shop Spokane thrifts at least once a week, and find myself gravitating to UGM’, Teen Challenge, and Global Neighborhood Thrift on Wednesdays (books 50% off). VV is the most expensive place to buy books (outside of a dedicated used bookstore); however, I will give them kudos for the physical quality of the books they offer. Happy hunting!
The reason I like Value Village so much is because they have a bigger variety for the things I am looking for. Most thrift stores do not carry a very good selection of younger women style plus sized clothing. Value Village tends to. I do agree that some things are more expensive there such as books, but Value Village is still my go-to when I am in a thrifting mood because they generally have things that I want and since I donate there often as well, I usually get 30% off.