Thrift Etiquette

Around 2010, the same year that American Pickers made it's debut, thrift shops started to single out certain items that they thought held value. This wasn't the first time it was happening, but it was the first time it was happening everywhere. I found this extremely frustrating. Once, I stood at the front of a very long line, waiting almost 10 minutes for a clerk to price a vintage board game. It was unmarked when I found it in the game section and when I handed it to her to be rung up she took it and fled to the backroom. I assumed she was asking a manager for the price, which I was already annoyed was going to be more than the generic price of $2 for games, but I waited because it was a really cool Candyland game with great graphics that I knew a friend of mine would love. 10 minutes later, she emerged from the backroom and informed me that she'd been checking eBay and the going rate was $16, so that was what she was going to charge me. This was extremely frustrating. I wanted to blow up and tell her that she was everything that was wrong with the world, but instead I politely said "no thank you, I'll pass." and left the store.

I'm sure anyone who is reading this has been in similar situations. Almost every time I'm out I hear someone remark on how "You could actually buy this cheaper, new, at X store". And they are usually right. But I think there is also something to be said about grabbing that item (if you need it) and giving your money to the charitable cause, rather than the big box store.

Left this out of the original post on accident, but I think it's a super important subject to address: Cleanliness/Smelliness. I'm not going to be long winded about this because it's pretty straightforward. Thrift stores are full of used stuff. Sometimes people wash clothing before they donate it, sometimes it comes from the back of a closet and hasn't seen the sun in decades and is full of dust and other gross particles we can't see. You should really just assume it's dirty, or it's smelly. Assume this before you go in the thrift store. Keep your expectations low and breath out of your mouth. Yes. In this instance it's totally cool -and highly recommended- to be a mouth breather. Please don't comment on the "smell in the store" and don't assume the bathrooms are going to be Nordstrom bathroom/RESTroom quality. You aren't paying Nordstrom prices, so you know- you get what you get. Bring your hand sanitizer, use it frequently, and don't be dramatic about it. Be cool, man.

It's so easy to be a jerk about price increases, cleanliness, and managers acting like they own the place --but at the end of the day, we're buying items at a fraction of the price the money is usually always going to a great cause, so we just need to get past it. It's always your choice to put an item down and walk away if you think the asking price is too much.

You totally have a right to have strong feelings about this topic, but just know that someone may be standing next to you listening, thinking -dude, grow up. ;)

What is the most outrageously overprice item you've ever come across in a thrift store? I'd love the details ;)