“Items will not be sold if the tag is loose, missing, or altered,” rings the sickly sweet, almost condescending voice over the PA speakers in the chaotic aisles of Red White and Blue Thrift Store in Waterbury. The Chuck E. Cheese turned thrift store is about 25,500 square feet. That’s a lot of denim. The smell of old clothes, hundreds of shoppers, and used books overwhelms the senses, but the potential treasure keeps my friends Anastasia, Harry, and me motivated. Navigating from the wall of bags to the multiple aisles of shoes is just the beginning of a Red White and Blue thrift trip.
On the front and back walls, multiple TVs broadcast what color tags are on sale, and a friendly reminder that they are a cash-only business. Three to four different tags will be either twenty-five, fifty, or seventy percent off, respectively. A Coach purse marked at sixty dollars might be something you would automatically put back, but if it has a blue price tag for seventy-five percent off, it’s going straight into the cart. Along with the constant announcements that repeat every other minute, the cash-only and missing tag policy are their strictest rules. They do provide ATMs throughout the store in case the mind-numbing announcements go unheeded.
Come Prepared
Preparing mentally, physically, and emotionally will set you up for success before you even pull into the parking lot. Wearing comfortable, easy to get on and off, neutral, tight-fitting clothing is essential. Due to the lack of fitting rooms or privacy in the store, along with the strict no-return or exchange policy, what you wear is crucial. The store becomes your runway, especially when testing out the six-inch rockabilly stilettos your friend begged you to try on.
My list ignores any trends or the upcoming season. I was looking for a casual winter coat, horizontal striped lounge pants, fun graphic tees, and materials for my Renaissance Faire costume. Of course, I’ll never say no to a fun cardigan, anything gingham, tartan, grandma floral, or leather. Anastasia was looking for sweaters and boots for the upcoming winter season. She is dressed to thrift in her tight tank top and leggings, overlaying a cable knit red zip up. This is her third trip to Red White and Blue this month. She’s very particular about her ultimate dream boot. Boots can be black or brown, but she does not want them to have a heel, nor does she want them to be fully flat with a plain rubber sole. After that, we always look through the wall of books and the two shelves by the entryway. Anastasia picks through the DVDs on the back side of the aisle of books; she’s on the hunt to complete her Barbie princess movie collection.
Having a loose plan of what you seek will save time. Looking for winter boots? Want a new pair of jeans for fall? Narrow down the wash you want for your jeans, and look at every pair with that wash. Pinterest is a great way to organize pieces you want to find, then narrow it down to the specific style, color, length, and heel height to avoid buyer’s remorse or becoming a victim of thrift blindness. Remember: no returns!
“As someone who doesn’t thrift very often, I thought it was actually a very cool place.”
Harry Smith, a 22-year-old electrician apprentice, is going thrifting for the first time in a black T-shirt with “mom’s favorite” written across his chest and gray sweatpants. He is not used to the digging that comes with thrifting. He looks through the shelves of electronics, from a Nintendo Wii to a surround sound speaker system. Smith inspects the Wii, “Honestly, as someone who doesn’t thrift very often, I thought it was actually a very cool place, a lot bigger.” Red White and Blue requires much more digging. “It’s very crammed, and it’s kind of like survival, you know, everyone’s out there just fending for themselves.” He grows bored quickly and ditches us after half an hour to get a chicken sandwich from the Popeyes on the other side of the parking lot.
Convince a Friend to Come Along
Having a second opinion keeps you from suffering from the illness that is thrift blindness. Thrift blindness occurs when you have been digging for hours and have still found nothing, so you start convincing yourself you love a two-sizes-too-big shapeless dress, with abstract graphics, just so the trip doesn’t feel wasted. Your friend will keep you from falling down this dreaded path.
“Attention, shoppers: please do not sit on any furniture or attempt to use any exercise equipment without first–” the PA cop announcer interrupts “Get Busy” by Sean Paul. The music blasts between the robotic announcements, reminding shoppers of the store’s strict rules, and blabbering repetitive announcements about why you should advertise your podcast on this station.
Into the Aisles
Beyond the shoes and media section, there are aisles upon aisles of clothing, packed tightly together, threatening to burst if anything is added. The front section of clothing has about ten aisles of women’s clothing, with everything from pajamas and formal dresses to grandma sweaters and leather jackets. The back half of the store has the same aisles, but for men and children. On top of each rack are piles of toys and miscellaneous home decorations organized by holiday and season. From broken binoculars and donated soccer trophies on top of the cardigans. To large model boats and jewelry boxes on top of the pajamas, you can find just about any knick-knack your heart desires.
Anastasia is an avid thrifter, “there’s a lot to see, a lot to look at, and I feel like it’s decently priced– sometimes a little crazy. But it’s definitely decently priced for the most part.” She likes how large this store is compared to other thrift stores in the area, having a much better selection and more items crammed into their racks. We go thrifting together almost every week.
Have fun
You will come across some of the most atrocious, god-awful, why would someone make that, garments in the thrift store. That’s half the fun. Pulling out one of these pieces, showing it to whoever you came with, and telling them they just have to buy it is almost part of the process of thrifting. Sometimes it’s someone’s mother’s beaded, ten-foot-long train, puffy-sleeved eighties wedding dress going for seventy-five dollars. Or a hot pink eight-inch high stiletto that would break your neck within ten steps. No matter what, you would never be caught dead in it, and they know this, but they know you’ll love it. It can be embarrassing when your friend does this to you, but you end up loving it. It’s equally embarrassing when you show your friend an item, thinking they’ll love it, and they assume you’re joking.
Anastasia holds up a blouse. “I know you’ve been looking for a glittery gold shirt with ‘Sunny’ written in rainbow colors!” The PA cop cuts her off. “Please inspect all items before checking out. We do not accept any returns, exchanges, or refunds.” Fellow shoppers are filling aisles, looking through items as if we aren’t right here, and fights are almost breaking out because someone bumped into someone else with their cart. Anastasia apologizes to a mom for being in the way, while her son chews on a picture book. It’s hard to find a space to try on the clothes while not being in the way of a fellow shopper. The employees are going up and down every aisle, no matter how many shoppers are filling it up, putting new apparel into the already full racks.
Like six months ago? Like in another six?
When you pick up a piece you are unsure about, ask yourself: would I have liked this six months ago? Will I like it in another six? This is my way of weeding out the ugly from my cart when I go through it at the end. After two and a half hours, our cart is a mountain of clothing on a bedrock of shoes and books. Our mountain is made up of sweaters, cardigans, long and short dresses, pajamas, basic graphic tees, and winter coats, along with items we have no recollection of grabbing, but are still cute. Your clothing should be easily integrated into your wardrobe. Trying on all your items, no matter how basic and simple they may be, keeps you from buyer’s remorse. We went from a mountain of clothing in our shared cart to about ten items in total.
Anastasia separates items in our cart. She recommends you always try stuff on. It helps dwindle down the wants from the must-haves. I’m neutral on the cheetah print; a basic pair of blue jeans and cheetah print pants are interchangeable in my mind. Knowing what you like and don’t like is crucial. If you still love the chunky Fila sneakers that were trending a few years ago– buy them! You find the House of Sunny green dress that everyone needed for about three weeks, then ditched, but you never forgot about. Get it! Knowing what is just a trend, and what actually fits your personal style, will keep you from having to buy new clothes every two months when the trend cycle restarts. Fast fashion never sleeps. From applying this method, I still own sweaters and vintage dresses I thrifted five years ago.
Check the Fabric Content Label
On the side seam of almost any garment will be a fabric content label. Checking this, along with the brand tag, can be a make-or-break on whether an item is coming home with me. You might have found the cutest hand-knit vintage cardigan you’ve ever seen, but upon further inspection, it turns out to be a Shein sweater made of 100 percent polyester. You could find a 100 percent cashmere vintage cardigan further down for the same price. Also, don’t let the brand tag dictate your purchase. Just because an item has a designer tag does not mean you have to buy it. Once the excitement of finding Salvatore Ferragamo heels wears off, and you realize you might have just been excited to find a two hundred dollar pair of shoes for only thirty-five dollars. But even thirty-five dollar designer shoes can collect dust.
After about three hours of shopping, we’ve made our final decisions. A one hundred percent cashmere, vintage Gap long sleeve, a fluffy pink fleece half zip, a navy and maroon wool J.Crew sweater, a Free People white cropped long sleeve, a white button up closed with balloon sleeves for Harry’s Renaissance Faire costume, and a blue and green chips and dip platter, that Harry pretends to break in protest, is coming home with me. Totaling out at just over fifty dollars, I am pleased with my haul, a variety of items of good quality for a quarter of the original prices.
Anastasia nabs boots that are contenders for her dream boot, a striped top, a few cardigans, including a 100 percent cashmere baby-pink cardigan for three dollars. A blue paisley print going-out top, and a tea candle holder. Hers ended up being closer to a hundred dollars; she begrudgingly uses their in-house ATM.
Another successful Red White and Blue trip comes to a close. I walk out to the car with an arm full of clothes, and a boyfriend trying to break my flip-flop shaped chips and dip plate. Feeling pleased with our hauls, we get into the car, and before we leave, a homeless man approaches the car asking for empty bottles. We have nothing for the guy. I’m sure the Red White and Blue dumpster holds some hidden treasure. Hope he makes it around back.
Featured Image: The front of Red, White, & Blue Thrift Store / Photo Credit Joey Feliciano
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