If you’re kids are in need of some new clothes for this upcoming school year – let me remind you that consignment stores can be great places to get gently used clothes at great prices. Many of them will give you credit for bringing in the clothes that are too small for your kiddos and you can apply it toward your next purchase.
Today I spent the day downtown with my family and we stopped in to The Chifferobe, a great boutique-like consignment shop in downtown Olympia. I had brought in a bin of clothes last fall and was sitting on about $50 of in-store credit. I used some of my that in-store credit to buy my daughter a few new clothing items – so I didn’t have to pay out of pocket!
TODAY The Chifferobe is having 30% off all clothing items (they are open to 7 p.m.) – so I was able to get these items:
- Land’s End Girls Jeans 2T = $5.59 (regular price $18-30)
- Gap Girls Jeans 2T = $6.98 (regular price as much as $40!)
- Old Navy Jeans 2T = $5.42
- Seahawks sweatshirt = $3.49 (I told you my husband’s family is NUTS about the Seahawks, so this should be a bit hit!)
- Girls flower tights = $1.39
So for a grand total of $22.87 (in store credit, nothing out of pocket) I scored three pairs of brand name jeans, a sweatshirt and tights for my daughter. Now I know that I could have probably saved more by garage sale shopping. . . Don’t get me wrong, I love shopping garage sales, but with a 12-month-old and a four-year-old hopping in and out of the car to garage sale isn’t our idea of a fun Friday or Saturday morning right now. And I think these prices are better (or comparable) to what you might find at a thrift store – without having to wade through racks and racks of not-so-great things.
Here are some tips for shopping consignment shops
Check your local area for consignment stores – visit them all, each one is different. If you don’t like one don’t discount them all.
Watch for promotions, sales – I saved nearly $10 today just by shopping on a day when they had 30% off clothing. I saw they had a rack out front of summer clothes that were buy one, get one FREE. Buying off season and saving for next year can equal even greater savings!
Make appointments for resale – I know my local consignment store requires an appointment to trade-in your stuff. Sometimes it’s as much as a month or two away – so call ahead before lugging in your boxes of clothing. Ask them what kinds of items they are looking for – so you don’t waste your time bringing in items they don’t buy.
Be selective what you spend your credit on – When I am lucky enough to earn consignment store credit, I always put careful thought into how I spend it. For example, I refuse to use my credit toward toys or books – which really seem to be a dime a dozen at garage sales or thrift stores. I try to stick to higher-end brands that DON’T offer a lot of coupons or discounts (like Lands End and Gap for example). Although these may cost a little bit more in the store they do a good job retaining their resale value and you can bet you’re getting a good bargain.
Sometimes it’s NOT a great deal – Just because it’s in a consignment store doesn’t make it a great deal. For example, brands like Carters or Circo (the Target brand of clothing) get marked down so heavily in the retail stores that you might find a better price new.
Stop in often – Inventory can change often just like a thrift store. The more you stop in, the more likely you will be to find treasures.
Ask about a wish list – Some stores will put your name down on a list if you are looking for a specific item. For example, a stroller, a high-chair, a Halloween costume – they will put your name on a list and when an item comes into the store matching that description, they will call you!
nicole pate says
I love the chifferobe and the other consignment stores. They can be a simple solution to getting some money for youe gently used clothes. but dont forget that LMNOP CONSIGNMENT gives you almost 2x as much for your clothes and in CASH.our consignors shop first and most don’t spend more than half of what they earn.
Heather says
I was looking on the LMNOP website and didn’t see any dates for your next sale?
sue says
My son has a consignment store by his house in the Proctor district of Tacoma where he got some darling dresses for his 8 month old–the 1 I saw her wearing was $2 and “Laura Ashley”
Monika Kristofferson says
Super cute stuff! I love using consignment stores and I actually have a teenager who loves to shop at Goodwill and she is always dressed super cute!