While college students’ expenses for textbooks and rent can be pricey, the pressure to wear trendy new outfits on weekends only stretches the bill.
For many students, shopping secondhand is the solution to balancing limited funds and an updated wardrobe. Fortunately, Pittsburgh has plenty to offer when it comes to resale stores.
Resale stores allow students to sell or donate their clothes, while also de-cluttering their closets and making money. There are three different kinds of resale stores — four, if garage sales count — thrift stores, resale stores and consignment shops.
At thrift store in Destin, FL, customers donate gently used items, and all the store’s profits from merchandise benefit a charity.To sell merchandise on consignment means that if and when a seller’s items are sold he or she gets a percentage of the profit and the store gets a percentage.
According to store employees, thrift stores always have people coming in looking to make money or spend it.There are also resale stores with inventories comprised of merchandise purchased from individuals.
“The merchandise in here is lower than our competitors’ prices and we always have a $2 rack and everyday there are set color tags marked at half off so there are plenty of deals,” Fedorski said in an email.
Chris Hunter said she also loves shopping at Avalon Exchange. She said because Avalon is more selective when it comes to merchandise, she has more luck thrifting there.“They have more unique things than the average thrift store,” Hunter, a senior architectural studies major, said.
For Hunter, an open mind is essential for thrifting. Instead of copying outfits straight . Hunter tries to create comparable outfits for half the price at thrift stores. The best deal Hunter has found while shopping secondhand is a pair of Dr. Martens for $14
Rosana Guernica frequently buys and sells at resale stores. Guernica, a sophomore decision science and business major , said that the coolest item she has encountered while thrifting was a golf club from the early 1900s
I learned the art of thrift store shopping from my mother, who dressed me and my siblings entirely in clothes bought from the thrift store . As I grew older, this was embarrassing, especially since none of my clothes had the brand names that my classmates valued so highly, nor was my personal style ever quite up to date. Mom didn’t care; she was happy to save money on clothes and use it for other, more interesting investments, such as music lessons and travel. I know we’ve been talking about the benefits of thrift stores for years, but it is a good time to revisit why we love them.
1. Thrift Stores Make It Easier to Dress Your Kids
As a parent, there’s no better way to dress growing kids than by going to the thrift store. Kids often grow out of their clothes long before they’re worn out, so it’s easy to find quality kids’ clothes in top-notch condition for just a few dollars.
2. Thrift Stores Allow You to Experiment
Because thrift store items are so cheap, it’s fun to experiment with styles or colours that you might not usually buy. If you only wear that hot pink shirt or embroidered pants a few times, hey, it was only $3, instead of $30… or, heaven forbid, $300.
3. Thrift Stores Have High-Quality Items
Thrift store items are typically higher quality simply by virtue of being there. They’ve withstood one person’s use already and still have resale value, which means they’re not like your typical H&M;, Zara, or Forever21 cheap “fast fashion” shirts that stretch and lose their shape after a few washes.
4. Clothes From Thrift Stores Don’t Shrink
Which leads me to the next point… that clothes at thrift store in Destin, FL are always laundered before selling, so you’ll get the same fit after washing them yourself.
5. Thrift Stores Are an Opportunity to Develop Your Own Unique Sense of Style
Shopping without mannequins to show you what’s trendy might be terrifying, especially if you’re like me and feel lost when it comes to piecing together funky outfits, but with practice comes confidence. When everyone shops at the same trendy, brand name stores, it’s inevitable that someday you’ll meet an unexpected twin in public, wearing the exact same shirt or dress as you. Believe me, no one wants to be that person.
6. There Really Are Fabulous Finds on All the Racks at the Thrift Store
Since there’s still a bit of stigma associated with second-hand shopping, there’s not as much competition as there should be for the designer jeans, coats, and vintage leather bags that you can find with only a bit of patience. Keep going back with low expectations and you’ll be pleasantly surprised. (Thanks, Macklemore, for showing the world just how cool thrift stores are! Warning: explicit lyrics)
7. Thrift Stores Don’t Have Salespeople Hounding You to Buy Something
There are no hovering salespeople waiting to make a commission off your purchase. In fact, most employees at the Salvation Army are volunteers, so they really don’t care if you buy anything at all.
8. Thrift Stores Have More Than Just Clothes
Thrift stores go beyond clothes. They’re the ultimate one-stop shopping experience, a much cooler version of Wal-Mart superstores. Most of my home furnishings come from the thrift store – the pine harvest table, cotton bed sheets, an armchair, baskets, picture frames, dishes, glasses, curtains, futon cover, bath mat, baking pans, and mirrors. If there’s anything you need, check the thrift store first, since they’ve probably got it.
9. Shopping at the Thrift Store Leads to Less Hoarding
Because there’s a much smaller financial investment in each item, it’s not as hard to let go. You know that pair of jeans that cost so much, but they just don’t fit right, and you can’t bring yourself to get rid of them because you spent so much… Not the case with thrift store jeans that cost $3 a pop! If something doesn’t work, donate it back and try again.
10. Supporting Thrift Stores Supports the Community
Many thrift stores support the community. donates all profits to its charity work, so you can be sure that your dollars are being put to good use.
Want to start a business? Be proactive. Opportunities don’t magically appear. It’s important to seek out or create opportunities. Remember that big things start in small ways. Facebook started in a college dorm. Apple computers were brainstormed in a garage in the 1970s. Whether you want to work in a small business or have higher aspirations, opening a thrift shops in Panama City Beach, FL may be the best way to start. This is not to imply that opening one will be easy.It may be easier than opening a traditional retail business. Still, not by much.
In traditional retail, you’re responsible for maintaining a supply-chain system that will source merchandise and inventory for you.
Want to open a thrift store? You alone might be solely responsible for sourcing, securing, supplying, and sanitizing inventory.You’ll be responsible for every decision concerning your thrift store.
And then there are the startup costs. There are ancillary costs like business licenses, application fees, utilities, insurance, taxes, and so on, to take into account as well.
I will list the basics for you on what it takes to open a thrift store. However, don’t for a second believe it won’t be challenging.You’ll have to consider:
Thrift Store Startup Plan
Securing Merchandise
Overhead, Expenses, and Profits
Pros & Cons for Your Consumer Base
Launching a Business in the Era of COVID-19
What is a thrift store?
A thrift store sells secondhand clothing and goods to a local consumer base. Most thrift stores are owned and operated, or act as de facto franchise subsidies, of larger nonprofit organizations. These organizations have large donation and sourcing operations. So, they can keep their thrift stores well stocked with merchandise.
Also, such thrift stores usually dedicate a large percentage of profits to local charities or charitable causes.It may be easier to buy an existing nonprofit thrift store and gain access to an already existing supply-chain system.
You may be looking to launch an independent, for-profit thrift store. This is an ambitious endeavor with many challenges.I can’t tell you everything you need to know, but here are the basics.You need a plan.
Thrift Store Startup Plan
You may have noticed that the world is currently living in a very bad or very good Stephen King horror novel.
Over 17 million Americans have lost their jobs in the last 3 weeks due to the coronavirus epidemic. That number may increase to 23 million as this article is posted. Businesses on a global scale are hurting.
However, thrift stores are considered recession-proof for several reasons.
Products are cheap
Local consumers don’t have to travel far to transact
It isn’t hard to secure inventory if you network well
Securing Merchandise
How will you source quality secondhand items to sell?
Will you organize local neighborhood donation drives? Or perhaps track down vintage clothing surplus from other failed stores online?
The best way to source inventory is to hit every local yard sale. It also pays off to be apprised of local estate liquidations. Many liquidated estates may be happy to offload free clothing and items they don’t want to inventory. You can also bid on storage locker auctions.
You’ll never recoup investments if you pay top dollar for secondhand clothes. Brainstorm ways to get quality inventory free or as cheap as possible.
Pros & Cons for Your Consumer Base
Don’t ever take your demographic for granted. Or assume they will always be loyal. Times are rough for everyone in these trying times.
You must know your customers and try to anticipate their needs and dislikes.There are several pros to running a thrift shop.
Consumers love looking for bargains and one-of-a-kind items in thrift stores. Thrift store items can be discounted as much as 85% relative to retail prices. Locals also appreciate the interconnectivity of consumers and businesses on a local level. That may engender more loyalty.
Also, in tough economic times, locals are more likely to try the thrift shop before heading to a retail store.There are also several cons when it comes to the thrift store industry.
It’s up to you to figure out how to price items in a way where consumers save, and you profit. This will be more challenging if you launch a charity in conjunction with your store.
You must take pains to accept clean donations or invest in sanitizing facilities to service your inventory. Thrift store shoppers are terrified of acquiring items that are dirty or infested with bed bugs. Such initiatives may cut into your bottom line.
Shopping in a thrift store for bargains takes time. The best items are bought quickly.That could mean you’ll have shoppers in your store for extended periods not buying anything.
You must weigh out the out the pros and cons relative to your own personal circumstances before you launch a thrift store business.
Launching a Business in the Era of COVID-19
We live in an era where mass gatherings, especially for commerce purposes, is illegal.Random sneezes in public have the same emotional effect of a nearby gunshot. People freak out and feel threatened.
People are being asked to adapt -hyper-hygienic practices and wear face masks in public.As mentioned before, one persistent stigma lobbied against thrift stores is that they sell unclean products.
You must carefully consider how to market the image of an establishment selling secondhand goods in an era where people are terrified of invisible microbes, the handshake has been obsoleted, and excessive hand washing is the norm. Consider that “recession-proof” business theories never included the coronavirus in previous calculations.
It may be much easier for you to open a thrift store instead of a traditional retail store.That doesn’t mean that it won’t be any less challenging. It might be more challenging in many ways.Make sure you have a business plan. Consult current thrift store owners and a financial advisor before you launch your business.
The kind of inventory you get at thrift stores in Panama City Beach, FL is fundamentally different than what you’d get at a normal retail store. In normal retail, you have a small number of distinct items from a small number of suppliers, and you reorder identical items from the same suppliers over and over again. Thrift stores flip that on its head. Each item is unique – seen once and never seen again. And your donors are your suppliers – there may be thousands of them. So, normal retail store inventory procedures do not automatically apply at thrift stores. (Consult with your tax accountant for particulars, and this article is not tax advice, but in general because you did not pay for your inventory, its value on your books is $0 until it is sold, so you don’t need to account for inventory in the same way that a retail store would.)
Speed and Accuracy
Most thrift stores just slap a price tag from a price gun on and item and move it out on to the store floor. Pricing an item takes mere moments. Barcoding an item would be too time-consuming with a normal retail point of sale system. (It might take a minute up to many minutes to enter a single item into inventory – this is fine if you have 1000 copies of the same item, but if it’s one of a kind, like at a reuse store, that’s a waste of time!) Slapping a price tag on an item certainly saves time at the back of the store where you process inventory, but it costs you a little bit of time at the front of the store, since it is the task of the cashier to select the item’s department at the register, and key in the price. Those steps at the register could be saved by barcoding items in the back. Also, since cashiers are often rushed, the accuracy of department selection may decrease, and that may affect managerial decisions about allocating space for various kinds of items.
Potential upside of barcoding thrift store items: consistent pricing
The feature of Point of Sale and Inventory System offered at thrift stores is the ability to set up a price book to inventory. Look at the animation below to see an example where a pair of men’s jeans is priced for $6.99. The store policy is that all men’s jeans are typically priced at $6.99 or $9.99. The person in the back making pricing decisions does not need to put in thought about what jeans ought to cost. Rather, the pricer just selects what the item is, and the common price points are displayed to the person doing pricing.
ThriftCart’s pricebooks have been used for everything from low-value common items, to high-value items like large pieces of furniture and appliances. Having a consistent set of prices is helpful for customers to be happy with your pricing policies. Many customers get frustrated when they sometimes find amazing bargains, and other times find items that are vastly overpriced.
Barcodes – less haggling?
One potential upside to barcoding items is a psychological one. In America, price gun price tags are associated with clearance sales, tag sales, and flea markets. At such events, prices are often negotiable. Barcodes are associated with big box stores, grocery stores, and general retail. At such stores, employees typically have no power to negotiate prices. The price is the price. Many thrift stores have a no-haggle policy, but customers in many thrift stores ignore that policy. Having barcodes on items could have the subconscious effect of reinforcing your no-haggle policy, because your pricing looks more similar to a traditional retailer than to a garage sale.
Reduce price tag switching theft
Some thrift stores suffer from price tag switching theft. If all the price tags are identical except for the price, it is quite easy for a ill-intentioned customer to peel a price tag off of a less expensive item, and place it onto the item that they want to purchase. However, a price tag generated by ThriftCart will display the item’s name on the price tag, making it more difficult for the customer to find price tags that could be swapped. For example, if a customer brings up a leather couch that has a price tag that says cloth couch, the cashier will immediate recognize that something is wrong.
Feature or sell items online
The world is moving online – customers expect to know what’s in a store before they get there. Historically, this has been quite difficult for thrift stores. You might want to have a display of all the appliances and furniture currently stocked in your store on your website, but keeping that list up-to-date would be a nightmare. If you inventory items and attach photos, you can leverage that real-time data about what has been inventoried and what has sold to have a real-time feed of inventory items on your website. Customers can see what you just inventoried, and once it sells, it can disappear from your website. (Or you can even leave the item on for a day or two with a SOLD banner covering the item, to show customers what they just missed out on.)
Summary – Lots of upsides, with one (potentially major) downside
The potential downside of having a bar code software for thrift stores is that it could take up more time at the back of the store. Processing donations is time consuming as it is, and adding anything to the process might be too much. But the potential upside of using a barcode tagging for thrift stores include:
· Save time at the cashier station. (Just scan a barcode rather than entering department and price.)
· Increase accuracy at the cashier station.
· Reduce price-tag switching theft.
· Increasing pricing consistency if using a price book.
· Display items on your website.
· Potentially even save time at the back of the store if pricers spend a lot of time contemplating the ideal price point.
Steve Clark 
