Do you ever shop at Goodwill thrift stores? I just got the nicest surprise....!

My neighbors shop there all the time.

You did great! What a bargain, and that owl dinnerware is so nice.

There's a Goodwill store in Monroe, CT on the same street as my favorite supermarket, so I drop in now and then. There are usually many QVC items for sale, often with the tags still on.

I forget to check out the thrift stores but I donate to them frequently.

Last month I got DH an original Woolrich vest for less than $20 at American Rescue (similar to Goodwills). We had been to a Woolrich outlet store in PA a few weeks before and they had this same vest for $90. Savings - $70 plus. I have sometimes found clothes with the pockets still sewn shut and original tags still on for a small amount of money. Real finds!!!

I bought a set of four boxed Christmas Story mugs by Port Meirion Studio for $1.25. It appeared they were never used. The mugs say "Happy Christmas to All" on one side "And to all a Good Night" on the other side. Last week I checked the cost of mugs by this company and was shocked to find one mug was $12 or $48 for four mugs. Just look at my savings!!! Love it. I only wish I could find other pieces in this line -- plates, bowls, soup tureen, etc.

You never know what you'll find in these stores. My kitchen is Tuscany style and I've purchased many gently used items with grapes and/or black wrought iron décor. I receive many compliments on my décor and watch their faces with glee when I (sometimes) tell them where they came from.

No. But many friends on another collecting message board I've been a member of for many years do . . . they find stuff that is worth hundreds of dollars on the secondary market. My sister does too. Sometimes she can turn 20 bucks worth of thrift store junk into 500.00 in eBay sales . . . she doesn't do it as much anymore . . . the market for some collectibles has really dived in the last 5 years or so . . . but she still has some great deals once in awhile.

Me. ZERO patience.

My sister says you have to look at a whole lot of junk . . . before you find the good stuff.

But she has the eye for it. She can spot a very small collectible . . . from 100 paces.

Me, I don't have the eye or knack for it. Or the patience.

A couple or so years ago, during our travels, we stopped by a fairly new looking Goodwill Store. It was fabulous. Neat, clean, just wonderful. In fact, the blouses/tops looked brand new. Many with tags. I'm guessing that the stores in that area donated items, since it seemed (to me, anyway. I really don't know for sure.) to be a new store/new location.

I do. As long as you don't have to have something specific at a specific time, thrift shopping is great.

There's little reason to expect a mass retailer to sell the goods at those prices, though. They're targeting people who want what they're selling when it's still new, when the exact color or size they want, is there, etc. I

BTW- no idea of OP's age, but ask about senior discount days at you Good Will. In my mine area, there's an extra 10% on senior days. However, if you see something you want on a different day, buy it because it probably won't last into a bigger discount.

lol - I just realized the pants I'm wearing right now came from a thrift shop. They were practically new when I brought them home and threw them in the washing machine. I think one of the reasons I don't mind paying $50 for something from Susan Graver or $200 from Eileen Fisher is that I average it out with something like these which were probably $3 or $3.

I'm going to Web search local GW and SA shops in my area today! Thanks for reminding me. We had one nearby many, many years ago, but it's no longer here. It was always packed with folks, too. Maybe the rent was much too high, I'm thinking. .... p.s. Sometimes when kitchen items 'disappear' (as Martha Stewart once or twice mentioned, lol), it's worth a look at GW, etc. I need quite a few baking supplies (SS loaf pans, etc.). I was going to buy a new stove/oven, but felt that it would be too much trouble searching/looking around for various baking items, lol. I don't care for non-stick anything now-a-days.