Finding hidden gems in thrift stores

Of the six thrift stores I visited, Thrift Giant is the largest. With the extensive selection organized by style and size (though not by color), the store is a labyrinth of clothing, shoes and homeware. In order to find items in this store, you would definitely have to come in with the mindset of spending at least an hour to look intensively through the racks.  Wandering through the store, I definitely f...

For my personal style, Uptown Cheapskate is the easiest and most suitable option for me, yet also the most expensive. As a curated thrift store, Uptown Cheapskate gets its stock from customers who resell their own clothing for cash or 25% more in store credit. With brands such as lululemon athletica, Madewell and Zara dominating the racks, it’s not difficult to find a piece you love. Because of th...

Stepping foot into this Goodwill, I didn’t feel like I was going into just another regular secondhand store. The environment is bright and airy, with windows letting natural light shine in and the store, in general, having an open, clean floor plan. With the racks spaced out and organized by style, size and color, I didn’t get the overwhelming feeling I had at Thrift Giant.  There is still ...

Among the five other stores, Plato’s Closet is most comparable to Uptown Cheapskate. As another curated secondhand store, Plato’s Closet also lets its customers sell their own clothing for cash. With similar prices to Uptown Cheapskate, there was also a similar selection of current, name-brand clothing such as Hollister, American Eagle and Nike. However, the overall demographic of Plato’s Cl...

The Salvation Army has a similar square footage to Thrift Giant, but is much more manageable. The racks are more spaced out, but there is still a wide selection of clothing, both for males and females. Half of the store is dedicated to furniture, such as couches, shelves and various other houseware items. Organized by color and style but not by size, the layout might make it harder to find th...

While smaller than Thrift Giant, Texas Thrift gives extremely similar vibes to the first store. Stepping in, I was immediately overwhelmed by the large store partnered with the multiple racks squished together. Furthermore, with the clothing organized by size but not by color, Thrift Giant seemed like another multiple-hour long endeavor. Out of all six stores, this was my least favorite because of it...