Monday, November 28, 2011

Cracking The Code To Tulsa Thrift Shopping



I may have already covered this, but since it is the most confusing thing about shopping in Oklahoma, it, perhaps, bears repeating. The prices at the Oklahoma thrift stores have very little to do with the original retail price of the item. For example, today there were three pairs of shoes that caught my eye - two pairs were used Born brand, being examined by a little old lady who wanted them for her dog to chew on, instead of the Born shoes that she already owned and wore, that her dog would not leave alone. Since her eyes were bad, I had to point out to her that these too small shoes were $25 per pair, way higher than she (or any rational person) expected to pay for shoes that were less than $100 when new. She tossed them back in the bin, where they landed next to a pair of $8 shoes, brand new Escada Couture, absolutely never worn, and probably around $1000 originally. This is bad news for thrift store shoppers who like the Target, Kmart, QVC, and Walmart brands - Katie Lee and Miley Cyrus brands are very overpriced. I'm guessing that the pricers at the Goodwill and such stores charge more for the brands they are familiar with. Luckily, I like Eileen Fisher, Misook, and the like. And Escada - maybe next time those shoes will be in my size. Yeah!

5 comments:

  1. Drooling here. I'm size 9/9.5. Were those Escada shoes for large feet like mine?

    I'm going to pick your brain for these addresses--or which ones are the best to go to. I already looked up Goodwill Tulsa; I just need to narrow down the field.

    I see more EF in my future!

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  2. They were a 7 - and evidently whoever donated them donated a whole lot of other great shoes - all size 7 and very expensive - but none as good as the Escadas.

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  3. I prefer thrift stores that have standard pricing, like all skirts for a certain amount and all jackets for a certain amount. I rarely go to one that prices by the item. In fact, some of them get ridiculous...the items are donated for goodness sake! Still shaking out the thrift stores here in Raleigh...I need some good fishing holes! ~Serene

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  4. Hi Serene! Almost our entire Goodwill stock is individually priced here, which I thought was unusual. And the half price code for the week isn't a color, which is easy to spot, but a week code on the tag, which you have to look for. Good luck looking in your new town!

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  5. Hey Catherine, Are you interesting in Tap Dancing? - There is a new pair of flat, leather, Bloch brand tap shoes in a size 9 1/2 that's a steal.

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