Thrift shopping, or “thrifting,” means shopping at thrift stores that sell gently used clothing or items sold at a discounted price. Thrifting has gained popularity in the past few years as 1990’s fashion comes back into style. Shopping at thrift stores has a lot of benefits, and a reason it attracts students is the cheap prices. I am not a pro-thrifter and still have a lot to learn when it comes to the secrets to finding the perfect outfit, but I recently went on a shopping trip to a local Thrift store called “Magnolia Thrift Shoppe” with experienced thrifter, Kayla Julio. 

When we first got to the store, Kayla took me straight to the little boys jeans section. She said that this is her biggest thrift shop secret: shop in the little boys section for jeans. Kayla told me that if you look in the bigger sizes, you can find jeans from name brands like Levi, and sometimes they fit. I found a pair in the boys section that fit perfectly and was only six dollars. After that great find, we headed over to the men’s section to look for some sweater vests/pullovers. A popular style right now is preppy, with big crewneck sweaters over collared shirts with baggy jeans. Kayla says that the best place to find all of the different aspects of this style is in the thrift store.

“I shop in the men’s section a lot more often than I do the women’s section because it’s so much easier to dress up the menswear and fit it to today’s style trends,” said Kayla.

Kayla rarely shops in the women’s section, except to find shorts, and finds most of her thrifted clothes from the men’s section. I asked Kayla how often she shops at the thrift store, and she told me that she goes a few times a month, depending on how much time she has.

“I almost always go to Magnolia Center to shop,” said Kayla. “I have tried the thrift store downtown, and even ones in other nearby cities, but I always find the best stuff at Magnolia.” 

Thrift stores are not just for clothes though. They have a variety of books, magazines, and even movies near the front of the store, and an assortment of house decor, scarves, and even shoes throughout the aisles. 

“I’ve bought a few pairs of sunglasses and rings as cheap as ninety-nine cents,” said Kayla. “You never know what you will find if you look hard enough and take your time checking everything out.” 

After telling me that she found something as cheap at ninety nine cents, I was curious what the cheapest, and most expensive thing that Kayla has ever bought has been.

“The cheapest was probably the ring and the most expensive thing was a pair of white shoes for $11.99.”

After searching the aisles some more, I found a pair of wedge black booties that were my size for eleven dollars and a pair of glasses for a dollar. My total for the day was twenty four dollars, which I think is a pretty good deal considering I bought a pair of shoes and a pair of barely worn jeans. Kayla’s final tips for me were, “Shop in the mens and boys sections for the best jeans, sweaters, and vests, check the women’s section mostly for shorts and skirts, and take your time when shopping. Sometimes you can’t miss things because it’s not in a certain section or in a section, like the little girls one, that you wouldn’t normally go to. I have found my best finds in places where I wouldn’t normally look.”

Take Kaylas advice and try out thrifting for yourself! It’s the perfect way to save money, recycle, and revamp your wardrobe for this fall.