Yesterday I took a little time by myself to go on a day trip back to Asheville, NC to do a little thrift shopping.

Arriving at the store

After items have been in the regular Goodwill stores for a certain amount of time without selling they are sent to the outlets (bins stores) and this is their final stop before the landfill. Items are put in large rolling bins and people just dig through them looking for treasures. Items are priced by the pound. $1.49 per pound for clothing and household items, $0.89/lb. for books, $0.49/lb for electronics. Furniture is priced as marked.

The Process

Several times during the day employees change out the bins and fill them with fresh junk. There are rules, though. Customers have to step back until the bins are again in place with the wheels locked and then everyone can dive in. There is a surprising amount of ‘new with tags’ stuff, but there is also a lot of broken junk. You just have to dig for your treasures.

Personally, I happen to enjoy the hunt. So I arrived when the store opened at 10:00 a.m. and walked out at 12:30 p.m. I was mainly looking for things to resell and upcycle, but I found a few things that I like for me as-is. I got several brand name items such as: Victoria’s Secret, The Children’s Place, American Eagle, and Calvin Klein. Some are like new and a few need a little elbow grease.

I ended up with 3 trash bags full of clothes for $30. Pretty awesome. They have all been through the washing machine now. Time to get to work!

I also visited the Habitat for Humanity Restore and a few other thrift stores in Asheville. It was a fun, soothing day getaway by myself

If you get a chance you should check the area out. Thanks for reading. 😉

Some Tips

• Bring gloves! You will be touching a lot of stuff that has been touched by a lot of people.
• Bring a mask. In some of the bins the moth ball smell was strong.
• Bring batteries so you can check that battery operated items work.
• Use their outlets to try out the electrical items. Do this before you buy so you don’t waste money.
• Bring a truck if you are looking for furniture. The furniture prices are incredibly low.

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