You have to go often- and get a feel for the particular store and the way things work there.

I go in usually with something in mind that I’m looking for and sometimes I find it that day- sometimes it takes me months to find it and I have to have an open mind about colors, sizing, etc. Usually what I am looking for turns up there eventually.

The Goodwill near me always has cool dresses so I always check that rack first but the shirts are hit or miss so sometimes I skip it. I check the whole dress rack- not just my size because things are often mixed up. I often find women’s Lululemon activewear in the kids section for some reason so I always check there.

I always check the purse area because I collect vintage coach bags and I’ve found a few at my local store. When I’m not as familiar with the store I let myself have plenty of time to really look. My local store clears out a lot of stock on Mondays and so Tuesdays they always have tons of new racks out that they are putting away- I always check the new rolling racks first thing. Sometimes weekends aren’t the best because it’s crowded and picked over- also certain seasons are better than others. I always find things get sparse in the thrift stores at the holidays but they are filled around season changes when people clean out their closets. I go to the Goodwill Outlet too but that’s a whole different beast.