Navigating the Value Village Maze {and Walking out Happy!}

Yesterday I told you my sister-in-law helped me find some key clothing pieces for our upcoming trip to Hawaii.  I couldn’t be more thrilled with our “finds”, and was actually delighted with the whole process.  It involved stopping at only one store ~ Value Village.

For those of you who might not be familiar with what Value Village is, it is a chain of thrift stores here in Canada.  (Is it also in the States?)  The one we went to was in Calgary, Alberta.  It is HUGE (which for someone indecisive like me, can be a bit  intimidating!).

Natalie and her daughter, Sydney, are pros at shopping at Value Village, and in the process of helping me with my specific requests, taught me TONS about how to have a positive experience finding clothes at a thrift store.

Here’s what I learned:

1.  Before you even walk in the door, think through what you need to buy.  Natalie asked me some key questions like,

• “What are you looking for?” (I wanted a few pieces that could be mix and matched a lot.  They also needed to be made of fabric that was cool and comfortable.)
• “What color scheme are you leaning towards?” (Since my favorite flip flops are navy blue, I was thinking of navy blue and tan as the basic colors.)

2.  Start shopping for the key “foundation” pieces first.  For me, that was skirts and shorts.  We grabbed a cart and filled it with anything that might remotely work.  In the end, I chose only the things I really loved.  They were these 2 skirts,

and these 2 shorts.

3.  Once your foundation pieces are chosen, look for coordinating pieces that match.  Again, I tried on MANY tops before settling on these (and a few more that aren’t pictured):

4.  Wear appropriate footwear when trying on outfits.  Trying to pick out a fun summer outfit while wearing black socks just doesn’t work very well!  Natalie lined up shoes outside my fitting room for me to try on so I could get a feel of the overall “look” of an outfit.  Although I might not take both of these on our trip, I ended up falling in love with them.  {The Rockports are incredibly comfortable!}

5.  Check over clothing pieces carefully to see if they are in good condition.  Look for properly working zippers, and clothes free of stains and holes.  Brand names also give an indication of the quality of clothing it may be.  Also, keep an eye on the pricing.  Some things ~ even in a thrift store ~ are priced just too high.  If you can buy them brand new for less, put it back on the rack!

6.  Be prepared to try on many things before you buy a few.  {I tried on 3 carts-full!!… }  Natalie also encouraged me to try on pieces that I would normally pass over.   I was pleasantly surprised to discover I liked some things that I didn’t know I would.  That’s one of the advantages of shopping at a thrift store.  The items weren’t a huge financial risk.  The most any item cost was the same as a cup of Starbuck’s coffee and a piece of banana bread.

If I wear it only once while strolling on a hot day through shops with my husband in Hawaii and just love it… it’ll be worth every penny!

***

Before I make all my final decisions about what to pack for Hawaii, do any of you have any advice for me?  I already plan on packing a sweater and long pants for the sunrise/ sunset on top of some mountain (I hear it’s quite cold up there).  Other than that, what do you recommend??