A Stingy-person’s Guide to Thrift-store Shopping in Phoenix
By michaelgavin
updated 5 months ago
Ever since the 60’s, when thrift stores really started to become popular, there has been a rash of newer thrift stores opening all over the country. Then along came Ebay.com—the monster auction site—and people began to clamber into thrift stores in hopes of uncovering some heirlooms or treasures that they could later auction off online for hefty returns.
These days there are still thrift stores aplenty in most cities in the US. People come from all over the place to peruse their way through the many hanging racks of clothing. Some people are just looking to get a better deal on the designer clothing they desire. Others are seeking specific vintage clothing that can be found at thrift stores. And still, more are just there to see what they find.
One thing remains true: thrift store shopping is a part of American culture. While many people are happy to trek around the local shopping mall, quite a few others are just as happy at the local thrift store. Arizona hosts some pretty decent thrift stores, some of which have gone on to become national chains. This guide will outline the best of thrift store shopping to be found in Sunny, Arizona.
This is one of the best thrift stores in Arizona and for a great many deal of reasons. It is a for profit store—which means they are owned and operated to make money. That being said, they offer far more for the shopper than the many other charity driven thrift stores, not that there is anything wrong with those.
Buffalo Exchange was started by a local Arizonan family in Tucson in the 1970’s and has since grown into a national franchise that does millions of dollars in business annually. They are very selective on the clothing that they will buy. They do not take donations. Anybody can take old clothes there and sell them, and most often they will buy up most of them. They then wash the clothes, tag and display them for shoppers.
You can find everything here. From vintage clothing to Doc Marten boots. All of their clothing and shoes, and accessories are in great condition. Their prices are nearly impossible to beat and you can find some pretty hard to get clothing here for a great price. With many locations throughout the state—it is hard to beat the deals and selection offered at this great thrift store.
This is one of the best thrift stores in Arizona and for a great many deal of reasons. It is a for profit store—which means they are owned and operated to make money. That being said, they offer far more for the shopper than the many other charity driven thrift stores, not that there is anything wrong with those.
Buffalo Exchange was started by a local Arizonan family in Tucson in the 1970’s and has since grown into a national franchise that does millions of dollars in business annually. They are very selective on the clothing that they will buy. They do not take donations. Anybody can take old clothes there and sell them, and most often they will buy up most of them. They then wash the clothes, tag and display them for shoppers.
You can find everything here. From vintage clothing to Doc Marten boots. All of their clothing and shoes, and accessories are in great condition. Their prices are nearly impossible to beat and you can find some pretty hard to get clothing here for a great price. With many locations throughout the state—it is hard to beat the deals and selection offered at this great thrift store.
Located near the Gilbert/Chandler border, this is a great children’s thrift store. The one thing that I always hear about from this store is their great customer service, awesome selection and of course, really low prices. They also buy your old clothing, although they have to picky on what they will buy; you can still get some bucks out of those used threads here.
The fact of the matter is that raising kids is an expensive venture. Most parents can not afford their bills, much less brand new clothing for their kids come the new school year. This place offers a retreat from high prices. They have mostly name brands, and many of the times the clothing is in near-perfect condition. But you won’t pay retail prices for it. You will be offered great deals and great service.
Located near the Gilbert/Chandler border, this is a great children’s thrift store. The one thing that I always hear about from this store is their great customer service, awesome selection and of course, really low prices. They also buy your old clothing, although they have to picky on what they will buy; you can still get some bucks out of those used threads here.
The fact of the matter is that raising kids is an expensive venture. Most parents can not afford their bills, much less brand new clothing for their kids come the new school year. This place offers a retreat from high prices. They have mostly name brands, and many of the times the clothing is in near-perfect condition. But you won’t pay retail prices for it. You will be offered great deals and great service.
This charity thrift store sits side by side Good Will as the most known and non profit thrift store in the nation. Ironically their largest location in Arizona is located nearly across the street from the Good Will location on the Tempe/Scottsdale border. Which means that thrift shopping between these two locations is really easy to do; Ebay resellers rejoice!
At Salvation Army they mostly gear their items towards clothing but they do have some home appliances as well. They have plenty of selection in both men’s and women’s clothing and you can easily find just about anything that you are looking for here. You can also drop off donations and get a tax slip for year end accounting. The best part is that with every purchase you make you are helping others who are in need.
This charity thrift store sits side by side Good Will as the most known and non profit thrift store in the nation. Ironically their largest location in Arizona is located nearly across the street from the Good Will location on the Tempe/Scottsdale border. Which means that thrift shopping between these two locations is really easy to do; Ebay resellers rejoice!
At Salvation Army they mostly gear their items towards clothing but they do have some home appliances as well. They have plenty of selection in both men’s and women’s clothing and you can easily find just about anything that you are looking for here. You can also drop off donations and get a tax slip for year end accounting. The best part is that with every purchase you make you are helping others who are in need.
This cool website allows you to search for and locate thrift stores in your area. This takes much of the hassle out of finding a good thrift store near you. The service is free, all you have to do is visit their website and search in your city or state.
This is a chain of well-known thrift stores that donate their proceeds to charities. They now are featuring an online thrift store where you can shop for most items found in their stores. Thrift shopping has never been easier!
Maps to Great AZ Thrift Stores
Use these maps to find the above mentioned thrift stores in Arizona. Happy shopping!
Thrift Stores Rock
Weather you are looking for hard to find vintage threads or just a cheap outfit that looks nice, thrift stores are a great outlet to find awesome deals on good clothing.
Located in Scottsdale, Arizona, I have never seen such nice clothing for sale in any thrift store. We are talking major name brands that retail for hundreds in the mall and sell for mere bucks here. I think that part of this is due to the fact of where they are located in central Scottsdale, Arizona. Lots of wealthy people live near this location and frequently sell them clothing that they have never even worn.
My sister shops at this store all of the time. While they predominantly only sell women’s clothing you can sometimes find other cool things too. The store is very large inside and features all sorts of women’s apparel. You can easily find plenty of clothing that still has the original tags on it and was never worn by anybody.
Perhaps because there are so many people with money who shop till they drop and then sell the clothing that they do not want. If you are looking for high end clothing that does not have the high end price tag attached this is the place to go for girls who are thrift shopping in Arizona.
Located in Scottsdale, Arizona, I have never seen such nice clothing for sale in any thrift store. We are talking major name brands that retail for hundreds in the mall and sell for mere bucks here. I think that part of this is due to the fact of where they are located in central Scottsdale, Arizona. Lots of wealthy people live near this location and frequently sell them clothing that they have never even worn.
My sister shops at this store all of the time. While they predominantly only sell women’s clothing you can sometimes find other cool things too. The store is very large inside and features all sorts of women’s apparel. You can easily find plenty of clothing that still has the original tags on it and was never worn by anybody.
Perhaps because there are so many people with money who shop till they drop and then sell the clothing that they do not want. If you are looking for high end clothing that does not have the high end price tag attached this is the place to go for girls who are thrift shopping in Arizona.
Savers will forever-and-a-day be known one of the best thrift stores in the state. They have several locations and they are a national franchise. They feature both men’s and women’s clothing and they have some pretty damn good prices too. One of my favorite features of this store is the fact that is feels like a major department store inside.
They are set up to cater to lots of people shopping at once and their items are really easy to find. You can always find name brand items like jeans and shoes. And, their shoe department is freaking huge. Whether you are shopping for a new jacket or a new pair of shoes, or just a new outfit, Savers will have it. And, it will most often be newer or new and they will have it for really cheap.
Savers will forever-and-a-day be known one of the best thrift stores in the state. They have several locations and they are a national franchise. They feature both men’s and women’s clothing and they have some pretty damn good prices too. One of my favorite features of this store is the fact that is feels like a major department store inside.
They are set up to cater to lots of people shopping at once and their items are really easy to find. You can always find name brand items like jeans and shoes. And, their shoe department is freaking huge. Whether you are shopping for a new jacket or a new pair of shoes, or just a new outfit, Savers will have it. And, it will most often be newer or new and they will have it for really cheap.
The most well=known thrift store in America has plenty of locations in Arizona. Good Will has some pretty good bargains to be found and many people I know who own Ebay stores swear by the vintage items they frequently find at Good Will. This place is a non profit venture that donates their proceeds to charitable causes. So at least you know that you are helping others when you shop here.
That aside, they have plenty of clothing and other home accessories to be found. Most of their locations are rather large, including their behemoth of location in South Scottsdale on the Scottsdale/Tempe border. They have plenty of jeans, shirts and lots of shoes. Their prices are crazy low and you can easily find several outfits here for fewer than fifty bucks. You can also donate any clothing or furniture that you do not need here and even write it off your taxes.
Watch this cool documentary about the history of thrift stores, vintage clothing shopping in thrift stores and a variety of interviews with compulsive thrift store shoppers. Learn about why so many people only shop for clothing in thrift stores and lots more.
Watch as this major thrift store chain demonstrates how to shop for and find the best bargains at any thrift stores, not just theirs. They go step by step on how to shop for things that you are looking for and where to find those hard to uncover thrifty treasures.
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