Thrift Friend

Featuring my little bunny Elisha again (I think she's cool with being called a little bunny, at least by me...) Mostly I wanted to share that she thrifted this amazing backless BCBG number and got 50% off because it had stains. She soaked it in the bathtub, the stains came out and everybody lived happily ever after.

I used to be pretty indiscriminate about asking for discounts. I'm Dutch, I'm just looking for a good deal! Or that was my excuse. And then some of my friends became small business owners and designers and I realized that sometimes asking for a deal is a little like kicking a kitten; a sleeping kitten. I now save my haggling for flea markets, garage sales and non-charity based thrift stores. Not that I am taking things up to the front for discounts every time I go to a thrift store but if I think something has been priced a little high at a for-profit thrift store, I have occasionally asked if they can do anything about the price. I'm polite and if it's a 'no', I carry on my merry way...
That said, stains and damage are fair game for discounts, especially when you are shopping second hand. The sorters may have only handled the item for a few seconds and never spotted the damage. It's tricky, especially with stains, to evaluate if it is still worth buying though. With Elisha's dress, it was worth the buy because the stains didn't look to be oil based and the material is polyester. You know I love silk but removing stains from silk can be more complicated based on the actual fabric and design of the garment. Polyester can handle a lot more and you would be surprised what a soak in the tub will take out.

So give all thrift finds a thorough once over before heading to the cash. It's worth it to be fully aware of any potential nasty surprises and to ask for a discount if you think you can handle the problem. You can use the money you saved to buy your cat a new neon play mouse. You could also move your couch over and find the old cat toys but it's probably easier to just buy a new one. Just saying...