The Friday after Thanksgiving.  Black Friday.  You plan to wake at 4:30am to be first in line for deep discounts.  But the “Ready – Set – Buy” mentality may result in a $315 porcelain holiday gnome that collects dust on your front porch and frightens the neighborhood children.  Did you know that some retailers jack up prices the week before Thanksgiving, only to lower them on Black Friday in a shifty merchandising sleight-of-hand.  Don’t be fooled! 

The secret to successful Black Friday shopping?  Get thrifty and GO GREEN!  Literally.  Thrift shops are brimming with an eclectic supply of vintage jeans, sweaters, coats, jewelry, trendy shoes, quirky household wares, plaid shirts, antique toys, musical instruments – and shag La-Z-Boys!   What’s better than stuffing that stocking with creative, one-of-a-kind items?  You will love your post-holiday credit card bills and your loved ones will love the thoughtfulness of your gift-giving…

Thrifty’s favorite color is green – NOT black! Hint…hint..hint…  This ”Black Friday,” when you shop thrift-style, you are sending a message with every purchase!   Shopping thrift means that factories don’t make so much stuff, trucks don’t transport so much stuff, less stuff gets pumped into the atmosphere, and less stuff gets dumped into landfills.  The environment thanks you.  Future generations thank you.

Visit a local thrift store this Friday.  Maybe The Salvation Army or Goodwill, or something more off-the-beaten-path like Thelma’s Nifty Thrifties.  Each thrift store has its own personality, and almost all donate sales to worthy charities.  That makes shopping in them a fairly noble act.   And when’s the last time you felt noble shopping for flat screen television?   

Get Your Own Cool Thrift Store Glasses!

A Few Tips to Shopping a Thrift Store
1.) Avoid binging…stick to your shopping list.
2.) Barter and be friendly while you are doing it – some stores are more strict when it comes to haggling – know when to stop!
3.) Dig, dig, dig…it may take a little more time to find what fits your style.
4.) Be patient…if you are looking for something specific, you may need to return a few times before you find what you are looking for!