Thrift stores offer way to save money

Dear Action Line: As the economy worsens, I found the best way to save money on clothing is resale and thrift shops. There are many in Tulsa. — R.L., Tulsa.

The March issue of ShopSmart, from the publisher of Consumer Reports, says visiting these shops is the way to "find designer duds at a discount" and that "competition heats up at secondhand shops as more fashionistas become recessionistas." Thrift stores run by Goodwill and The Salvation Army report that sales are up 20 percent so far this year.

Tulsa stores: The December 2007 AT&T Yellow Pages lists 14 "resale shops" in Tulsa, Broken Arrow and Sand Springs and 26 "thrift shops" in Tulsa, Broken Arrow, Claremore, Coweta and Wagoner. It also lists 32 "consignment services," which sell clothing, antiques, furniture and jewelry, in Tulsa, Beggs, Broken Arrow, Catoosa, Claremore, Sand Springs and Sapulpa.

Store types: Thrift stores sell donated merchandise. Resale and consignment shops feature quality clothing that is brought in by owners for resale. When the item is sold, the store and the owner share the proceeds.

Surf the Web: Scan eBay and visit great online shops such as ShopGoodwill at tulsaworld.com/ShopGoodWill, ShopHousingWorks.com at tulsaworld.com/ShopHousing, SomeLikeItVintage.com at tulsaworld.com/LikeVintage and DesignerApparel.com at tulsaworld.com/DesignerAppeal. All benefit charities, and they offer good clothing and accessories.

Phone ahead: Call around to find out when new goods usually arrive. Befriend the operators and ask them to call you when your styles and sizes come in.

Goody "too's:" Know what can be fixed and what should be nixed — the "too-bigs," "too-longs" and "too-long-waisteds" can be altered by a tailor, so grab them. But skip those "too smalls," "too-shorts" or "too-short-waisteds" — small can't be made big.

New shipments: New shipments tend to be shelved on Saturday mornings to lure weekend shoppers. The end of the year is also a good time — people are cleaning out closets to find clothes to donate to charity (for the tax deduction).

Thrifty shopping: See Ultimate Guide to Thrift Store Shopping at tulsaworld.com/GreenTravel, Thrift Shopper at tulsaworld.com/ThriftShopper and How to Shop at Thrift Stores at tulsaworld.com/ShopThrifts.

Submit Action Line questions by calling 699-8888 or by e-mailing phil.mulkins@TulsaWorld.com or by U.S. mailing it to Tulsa World Consumer, PO Box 1770, Tulsa OK 74102-1770.

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Thrift stores offer way to save money

Dear Action Line: As the economy worsens, I found the best way to save money on clothing is resale and thrift shops. There are many in Tulsa. — R.L., Tulsa.

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