Want The Best Deals At Goodwill? Do These 6 Things In The Change Room

In part one of this three-part series on getting the best deals at Goodwill  I took you through picking a good location and sorting through the clothes effectively, today we are heading into the changing room.

What you do in the dressing room at Goodwill can change a good deal into a great deal. Now by a great deal, I don’t mean you that you can change the prices of the item. What I mean is by taking certain steps in the change room at Goodwill or any other thrift store for that matter, you will ensure that the pieces are good quality, fit well, and look great on you. When clothing does these three things it means you will wear the item more –and that makes for the best deal.

Want The Best Deals At Goodwill? Do These 6 Things In The Change Room

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1. Sort Your Clothes

This step won’t ensure you purchase items you will wear and love but it sure does make trying on of clothing faster and less frustrating. Put all the tops together, the bottoms and the dresses making sure they all face the same way and try to hang them all up on one hook. Hopefully, the dressing room has at least one more hook — if it does that is going to become your “not taking it home” hook. Put the clothing you love and want on the bench or chair inside the room if there is one, or an additional hook or over the top of the door.

2. Test The Clothes For Fit

Try the garment on, do up all buttons and zippers. Does it fit right? Does it feel comfortable? Did you just discover a missing button?

For Pants And Shorts

If it is a pair of pants or shorts, do a few squats in them and then see if the zipper is still done up fully. Did the rear-end area get immediately baggy? Did they ride into places they shouldn’t? Did a crooked seam become apparent? Did you post-children belly fall out of the top of the pants –not a nice look.

If trying on leggings or yoga pants, bend over in front of the mirror and see if you can now see the color of your underwear. Also, check to see what is happening in the crotch area –don’t go for the camel look.

For Tops

If it is a shirt. Put your arms up over you head. Does the shirt exposure more of your belly than you would like? Put your arms down did the shirt return to where it should be or did you have to rearrange it? I don’t know about you but I dislike shirts I constantly have to tug down.

Now put your arms up and out to shoulder level and then pull them towards your back as far as you can. When you do this do the buttons gape? Keep your arms up but bend them at your elbows and got quickly back and forth a few times. Did the shirt feel too tight in the back when you moved?

One last test I like to do is to bend down in front of a mirror as I would in normal day to day life to talk to someone who is sitting while I am standing. Often I am surprised at what an eyeful a top I thought had a fairly modest neckline would show in this situation.  I  then take a few seconds to decided if I could fix it or not by wearing something underneath.

For Skirts

Relive your I am “a little princess days” and twirl in it a few times. Did the skirt twist and now the front is in the back and the back is in the front? That can become frustrating fast!

How is the length? Bend over in front of the mirror to see if perhaps it ride up farther than you thought it would when you bend over.

If it has buttons or a zipper do a few squats to make sure they are still working well. And if you are like me and you don’t like wearing slips stand with your rear end to the mirror and pull the fabric tight around your behind to see if the material is too see through to be worn without one.

For Dresses

I do pretty much all the same tests I do for tops, pants, and skirts when I try one a dress.

3. Test the clothes for color

If the garment fits well,  move on to asking yourself if  the color of the piece brings life to your face. If it does toss it in the “might buy pile”.

If however, it makes you look like you have the flu, or haven’t slept in days, even if it fits well, and the price is a steal toss it in the “not buying pile”.

4. Is it something you see others whose style you admire wear?

If it fits well and the color is good, but it is not a classic piece and totally out of style — you should leave it behind.

I often think to myself when I am looking at a garment that fits and is a good color “is this something I have seen in recent magazines or on people whose style I admire lately?” If not, then I leave it behind, unless its a classic piece like a simple cardigan or black pencil skirt.

5. Give each garment a good inspection

Once you have decided the garment both fits well, and is a good color for you, take a closer look at each item you are considering to buy.

Go over the seams are they straight? Free of rips? Next look for small stains, small tears or snags. Finally does the garments buttons and zippers all work.

There is no sense buying clothing in need of repair even if it is inexpensive. Believe me you will have plenty of high quality, free of rips and tears, stains and high price tag items to choose from.

6. Do you need it?

This is always my last question to myself before I leave the change room with my armful of keepers.

For instance take the jean skirt pictured above, it fit great, it was free of rips and stains, the zipper worked, yet I left it behind. Why? Because I already have 3 jean skirts in various styles and lengths. I don’t need another one.

Now that you have your armful of keepers that truly will fill needs in your wardrobe and look great on you its time to head to the check out line. Come back next week, when I discuss what you can do there to save more money, as well as a few other saving at Goodwill tips.

How about you? What questions do you ask yourself when you are trying on clothes?

Read The Rest Of The Goodwill Shopping Tips Series

• 6 Goodwill Tips That Will Help You Find The Best Deals In Every Store
• Goodwill: Saving at the Checkout

 

Available in paperback and Kindle on Amazon–get your copy here!