My best discovery of the
week month year is this: Goodwill has an outlet store! Did you know that? Am I the only thrift shopper left in Seattle who didn't know that? My kids and I have a favorite word that pretty much sums up this store: WOWZA! And that can be said in a high-pitched, excited, I-just-spotted-a-designer-print-in-that-bin kind of way, or it can be said in an overwhelmed, slightly creeped out, Georgia-don't-touch-anything-but-Mommy kind of way.
Georgia and I ventured to this store on Monday after finding out that it was just down the way from the Pacific Fabric Outlet. Here is what we saw as we entered the parking lot...
It was as if the sun shone through the clouds down upon the building, and I heard heavenly voices singing...
Wowza, I thought!!
And then I walked through the door....
oh, wowza, I thought....
There were lots of people digging, digging, digging-- like, up to their elbows and can't even bother to look around kind of digging. Classical music was blaring over the loud speakers; I'm guessing this was an attempt to keep everyone calm, because according to the Yelp reviews that I read before I ventured here, people can get a bit crazy and out of control when new bins are rolled out. Most people kept their treasured finds in these huge laundry hamper looking things that wheeled around, but they were all taken when I arrived, so I used an empty Lego bin that I spotted under a table. I took hold of Georgia's hand, threatened that she would get icky cooties if she sat on the ground or reached into a bin, and then I delved in. It was a bit scary at first-- after all, I'm used to Value Village, the department store of thrift stores, where things are actually sorted according to size, and are even on hangers. But somehow, digging through enormous bins of who-knows-what made the search a bit more exciting. When I wrangled a pair of Chip and Pepper jeans out of the depths of dingy blankets and discolored towels, I actually let out a little yelp of excitement and startled the man next to me, who was wearing a trenchcoat and sunglasses and putting used women's underwear into his hamper thingy. (No joke).
And here, my thrifty friends, is the very best part of the Goodwill Outlet: they charge you buy the POUND! That is why you can see hanging scales in the above photograph! For a pound of clothing, you will pay $1.39.
So for the following haul:
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| an Old Navy shirt and H&M skirt-- |
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| A Nike golf shirt and Gap dress shirt for Gareth-- |
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| A pair of It Jeans and a cute red rain jacket-- |
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| Gap flannel pajama pants and a Victoria's Secret nightgown-- |
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| Gymboree jeans and a red gingham shirt-- |
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| The prettiest GapKids skirt-- |
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| A unique silk scarf that will be embroidered onto a shirt-- |
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PLUS the aforementioned Chip & Pepper jeans, as well as a fancy church dress for Georgia--
I paid a total of $18.82!
It was totally worth it-- I just made sure to douse mine and Georgia's hands with sanitizer in the car, and wash them thoroughly at home. :)
I highly recommend that you google "Goodwill Outlet" to see if you have one in your city... it was a fun adventure, and I can hardly wait to go back and see what I can find next. Hey, maybe this weekend! I'm sure Gareth would LOVE to go there with me!! ;)
