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How to thrift-shop like a pro
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What you need to know:
- With thrift shopping, there is no government body that regulates the prices. Therefore, the price you’ll buy an item for is often dependent on what you’re willing to pay for as the customer, and how much a trader is willing to sell the item for.
- One factor that contributes to the first price named by a trader is the impression you give them. If you’re dressed in fancy and expensive looking clothes, the trader is likely to ask for more than they’d ask from someone wearing plain looking clothes.
- When thrift shopping, avoid dressing lavishly. Dress as simply as you can, and avoid expensive jewellery such as watches.
For many, thrift stores are the preferred shopping avenues for clothes or even household items. The challenge is, thrift shopping, especially in urban areas, requires skill and some level of background knowledge about the market. Here is how to go thrift shopping like a pro.
Choose the right place to shop
Mitumba items are mostly imported, and they arrive in the country packed in bales. Before the items reach the consumer, they go through a long chain of middlemen who all have to get their cut, thereby raising their original prices. To get the best offers, you need to get your items as close to the source as possible. A great place to start is in big markets like Gikomba where you can find traders just as they are opening the bales.
