RSSI Am A Value Villager
August 28, 2008
If I won $5 million, I couldn’t go back to spending $80 for jeans- and I don’t even want to talk about $400 jeans. I might drive to Value Village in my Nissan Altima – well, no, I don’t really notice cars. Would I arrive wearing a $2000 watch? Possibly, though I’m really loving this Eddie Bauer watch I’ve had for a year.
I bought it because it has a light beam that shines out the front and it has a magnifying glass. I thought it would be a good way to search for ingrown eyelashes on dog eyelids. Strange, I know, but it works. It’s also a good watch. Solid, no fuss or frills, a little menswear, great work watch. Here’s how the magnifier works:
Well, I’d be wearing $200 perfume.
Value Village is a used clothing store, but not just any thrift store. They first opened in California in 1954 and have since taken on a commitment to “provide the best shopping experience and selection of any thrift store in the world”. It’s certainly the best I’ve been in.
So, yes it is used clothing. Yes, much of it, you would never even consider, no different than any other store. Yes, it might smell like a used clothing store. Wear extra perfume and think about the big money you’ll save.
That’s 3 minus points. Here are 9 for the plus side:
1. They have fantastic sales and coupons, with a promo of some sort on almost all the time. The coupon calendar at the end of the year? At $1.99, I buy two.
The cords are Old Navy Bootcut , very light beige. My belt from I don’t remember where.
Isn’t this pattern on the shirt great? I know it’s wrinkled, but I don’t iron. Hey, I get peed and bled on at my work. Who in their right mind would iron?
2. Clothing is not just randomized, or worse, in bins. That makes me crazy. It’s all sorted according to type, size, and color in a system that repeats throughout the store. You can go through the place in 30 minutes once you get that it’s a very consistent landscape.
You can see where the T comes from. The pants are Bluenotes bootcut jeans. The belt is VV too, though I don’t know the make. The belt might be a bit much but I think it works in a Christian Lacroix sort of way.
3. AE, Gap, Banana Republic, Aeropostale, … The place is loaded with this stuff and it’s all less than $10. Sometimes the item has just been washed too many times and you wouldn’t buy it for 25cents. More often, it’s only gently used.
The zip fleece is a dark chocolate brown. The tank cost $5 at Ardene. The rest was less than $5 all together. OldNavy shorts.
4. I have learned about myself that I get bored easily and quickly, regardless of whether the item cost a fortune or not. If I paid $4.99 and wear it once before I decide I don’t like it, there is not a moment’s guilt in putting it in the clothes donation bag. And I don’t get aggravated when my kids do the same, but I sure do if I paid $40 and they decide it’s too tight after 3 wearings.
Gap shirt and great lined-waistband stretch work pants. Here’s a closeup of the shirt, sheer light cotton but not transparent. The belt is from whatever the Northern Reflections mens’ store used to be called years ago.
5. There is no better place for children. They can go off on their own with no fear of what they’ll bring back. There’s no arguing over what they want. At $4-9 for most items, they can have anything they want. In days gone by, my children left their clothes in puddles and their shoes in trees. Was I really going to buy matching little ensembles when the top would have goop on it before they were in the car? Are baby clothes not just a way to keep vomit off them?
Roxy Board shorts ; Old Navy racer back tank was new,cost $10.
6. It’s the best place for pants. 100 pairs, all your size, all pre-shrunk and broken in, Club Monaco, GAP, Garage, JCrew, Ralph Lauren, Old Navy, more Old Navy, all cheap. Pick out 10 pairs, cart them to the dressing room. You’ll find a great pair at least once a month.
This is one of those items I’m drawn to for some strange reason, but I know it’s as ugly as it is nice (some of you might say more so). I put it here because it (along with the header photo) provided the color palette for this website. My brother hates the color of the navigation bars. I’ve read that some degree of color blindness is common among men.
7. If your teens are into vintage or retro, or need a costume for a party, this is your destination. As preteens, mine have become painfully discerning about their clothing, so we have a deal : we look at the VV first. Most often, they find 3 items there that they didn’t know they wanted, and are so grateful that I bought them that they no longer need the original. I am so grateful that the whole bundle cost $22.
This photography gig is killing me. I cannot show you how gorgeous this shirt is. It’s washable silk, really beautiful. It’s the find you stuff in your shopping cart under all your other finds and don’t let it out of your sight till it’s in your car.
Here is a closeup of the fabric with truer colors. It must have cost a fortune new.
8. On the days I find 4 shirts, 3 pairs of pants, a cool belt, 3 books, and a set of serving trays, I buy them all. There’s no choosing this over that.
You’ve heard of Isaac Mizrahi at Target. This is Liz Clairborne at Value Village. Good work shirt. It’s a silk/cotton blend, very light with a slight sheen.
This is Banana Republic at the VV.
9. Hey! It’s good for the planet ! We all have too much, we buy too much, we consume too much. It’s a way to give a little back and get some for you at the same time.
Comments
8 Responses to “I Am A Value Villager”
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A Greener Tea
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I love second-hand or consignment shops, the deals are excellent, you just have to set aside some time to browse the racks to find the good stuff. Being in Florida, I’m always in need of shorts, sun dresses, etc. for knocking around in and these stores are the best for finding these deals. About the only thing I don’t buy second hand (beside undergarments) is footwear, I can’t get past other peoples feet.
The best way to buy footwear - go to a “BuyOne-GetOne 1/2 off” sale with a sister/friend and split the difference, my sister & I do it all the time and end up with 3-4 new pairs of shoes each (much to our husbands’ chagrin). My husband cannot understand how I could possibly need 8 different pairs of black shoes!?
Great article. I love shopping at consignment and thrift stores. I used to buy very expensive clothes, mainly as a way to make me feel more confident. I’m old enough to know realize (how long did this take????) that confidence has to come from within. External things won’t bring the happiness you crave. I also hit a certain age and couldn’t lose the weight I gained so I started on very serious exercise program, mainly to combat aging. By aging, I don’t mean wrinkles. I mean working towards staying healthy the rest of my life. At 41 I started running and a weight training program. I look better and have more confidence than I have ever had in my life.
Hi, Christine!
This is just a photo tip (since you were having trouble photographing your pretty shirt) — never photograph in sunlight.
Try taking your pictures in light shade (no little shafts of sunlight allowed, or you’ll have white spots in your picture!). Sunlight makes pictures too contrasty, which washes out light colors and makes dark colors too dark. A flash will often do the same thing.
Don’t shoot in too dark a shade, or colors will look dull. If you would like a little “fill light” to lighten up some overly dark areas, then get a large piece of white foamcore board and either have someone hold it, or prop it up, to reflect a little sunlight into the picture. Experiment with moving the board around to see the different effects you get. This is a much softer light, so it only adds a little more contrast without detracting from colors. This is also a great technique for bouncing a little light into the darker side of a person’s face, if they’re angled a little bit away from you when you’re taking their photograph.
If you have Photoshop or a cheaper software package, you can also increase the saturation of the picture to emphasize the colors, but I find it easier just to remember that, when it comes to photography, sunshine is a no-no!
Forget photoshop! How about picasa? Its free from Google and I cannot sing its praises enough for working with your photos to lighten them darken them etc. Its photoshop for dummies and free. Go to their website and download it. They even have a yahoo like site for all your questions about using it. I design jewelry and have to photograph it. I have found it invaluable.
Picasa is definitely a great program! My parents use it, and if they can, anybody can. I was very impressed by it while I was teaching them to use it. I just happen to have Photoshop because I do fine art photography.
But, remember, if details weren’t captured in the original photograph because they were turned white by the sunlight, you can’t recreate them with any program. Especially, if only parts of the picture are too light or too dark. That’s where a Photoshop expert earns her money.
Hi, everyone! So there are lots of us who loves secondhand shopping. I’m forever amazed at the prices people pay for new clothing and only wonder WHY????
@ Kathryn,
I agree! Summer clothes are the absolute best. You can pick up 5 like-new T’s for $15 or less. I don’t buy the footwear either, but my kids sometimes insist and I don’t mind.
@ aj,
You go, woman. You’ve got some big things figured out. These really are the best years and I truly believe it just gets better. Wrinkles are the smallest, silliest part of aging and yet, we make such a deal of it.
@ Kathy,
Now here’s advice I can use. I’ve found that product photography (surprisingly just as challenging as faces!) is best by 7-10AM light. Human faces are best in 4-7PM light. I’ve learned how sunlight washes things out, changes them, and creates unflattering shadows on faces.
Love the suggestions with the white foamboard. I’ve looked for ways to bounce light without fancy photographic equipment but everything created too harsh of a light. This will be perfect, without causing the person to squint. Where do you buy the stuff by the sheet?
I used to use PhotoFiltre as a photo editor for Windows, and loved it, but I haven’t found a reliable version for my Mac.
I’ve been playing with Seashore since it’s a free download, to try to understand working with layers, before I invest in Photoshop Elements but it is quite tricky. I think Photoshop and Elements are both beyond my needs. iPhoto does a pretty good job of manipulating color.
Great advice! Don’t stop. I welcome it all.
@ Rosalie and Kathy,
I looked at Picasa on your advice, but there doesn’t seem to be a Mac version. Am I wrong? There’s Picasa Web Albums, but I need a great cropping tool and some image/photo editing for transparency, very good color tools, and a lot of flexibility in adding text to images. Any suggestions?
I bought ImageWell for $20 after a 7day trial. It seems very capable, easy to move files, pretty good online instructions. Its strength is in cropping. Pretty good at watermarking too.
Keep the ideas coming, please!!
Thanks to all of you.
I’m happy to give you any photo suggestions and answers you need. I learned a long time ago not to buy expensive photo accessories if I can buy a cheap alternative. After all, just the camera body and lenses can put you in debt for a long time!
I buy foamcore at office supply stores. They’re usually in the poster section. Another place is a store that does framing. For fun, you can also use silver and gold mat board to change the quality of light.
Another useful item, but very hard to find, is a white umbrella. They usually pop up in some stores around Easter. They are really nice for diluting light (without affecting the color of the light) while photographing smaller objects (flowers, etc.) when you’re in a situation where you can’t move the object. Park rangers do tend to get peeved when you pick flowers! And, if I see you picking them, I’ll definitely turn you in.
I hate to tell you this, but I know absolutely nothing about Macs. I’m an IT director, and you know how it is at companies that don’t work with art or design — we’re usually 100% PC. Sorry!
I checked with Picasa. It will not work with Mac. You can do the Picasa web albums by going thru iphoto but not of the photo editing which i think is what you are interested in doing. I do have some sites on how to make a light box if you are interested.
BTW I do love second hand clothing stores but we do not have Value Villager which sounds like a chain. Most of our second hand stores have better and actually dressier clothes which I find that I wear very little of here in south Florida. Suits, formal gowns and party clothes seem to abound.