hobby

Went to my favorite store today. Crossroads is a chain of thrift stores all over the country. They buy and sell current fashion, and the key is that they are quite selective about the items that they buy back.

Shopping at Crossroads is part of how I change my style. And more importantly, how I afford my lifestyle.

Rather than just shop at the stores as a retail experience, it is thrift shopping. There is a certain element of serendipidy. One also accept the likelihood of not finding anything, or worst, finding something almost right but for size, color, or defect (tear/stain/etc.).

To make it even more worth while, I usually sell something back and use the credit to buy something. The key is to get rid of things that don't quite work before they are completely outdated.

The buyback can be embarassing, as the buyer rejects item after item. I love it though; if they reject it, I shouldn't have it in my closet anyways. Today, I happen to have a few barely-worn items. Given that I hardly shop these days, even at Crossroads, I have had quite a few trips where they took nothing back...

No one can do this to make a living. Crossroads pays 35% cash value of sales prices and 50% in trade. Which translates to $3-$10. I always trade and even take a credit to use another time. In fact, I learned about Crossroads b/c a friend w/designer taste would go there to get a little something for her 3-to-4-digit purchases. In comparison, I rarely buy clothing for over $50...

After the buyback, if at all, I shop. There are quite a few rules. I only look for one or two types of clothing at once. For instance, today was all about trendy tops, for work and for play. Tops are grouped by colors, and I usually look through 3-4 colors at the most. The limitation helps me stay focused. I don't think the human mind can process too much information at once, so rather than trying to buy outfits, I look for pieces. Somewhat like finding that last missing piece of a puzzle.

I don't particularly love shopping. Supposedly women are gatherers and love the variety of shopping (it's suppose to simulate our food-gathering skills). I find shopping quiet inefficient and treat it as a need, like buying groceries. Shopping is merely finding costume for my life; my true passion is living in the moment.

Back to the rules. I usually have an intuitive sense of what I am looking for, and every article of clothing gets 2 seconds. If it doesn't impress me, it is passed over.

If something catches my eye and doesn't look too big, then I look for the tag. It helps to know that most tags are on the left-hand side seam, except certain brands like Benetton is on the right shoulder seam. Few woman's brands still have it on the back of the neck, but less so these days.

The tag tells the fabric. 100% cotton is a pass. Lycra content makes it less likely to wrinkle and help to maintain the shape. The blended content is also how I only iron once a month.

Dry-clean only doesn't matter. I use Dryel, and most of the stuff can be hand-washed. The warning is just the manufacturer's way of making sure you don't ruin the stuff.

Most of the shopping is done on the floor. I can eliminate 99% of the rack right there at the rack. I don't even have to look at the tags to reject based on style and size on about 70% of the inventory.

Try on is next. This is even more intuitive. Well, sometimes comical. I have had so many things that I could not even zip up or pull down; it's a relief that I am the only one in the dressing room.

Today was rare; I actually found four tops for every occasion. Even a "we're a couple" top! Well, I'll get into dressing for dating another day. Total cost? I actually bought something designer so had to spend money. It wasn't bad. Four tops for under $37 given the credit.

The best part? The entire time spent in the store was 32 minutes, counting the buyback. I think it took me longer to post this entry...