I'll be honest, part of the inspiration for my experiment came from tales of your Goodwill escapades. I've had some good luck, but I generally fit a 42L, so reasonably easy to find things in that size. I did find a Paul Smith cashmere/camel coat which still had the spare buttons in a bag in the inside pocket. I snapped that up, but fur is too 'pimp' for me Tabs ;-) I've had some luck with shirts, but finding good quality, hardly worn shirts is a challenge. I, too, have got to the point where I have all I need, and I'm not really in to reselling, so haven't been for a while.

I agree, the quality has definitely slipped even in the last year or so. There's a lot more junk lately, but when you do find good stuff several good items frequently turn up at once. Hardly surprising I suppose. It's surprising how often new stuff turns up with tags on. Speaking to the staff they say they get quite a few department stores who drop stuff off, new old stock or ex-display.

I hardly ever bother with shoes as I have enough nice pairs already, but I look just in case. I don't have any Gaziano & Girling, so I'd get some if I ever find any. I did buy some very new looking Mezlan crocodile shoes last year, wore them through summer, then sold them at a profit. I do prefer my hometown stuff though.

Ms Rocket has been buying used clothes for 25 years. Kids were raised in used clothes as well, until they get to be teenagers.

I’ve looked, but can’t find 2XT clothes that fit. I buy a bunch of polo type shirts online at the end of the season for $10 or so. Working outside, they get destroyed quickly, so off to Goodwill it goes and I break out a new one.

Same goes for 90% of our furniture.

Interesting thread. I literally grew up in the industry of professionally run thrift stores, which most goodwills are not. This is my 42nd year in the biz. It’s definitely evolved. I’ve opened up probably 50 stores throughout the country in my career and currently run 15. We specialize in helping non-profits that own secondhand stores run them efficiently and profitably. The stores we run cycle through a trailer load a week of clothing, per store. We generate millions of pounds of clothing a month. No waste on the cloth end and most everything else has a value to it outside of the retail market. We guesstimate that 40+% of our customers are resellers. It’s definitely a big business and getting bigger.

There is a place in Burbank, CA called It's a Wrap. It's a store where TV shows and movies sell off their wardrobes after a production. I visit it a few times a year and always find great bargains. Banck when I was working the night shift, I would pop in mid-week when their inventory was even more heavily discounted. One of the benefits of working nights!

in general, no. i dont visit thrift shops EXCEPT to drop off my stuff.

having said that, i did buy a salad spinner at a flea market for $2 that i work like a dog daily. its pretty awesome, and i am happy i didnt buy a new one.

It's big business:

https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Embezzlement-Scandal-Forces-Goodwill-Vice-3014393.php
But as the embezzlement investigation continues, the estimated losses have risen dramatically -- from an original estimate of $1.3 million to as much as $15 million.

* Visit thrift stores which are located in the vicinity of high-end homes.

* Never buy a Hawaiian shirt new. Dozens of nice ones are in every thrift store.

* Decent-quality mens' dress slacks start at around $200. They feel good, look good and last forever. At thrift stores they can be had for $9. I have a closet full of these.

* Same with sport coats.

* In my hometown, the guys who work on the spreader crews assembling plywood get filthy with plywood glue which is formulated with cows' blood. They need to wear long sleeve shirts which are destroyed in fairly short order. Guess where they go to buy these shorts.

* Nicely-seasoned cast iron cookware can very often be found for pennies in thrift stores.

Thrift stores are fun for me.

When I lived in Detroit the thrift store near me was so sketchy they wouldn't sell carving knives.

And my car was hit twice in the parking lot. I was never hit anywhere else in my three years there.

If you are planning a big party you can get a 2nd BBQ there for 25 bucks. Microwave for the garage. 10 bucks. Usually the older high end stereo stuff gets regularly picked over, but if you happen to be there when they have just put out some electronics you can buy really good older receivers for not much that go for hundreds on the used market.

You do take a chance on electronics but quality stuff can be repaired.

I've seen wheelbarrows to lawn mowers. I got a nice cast iron pump (quiet) at the TS for 50 bucks once. Used it for years before recently selling it for 100. And that was a buyer's deal.

Much better than a pawn shop.

Check freecycle dot com (email spam alert) or drive around on a Saturday/Saturn morning for yard sales in semi-decent neighborhoods.

They haven't quite come back to the level of 2019. 2020, not one.

And you know what is interesting? Over the last few years yard/garage sales in better neighborhoods started to get harder to find whereas in in lesser areas there were plenty of baby clothes and general junk.

I picked up a Meade EXT60 telescope with electric drive and 5 lenses and a case for $20 at SVdeP in LA.
It was broken but with some slight repair and it works great.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1624667016.JPG

Friend found a 2 qt Copper All Clad sauce pan wt lid on Thursday..$8

AC discontinued that line about 20 years ago..

The 6 qt copper Dutch Oven is worth.$600.

I have found John Lobb..not my size..Churchs vtg McAfee, Tricker, uk and usa made Brooks Brothers..3 pairs of dress Zegna's.paul stewart, .countless Feragamos Ballys, Maglias. Gravitas, Tods, christian Leboutan, Louis Vuiton, Weston.

Magannis, Gucci, Par West, Testoni, Santoni..vtg cole haan, french shriner..florsheim, hannover, Dexter, Footjoy, Nettlton, Jonhson.Murphy Alden, Beleveder, and more..

Your thrift stores are much better than ours obviously!
I'm fortunate enough to have a couple of pairs of John Lobb. RTW, not bespoke. Still, they're works of art.
As you probably know, many of the Northampton shoe makers supplied Brooks Brothers for their Peal & Co range. They're a high quality and good value shoe.
A lot of the older Brooks Brothers stuff was pretty good actually, both clothing and shoes. Not to sound like my Dad, but I don't think that's true any longer. You mentioned J&M and Florsheim, same deal, their older stuff was great but much of their more recent stuff the quality has really gone downhill.
This brings me back to the original idea about shopping in thrift stores - much of the older stuff is of considerably higher quality than a similar item of the same brand you could go and buy new now. Also, the new item is going to be several orders of magnitude more expensive. If you can get over the 'used clothing' stigma it makes much more sense.