@JulesNoctambule: Exactly my experience.

@rednrowdy: I find that my experience also reflects yours. A size 14, I've snagged a few (very few) thrift store buys in my time, and most of them I've donated again soon after bringing them home. Frankly, I'd rather hit up a good clearance sale at New York & Company than spend 5 hours combing the racks of size 2's and grandma suits for one fabulous thrift-store find. I find that thrift stores are better resources for purses and for kitchen odds and ends than for clothing.

Subscribe to email or regular ole mail updates from the chains. You're automatically notified of the big sales (1/2 off etc)...which usually occur because they are overloaded with inventory. Some even offer coupons or a discount card. Note: for goodwill emails, I think you have to signup on your regional goodwill website--use the store locator to find it.

Go early on the big sale days above. The new stuff is out, and it's not as crazy busy as you'd expect (at least in my experience).

Let other people do the work for you: check the go back rack.

If you're a smaller size, check the kids section. Sometimes smaller sizes are tagged/put back incorrectly.

@Xanaxian: I stopped shopping there after the strike they had at the Whitby store. Masquerading as a charity shop + forcing low-wage workers to sort through needle-ridden piles of clothes in poor conditions = see ya.

If this has changed, please let me know - it doesn't otherwise seem to be all that bad a place. Except for the one near Bloor and Dundas West in Toronto - that one smells so bad, I threw up a little in my mouth just thinking about it.

There's no rule that says everything has to match :D I've got fish fabric covering holes in an old pair of jeans.

Okay, I've most def. seen it, I just have never been inside. It kind of looks like Loehmann's, is it anything like that?

Think if it this way: if you're purchasing from one of these stores, you're helping the donor help the charity itself. I did this with my own loved one's wardrobe, and it made me feel better knowing both the Salvation Army and poor people shopping for needed clothing were directly benefitting from my donation (despite the circumstances).

And if you're going to buy something you don't really use very often, why not look for it at a thrift store? And if you find Burberry ones you like, awesome.

I had to learn how to sew stretch velvet to make my own skating dresses. Adult size dresses are expensive. I save $25 - $30 a pop by making them, especially if Hancock's has a sale on the fabric.

Meant to say, I am very tall and it's sometimes hard to find stuff that is not too short, but if you keep going back and looking, stuff shows up. :)

I feel the same way most of the time, but if properly cared for, even WalMart clothes can last for a while. Don't put your WalMart stuff in the dryer, and it lasts longer. And my jeans are always Riders from WM, mostly because they fit me well.

The thrift stores, markdown stores and discount outlets do have deals that are pretty good, however. I don't buy any designer stuff at them for the name, but if they are made better, as bohemian and pecan pi said, it's worth a look, as they will last longer.

There's a store here that has used clothing, slightly upscale, and I got a Jones New York embroidered wool cardigan there for $20. It's a little '80s (has great big clock motifs on it), but I've worn it for years and it's still in great condition. I also hit a markdown store looking for a cheap coat (found one) and walked out with a Liz Claiborne beaded shawl for $15. I didn't NEED it, but I WANTED it. It looks great draped over my chair!

I do know that I've heard many thrift shops advertising for donations of "plus sized" clothing. I don't know if that's reflective of the clientele or just that supply is, as you say, lacking.

@CumaeanSibyl: I think it's kind of funny that the old paintings of Greece and Rome and the Renaissance the wealthy people were painted to look chubby as they were the only ones who could afford to eat well. Heck, a lot of the classic nude portraits look like Lane Bryant mannequins.

(not that that's a bad thing)

FWIW, I donated all my "fat clothes" to the local Goodwill or sold them at my parents' yard sale.

Whoa, I live in Falls Church, I didn't know of this store. I think actually I might have seen it, but I didn't know they had suits, I'm in desperate need of a new suit that isn't grey or black. :/

the store at the fancy new shopping center in the north of town gets the nicest dresses and intact housewares.

the store next to the japanese steakhouse gets the ladies suede and leather goods, target's cleared out inventory with price tags still on it and the nicer furniture.

the store near my house gets the jeans, widest selection of children's clothes and all the vinyl records.

i started to notice the trend about two years ago and asked about it. the employee i spoke with admitted that they sort the donations each store gets and then the nicest examples of certain types of items get shipped around based on demographics.

since the stores are only a few miles apart, when i am shopping it helps to know which store to go to if i need to find something specific. but for folks who have to take the bus it must be a pain to not ever be able to get a NICE winter coat at the store nearest them

We live in Seattle and my wife finds all kinds of good stuff. At least 2 times a week she goes to goodwill and comes home with brand name stuff that she keeps or sells online. She always buys 7 jeans for a couple of dollars then sells them on ebay for $30-50.

Any Canadians reading might want to check out Value Village. My mother would kill me if she knew I were reporting this, but all those fabulous designer suits she wears to the University Board of Governors meetings? Yep ...

i love thrift stores. most of my clothing comes from them!

I've just been to the Goodwill, nothing much. I did score an amazing Kenneth Cole purse from the Out of the Closet store in West L. A. though...

Clothes swapping is also good because you know that the clothes have only been in one person's home, so they are usually not very worn out, in contrast to the sometimes utterly beat up clothes you have to rummage through to get to the good stuff in a thrift. No one would bring their most worn out clothes to a clothing swap either, people usually bring decent quality stuff. Thrift prices can also add up, clothes swapping is free!

Yard sales here tend to have the BEST deals on clothes, plus there is no size-ism, you just have to hit on a house where people that are your size live. You will hit on that house eventually as well, trust me. The person at the house will be more than glad that you are buying their stuff too! The prices are usually flat, 50 cents for shirts, 25 cents for shirts, 1$ for pants etc. so you can choose what you want and even the brands that you want. Every yard sale here has clothes, even more if your looking for kids, children's or baby clothes. Stay local to save gas (driving 20 miles out for a sale usually isn't worth it).

@coup d'état: let Mr. Google guide your way. They are in various US states, sadly, the nearest one is about 4 hours from me now. If there is one in your area, it's worth checking out.

Although not they're not filled with designer goods, I love small town thrift stores on road trips. I've scored amazing goodies in Albuquerque, Fresno, and Kansas.

@MameDennis: The other thing is that whether or not all sizes are represented, the cool wonderful stuff is overwhelmingly -- well, even size 8 is generous. 2, 4, maybe 6, more like. At least, that's my experience with consignment shopping. I used to score all kinds of fantastic, barely worn designer deals during the thirty seconds I was a size 2. Now, at a size 10? Not so very much!

Also, this article does not point out that reusing and recycling can be good for the environment!

@PeachyPeach:
I agree that Goodwill seems to have a good range of sizes, but as far as consignment shops, rednrowdy's experience matches mine. There are several upscale resale stores in my area, and they have very small clothes. (No offense meant to anyone of any size--in fact, congratulations to the size 2s who are getting great deals!)

Last week I scored a sweater and dress from Anthropologie, and a new Betsey Johnson dress, along with some other really nice basics. Almost everything I brought was also taken to a new home.

I've also gotten Seven jeans for $5 and a pink small-indie-designer cashmere sweater for $10 (original price on the designer's website: $400).

All of this stuff is from thrift shops in a really expensive area, so that's what I'd suggest!

@Dead Wrestlers Society: Syms? What is this Syms you speak of? I am in desperate need of affordable but nice suits!

Maybe if you'd donate your clothes, people your height could buy them!

12) Shop above your size. You can always have it cut down. The expense of fabric alone may make this worth while.

13) Visit resale/thrift shops when you travel. Vegas is great for cocktail looks; New Orleans is fantastic for wool things because people buy them and then can rarely wear them.

We spent less than $100 to purchase a beautiful dress and shoes that my wife wore to my niece's wedding last September. The shoes alone would have cost $200 new and the dress was probably $300 or more new. For the tonier clothes I recommend consignment shops rather than the Goodwills, etc. (at least in my area).

If you're willing to invest the time to a.) go to a more upscale location and b.) look through just about the entire store, there really are deals to be had. Probably because I live near (but not *in*) a high-income town in NJ, there's a local thrift shop where I've found some great bargains. Lots of weird boxy jackets and shoulder pads from the 1980s, but every so often, a barely-worn skirt or suit from a designer name.

10. make sure you're a size 8 or smaller

I miss living in Northern Virginia and being near a Syms. I picked up some very nice suits there for very cheap.