Simple Pleasure of the Day: Thrifting

One of my favorite things in the world to do is go thrift shopping.  The Carson City / Reno area has some great ones, so I'm most likely roaming through one of these beauties when I'm in town visiting the family.  Since it's "Black Friday," I thought it would be a zoo everywhere that sold something, but today was not so bad.  Got some great deals, had fun in the process, an overall good day thrift shopping for my SPOTD.

Thrift shopping compares to department store shopping in the following ways:

- Thrifting is cheaper (usually) than department store shopping.  Brands of all shapes and sizes and products of all types can be found in one store at base prices while other stores charge different prices for the same basic items like shirts and pants and stuff.  Thrifters don't normally care about specific brands as long as the price and good and it appears to work for their benefit.

- You never know what you're going to find.  Department stores have the same basic stuff with styles changing per season.  Thrift stores have everything from any time period of the recent few decades of all types of products.

- Buyer Beware!  90% of the time a department store item is new and of high quality, but you don't know where a thrift store item came from before it appeared on a thrift store shelf.  Wash the clothes, clean the items, and I suggest not buying items that can be particularly iffy like swimsuits, unmentionables, and mattresses.  Appliances are sold "as is" and some equipment may not work properly so be sure you know what you're getting and risking when purchasing from a thrift stores.

Excuse me while I go over my thrift store finds like it's a stash of early Christmas gifts.