Buy once, give twice

In the recession that officially began in December 2007, every dime saved is a dime that not only can, but must, be used for something else. The discount and thrift store markets are great ways to save, and these stores are also potential job sources.

Stores typically add staff during the holiday season. Most of the time, they reduce their workforce after the holiday rush is over, but newer hires may get to stay on if they prove to be better workers than their more experienced peers. Taking a seasonal job is a way to get started, and it is at least something to put on a resume. Shoppers also find that thrift stores offer a way to find quality items without paying the original prices. A listing of thrift stores in the Las Vegas Valley can be found at http://www.thethriftshopper.com/city/Las_Vegas/NV/1.htm.

Kathy Topp, public relations director of Goodwill Thrift Stores of Southern Nevada, explains that when you shop at a thrift store, you get the item for a great price, and you also support the efforts of Goodwill's Career Connections program. This program helps people looking for work to access the Internet, type a resume, attend job fairs and other essential aspects of finding a job. So if you purchase a gift from Goodwill, you give twice: once to the receiver of the gift, and once to community members whose lives are being changed by the program.

Topp calls this "the circle of giving." You go through your closet, gather things you don't use anymore and donate them. Then you take a look at what's in the store and perhaps find something you can use. In the process, someone's life has been changed. Topp is understandably excited about the change that can occur in a person's life when they go from feeling unsuccessful to being able to provide for their family.

Elizabeth McDaniels, who manages the Career Connections program for Goodwill, finds herself surprised that people are unaware of Goodwill's efforts to get people employed.

"Getting people started or returning them to the workforce is our primary focus," she said. "We actually recruit for some employers."

Besides the services mentioned above, Goodwill has access to some funds to assist a person who needs to brush up on skills such as learning the most recent software programs.

"Perhaps the most important thing we want people to know is that when you buy something from Goodwill, you help someone else," McDaniels added.

Deseret Industries runs a similar program, helping train those who need it and operating a thrift store. "DI," as the store is informally called, is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, but you don't have to be a member of the church to donate items or to shop there. The same is true for the Catholic Charities stores.

Thrift shopping, or "thrifting," is for the fun of the experience - the excitement of finding that great item for an amazing price. Most people who enjoy thrifting say that if you know exactly what you want, like a white button-down shirt, don't thrift shop for that.

One experienced thrifter, Kaitlin Jensen Mann, said, "For me, it started out of necessity. I was on a college student budget. Now that we're out of college, I continue to do it because I find it to be more satisfying than conventional shopping. I love it when I get a compliment on an item and can say, 'I got this for $4!' "

Mann's husband prefers new clothing to thrifted items, but he likes the furniture she has found for their home. She looks for pieces with great structure. She has also found picture frames and other décor.

If you haven't tried thrift shopping and are hesitant to start, get an experienced thrifter to take you along for a first outing. Mann recommends learning to recognize quality and structure in an item, whether it is a blouse or a chair. She also suggests taking the time to evaluate the item to be sure you haven't missed any problem you won't be able to fix later.

One precaution Mann recommends is to wear socks when you thrift shop. Then you can try on shoes without hesitation and disinfect them after you get home. This advice could apply to regular shopping as well. A styling tip is to mix vintage items with current trends.

"A vintage dress with a modern statement necklace can set you apart from everyone else," Mann said.

Mann is no longer on a student budget, but she said, "I'll always thrift, if only for the fun of the hunt. I found that I liked my closet better when the trends and styles weren't already picked out for me. I had to think about what I really liked instead of just what was hot at the moment. And it made me focus on the cut and structure of the garment and how that did or did not flatter my body."

Mann expressed an opinion shared by many mothers of young children when she said that more than half of her child's wardrobe is thrifted. Young children grow out of clothes so quickly that it makes sense to thrift shop for them.

Melissa Evans Marx, mother of several children, added, "You don't get as upset when they blow out the knees, stain their T-shirts or use them as napkins."

Mann, Marx and others also shop at Ross, Marshalls and TJ Maxx. These are retail outlets that specialize in selling name-brand new clothing and accessories at a discounted price.

Marshalls and TJ Maxx are part of the larger corporation, TJX Cos. TJX is ranked number 125 in the most recent Fortune 500 rankings. TJX was also ranked first in the prestigious Boston Globe 100 listing in 2010. These stores add employees during the holiday season, and they need local management and regional supervisors as well as salespeople.

The thrift and discount market is clearly growing. Target has a following in the blogosphere. Type http://targetdoesit
again.tumblr.com/ into an Internet search engine and you will find dressing-room photos of several bloggers who try on outfits using clothing only found at Target. The looks these bloggers create do not appear to be inexpensive.

A unique aspect of the thrift market is the "boutique" thrift store. These stores are usually small and may have a character all their own. Cindi Satterfield Brysha said she prefers shopping at such stores, since "someone else has prescreened the merchandise for style. They are particular because space is a premium. The merchandise, while not new, is as new."

For this reason, Mann said when she moves to a new town, she looks for thrift stores before finding regular department stores.

Marie Langager, another experienced thrifter, started out from a different perspective. She said, "I worked in the nightclubs in Las Vegas, where girls have plenty of money and are really gifted spenders. So each week, someone had a new bag, a new dress or new shoes. I found myself deciding what I did and didn't like, and searching for my own style. I found it by ditching labels and concentrating on what I looked best in."

Langager shops in every department of a thrift store. She said, "Kids only use clothes for a short period. My husband scuffs up new shoes until they look 'worn' anyway, and thrift stores can have great finds for the home that mean more when they're a discovered treasure."

She would hesitate giving a vintage item as a gift, depending on the person. "I might not give it as a gift unless the recipient is someone who appreciates vintage like I do," she said.

Langager recommends thrifting to everyone, since the habit lends itself to forming a personal style.

She said, "Vintage is cooler than everyone wearing the same dress from Bebe. And you can play around with your style more, experimenting with purchases, because it's not a hit to your wallet, so there's no guilt.

"I'm a firm believer that you don't look good when you try to look like everyone else. You just blend in," she added.

Langager plans to continue thrifting, no matter her income, saying, "I hate overpaying. It feels better to love something that doesn't also make you feel like you got ripped off."

Janet Henke, an experienced thrifter, advised new thrifters to plan for "plenty of time" to look through everything. Henke's favorite place to go is Savers.

Mark Gosson has recently finished a weight-loss program. He said, "When I was losing 4 or 5 pounds a week, it only made sense to shop at Goodwill. Ninety-five percent of what I bought still had the store tags on them. I have continued to thrift at times. It just makes sense to buy from them. No one knows (until now) that I save money that way. Do people think it's silly to go to Wal-Mart or Food4Less? No, it's silly not to save where you can."

There seems to be more than just an urge to save money among thrifters. There is the added pleasure of finding something others did not. As Langager put it, "All it takes is finding one supercheap, supergorgeous dress and you keep coming back for more."