I love Value Village

Value Village has spoiled me for retail.

I can’t do it any more. Even Ross and TJ Maxx just don’t have anything to offer… (I went looking for dresses… and found rack after rack of unflattering polyester monstrosities – you call that a dress event? their ads LIE)

I have found so many things I needed at VV, and they’ve been so much better than what I had found shopping regular retail. A pink pvc rain coat, a lightweight microfiber trench coat, a denim jacket, a lightweight bag, a madras cotton sundress, two skirts… no make that three skirts! (and a 4×6 photo album, a metal-geared osterizer blender, a fanny pack and laptop travel bag for hubby…)

The coats were kind of pricey at $15, but one allowed me to get the madras dress for free with a coupon. And $15 might be a lot for a thrift store coat, but I would have paid $100 if I could find just what I wanted at a retail store.

Yeah, I’ve bought some stuff that wasn’t quite right there too. But who cares? It only cost a few dollars. It can go back to them. I’ve bought a couple of items for Halloween/Day of the Dead dress up knowing full well that I’ll take them back the following week. Call it clothing rental.

The messed up sizing tags, messy racks and wild eclecticism of the selection is part of the fun. Good things come in every day and you never know what you’ll find (is that a quote from their ad?!) I go in with a couple of specific items in mind, and more often than not come out with at least one thing that is EXACTLY what I needed. Dresses are more of a challenge, but isn’t that true in retail too?

btw I don’t enjoy shopping. I get very frustrated. I am very particular and not necessarily easy to fit. I have little patience for trying things on or digging through racks. I go to VV with a clear picture in my mind of what I want, I try to stay focused in that one part of the store. I wear clothing that I can try things on over the top of. I do the basic holding up test on skirts to see if they’ll likely fit over my “hips”. I have never used a dressing room at VV. (I don’t buy jeans/shorts there – in fact I’m almost ready to give up legged clothing altogether! it just doesn’t agree with me.) I ignore most of the size labels and focus on the look of the garment. Luckily I like loose flowy things.

My finds:

Gap denim jacket (that fits!)

Pink PVC rain slicker – very very bright, nice big pockets

Black super-lightweight swingy trench (size XL – juniors?!) with a ruffled hem. It fits perfectly!

Madras cotton sundress (slightly too large) button front, very bright

Aqua swirly sequined skirt with jingle bell drawstring waist (love love love)

Deep orange (!!) wrap skirt with batik horses (size M – way too small! I wear it with a underskirt)

White underskirt – my latest find, for wearing under aqua skirt, sarongs, etc in summer

Black nylon bag – was a similac formula giveaway diaper bag, smells a little like spit up. They had a whole bunch of them. I cut the similac tag off first thing! It looks like it’s plain black, but it has black on black polka dots! one main pocket, one outside, one bottle pocket, one little pouch – ideal for carry on travel or for taking a bunch of crap back to the library. Similar bag I wanted online was $100.

And the funny thing is that these items are some of the most complimented things I wear.

and I always make sure to tell people “I got it at Value Village!”

Jo:)

Advertisement