Being in the PNW, we have all experienced our fair share of thrift stores. In fact, I actually have the great opportunity to work at a thrift store. To further this, most of my jobs up until this point have been related to retail in some way and this I thought would help prepare me for this line of work- I was pretty wrong. Working at a thrift store is a whole different ball game when in relation to retail. While working in one I found there are specific rules that as customers we should follow no matter the thrift store we walk into.

Please do not ask for discounts

You would never just ask for a discount at any other store, why would it be any different at a thrift store? Especially, with the fact we are already giving you anywhere from 25% - 50% of the retail value of this item- which I think is pretty rad. Also, if there are holes or some type of damage and you are asking for a discount, please assume it was already priced with the facts that we knew the holes were there and that is what the price is set at.

When checking out, please be courteous

When coming up to the counter we would love for people to already have what they want decided. Along with that, it would be really nice if you could help with hangers and taking things out of the basket, especially when you have a lot of items. Usually other stores don’t ask, but when we are short-staffed and working on a volunteer based staff, it would be great if you helped us out like that.

Please do not donate after donation hours

There are donation hours for a reason and it's mostly because it can get really messy and our store does close. We understand that you work and the hours are not perfect, but like most stores we have a bin for clothes and shoes. We appreciate your stuff and you wanting to donate, but also we would like you to respect our time and our process.

Along with donating stuff, please do not plead to us..

Like I said we appreciate that you want to donate, but also you pleading to us about how you just want to leave it here because it is “really great stuff” and how much “we really should take it” does not allow us to change our process. We also do not appreciate you treating us like we do not understand the value of the items coming into our store.

Do not ask, “Could you check if there are any BLANK in the back?”

This is the hardest question to answer mostly because the answer is always no. Not because we are lying or we do not know- it is simply because our answer is true or that it is such a mess in the back there is no way that we could tell. Along with that, even if there was one, we are not allowed to sell it until it is priced through the normal process which may take time.

Do not tell us the store seems discombobulated...

We know… and we are trying to fix it. Yet there are customers constantly coming in and leaving and that definitely causes some mess.

These are all just suggestions and tips of course but as someone who deals with different forms of chaos each day, these would really help make my work shift easier. Not everyone has dealt with a retail job so this is also meant to maybe help people understand what we deal with each day. Thrift stores are great endeavors and we hope you are able to experience that everywhere.