HOW TO SAVE MONEY IN A VINTAGE SHOP

Know your measurements, and the size of the clothing.

 It helps when shopping vintage to understand what your measurements are. Chest size, or waist size. High street stores all have differing sizing, and older clothing is sized differently to today’s sizes. You can't really trust the inside label on a piece of clothing. Plus how we wear our clothing has changed, for example; an oversized L rather than fitted L.  

QUICK TIP - On a rack of clothing, the lower the shoulder seam the bigger the item of clothing is.

Don’t be afraid to haggle!

If you see something wrong with the product, ask for a discount. Ask for a discount if you a buy a few pieces. This is a value exchange, and they will appreciate that and you can probably get a great deal. If you’re a student, ask for a discount.

If they say no, don’t get angry, but If you don’t ask, you don’t get.

Most of the time a member of staff is happy to make a sale, so will be willing to deal.

Become friends with the staff.

Becoming mates with a member of staff at a vintage shop will help. Building a relationship with the staff is good fun, and you are more likely to get the best deals. They’re human, they work in a shop because they love the product, and normally people, so get chatting, and go in regularly. Don’t outstay your welcome, as they’re often busy, but regular short visits, chats, and asking after them will build a relationship.

Ask vintage stores when they get their new stock in and go in on those days.

If you want to find the best bits early. Ask the staff when they get new deliveries in, and time your trips to fit in with that. It’s a great way of getting first dibs, and looking to get fresh pieces.

Try to avoid vintage concessions in high street stores and go to independent stores instead.

Shopping local helps your community. The money you spend in your local vintage shop, means that it is likely to be spent in the local cafe, the local shops, or pub. It means that as a ‘circular economy’ money goes around and around within your local area, which helps to make your area more affluent. The people that work in your vintage shop are locals and will spend their wages in other local businesses. It’s got to be better than giving your hard-earned money to mysterious foreign investors.

Kilo-sales aren’t always as much of a bargain as they seem to be.

If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Kilo sales are full of the grade B vintage, and crap that can't be sold to vintage shops, because it isn’t good enough. Hearing £15 a kilo sounds exciting, but you don’t get as much as you think for a kilo, and it isn’t actually much cheaper than it would be in a well-priced vintage store. Plus you have to pay at the door to actually get into a kilo sale. Imagine being asked to pay to go into a shop!

Get involved.

You should spend a while in a vintage shop. Search out bargains, look into the racks, and have fun with it. There are so many opportunities to find a hidden gem. You can find that bargain that is great value for money. Take a bunch of pieces you like and try them on. Dress up and have fun. This is what a vintage shop is for. Chat to the staff, talk about the pieces you like, and don’t like. It’s all about the experience!

Try it on.

The best way to know for sure with a vintage item is to try It on. Style it up, be imaginative and experiment with how you can wear it. It’s all about confidence. If you feel good in an outfit then you’ll look good!

Check thoroughly for marks/tears/colour-runs/flaws.

Double check all items you might want to buy for tears, rips flaws. The staff deal with so many bits of clothing that it’s easy to miss.

-Start with all the seams, to check for rips.
-Check buttons-Check in natural light for stains.
-Check to make sure the zip works.

If you see something wrong, bring it up with the staff, and before you commit to them, ask for a discount. You should, unless it’s noted on the price ticket, you should get 10% off at the very least.

Sale rails.

Most vintage shops like to freshen up stock as much as possible. They will often have sale rails, markdowns and discounts. Search these out and ask. You will find good deals, and staff are often more open to giving you really good deals, so they can move through stock. Remember the more you buy, the better the deal (most of the time).

Online discounts.

Follow companies on their Instagram. They will sometimes offer discounts on their Instagram. Maybe send a Direct message and ask for any discount codes that are available as you are interested in making a purchase.

Follow mail lists.

On our Mail Club, we offer regular 20% discount codes exclusive to our club members. It is a value exchange where you accept regular weekly emails without unsubscribing, and you receive offers, deals and information. It is a 2-way relationship.