Thrift Stores

We’re writing this blog listening to Al Perry over lunchtime coffee at La Placita in downtown Tucson. Al’s a local singer/songwriter/guitarist who has the Tucson sound. Check him out at www.myspace.com/alperry and listen to his version of ‘We got Cactus’, he’s also a DJ on Tucson’s excellent community radio station KXCI which broadcasts live on the web: www.kxci.org

To compare thrift stores to our charity shops would be an injustice. They are more comparable to a TK Max superstore but selling isle on isle, rack on rack of second hand clothes, shoes, furniture, books; just like TK’s but usually bigger. Here in Tucson on the East side, where we reside, is ‘Arizona’s finest…’ Speedway Outlet, a couple of blocks nearer downtown is Goodwill; Sadie’s favourite ‘Savers…the thrift department store’ is on Broadway and on downtown’s 4th Ave is Value Village. These are the major ones near us, where you can loose ½ a day without trying. There are many smaller ones; every church denomination seems to have one.

Prices are very cheap compared to the UK even without the good exchange rate. T-shirts are usually $1, shirts $2-3, jeans $1 and up. There will often be deals like all red tags 50% off or a coupon worth 30% off with our $1.99 Savers 2008 calendar. I found some good black western shirts, with plenty of ‘snappers’ (press-studs); nobody wears black in Tucson, it’s too hot, so they’re always a good price. Should I be concerned that total strangers greet me with ‘Howdy’?

Americans have a different relationship to clothes than we do in the UK. Buying and donating to thrift stores is a regular pastime of a large percentage here. People like to change their wardrobes frequently and there isn’t the stigma that we attach to charity shops. Clothes are often good quality with lots of life left in them, washed and pressed similar to the kind of vintage shops you find in London etc.

Our best bargain was a Dualit, 4 slice toaster, bright red and chrome, in excellent condition – fortunately here there is no law against selling used electrical equipment so more of it gets recycled – there’s a prize for you if you guess the price of our, closest guess wins. The problem we have now is finding a thrift store suit case, big enough to fit the toaster in, to bring it back to Devon.Sadie and Sally at the Salvation Army Thrift Store - where we found the toaster!