My first trip to the Goodwill Outlet

The other day I had my first trip to the Goodwill Outlet. It's been open for quite a while now and it's not very far away--in fact, it's just a few minutes away from a few other thrifts I visit occasionally. It's on the other side of the freeway, so I've always forgotten that it's there or worried that it would be hard to manage when I have the kids with me, which is 90% of the time.

Yesterday we were close by and the kids were in a good mood, so I decided to stop and have a look around, expecting to just pop in, get the lay of the land, and then leave. We ended up staying for quite a while and I actually managed to find some treasures!

For the uninitiated, this is how it works: there are a number of large, wheeled bins lined up on the floor. The bins are shallow, more like tables, and they are heaped high with STUFF. (you can see a photo to give you an idea over at Apron Thrift Girl). There is no rhyme or reason to what is in each bin, except for books and fabric items (clothing/linens are grouped together), which have their own bins. You dig through and if you find anything to buy, your items are weighed and priced by the pound. Every so often, workers come out and take the bins to the back and bring new ones out.

The fascinating thing was that there are people who literally camp out there ALL DAY, sitting on the various pieces of furniture they have for sale. When I walked in, I saw groups of carts scattered all over the store, covered with sheets and couldn't figure out what they were for. I soon realized that they were peoples' 'claims'. When the workers came out to remove the bins and bring the new ones, these people lined up all along the sides and once all the bins were in place, they were given the go-ahead and all hell broke loose as they started tossing through the bins. There wasn't room for their carts next to them, so they all had laundry baskets and trash cans and plastic bins that they threw their finds into, which they then transferred to their sheet-covered shopping carts. Then at the end of the day, they push their carts onto the scales and settle up.

I saw a few people that appeared to be grabbing brass and copper and anything they could sell for scrap. I'm not sure what the others were looking for, but I'm guessing that what they bought was intended for resale in some venue. At first it seemed sort of, well, undignified, the way people were looting through the bins. But the more I think about it, it seems like if you are a picker, it's the easy way to go--the stuff is brought out to you, you don't have to go anywhere to look for it! Heck, they even have a vending machine in the store, so I imagine that this routine goes on in all of the other Goodwill Outlets as well.

Lucky for me, it didn't appear that anyone else was looking for vintage or antique items! Here is my loot:

A vintage strawberry tablecloth and some vintage Christmas. I took the green and gold tinsel off an ugly blow mold candle, and miraculously the ornaments and the tree topper somehow escaped being smashed to smithereens in the bins.

A cool old crate that once held 25 lbs. of prunes. (insert poop joke here)

An awesome vintage old lady purse that's encrusted with seashells. I can't decide whether to keep or sell, but I'm leaning toward keep because the kitsch factor is so high! It has a cute floral lining and it's in really great shape.

A vintage Little Lu-Lu punch board game. I've never seen one before and I don't know what I'll do with it, but the graphics are cool. I'm guessing this is the kind of thing you might have found at a bar? There are hundreds of tiny foil-covered holes and you would have paid a nickel to punch into one and see if there was a colored ticket with the correct numbers to win you some money. Only a few of the holes have been punched, but whatever tool was used to punch/pull out the tickets is missing. I might have to research this one some more. The board itself is an inch thick, so it's nice and heavy.

I also found a big piece of fake greenery for my tiki party decor, but it didn't make it into the photos. The last thing I found was this Thomas the Tank Engine Playhut, which retails on Amazon for $39.95! I was really surprised that this didn't get grabbed in the initial rush, especially since I spotted another large Thomas toy in somebody's "claim" basket. Porter is crazy for Thomas, and this is a great outside toy for the summer.

For all of my loot I paid just over $9.00! I listed the strawberry tablecloth on Etsy yesterday afternoon and it sold immediately, covering my costs so the rest of it was basically FREE! I'll definitely be going back to the Outlet in the future--it definitely satisfied my need to hunt for treasure. However, next time, I'll either bring gloves or handi-wipes because I felt all kinds of grimy when I got out of there.

Have you ever been to the Goodwill Outlet? Have any tips for the next time I go?