Retail vs. Thrift Challenge

Prices matter. There is no getting around this fact as a parent, especially when it comes to back to school shopping. My mom mission this season was to prove to my little ones that both great prices and great styles can be found at Goodwill and with that we took on the Retail vs. Thrift Challenge.

If you are reading this blog, you are probably already a Goodwill believer and have a few great Goodwill finds that you could also share in this post.

However, thrifters know that there are plenty people out there who need convinced of the thrift lifestyle. The savings we discovered during our back to school haul were so great, they might just be enough to convince those non-believers. Here’s my challenge to you: copy, forward or show this blog to those people!
As an avid thrift shopper, I’ve found it best to always hunt for good quality brands. That lesson was learned the hard way time after time when we purchased brand new clothes from discount, ‘fast fashion’ retailers only to find the clothes fall apart or didn’t last through a season.

Ralph Lauren is a brand I seek out in men’s, women’s and children’s at Goodwill. The well-known American designer creates classic pieces that can stand up to the toughest children. Even if a piece is several years old, the classic style of Ralph Lauren means that you can probably still buy the same piece at a large retailer today. The difference between that retailer and Goodwill is THE SAVINGS!!

My soon to be kindergartener is all girl. She loves dresses and everything pink. At Goodwill, this Ralph Lauren classic polo dress was 85% less than its current selling price. I guarantee she will wear this piece again and again, and when we are ready to donate it back to Goodwill, it will be in just as good a shape as when we purchased it.

Gianni Binni or G, is sold at higher end department stores. I visit our local department store often to see the absolutely adorable outfits put out by this manufacturer each season. I leave the store empty handed most times because the price oftentimes scares me away.

I had spotted this gray cold-shoulder sweater last year at the department store. The embroidered SATURDAY with fringe was just too cute, but just too expensive at $39. I scored this new with tags attached for less than $5 during our recent Goodwill haul. Admittedly, this is last year’s line from Gianni Binni, but it’s still in demand. I discovered the same shirt, new with tags, at an online thrift site selling for $15. Either way, I saved money with this Goodwill find!

Justice is hugely popular store for pre-teen girls. My middle daughter will wear anything as long as it’s from Justice. That’s no problem at all with me since we spotted dozens of Justice brand items during our recent visit to Goodwill. We purchased Justice leggings, tops, jeans and even this brand new velour hoodie.

The same hoodie is available online for $29.95. Goodwill price? $4.29. That’s 85% off!

Abercrombie and Fitch children’s hoodies range from $19-46 at the popular mall store. This entire outfit, which included a pair of metallic polka dot leggings, totaled less than $10 at Goodwill.

Two super soft henley-style shirts (one from Justice, the other by Mudd) were only $3.49 each and will match perfectly with the jeans we bought for less than $5!

Cooler weather is just around the corner and the adorable owl sweater from Justice was a steal at less than $6 at Goodwill. Even better, it was then 50% off because it was the Color of the Week! With the jeans, this entire outfit was less than $8.00.

Although we had 5-6 more pieces that I didn’t share in this post, I did want to leave with what I considered our best find of the season. Sperry Top Sider shoes have been a staple of boaters for decades, but only recently found new popularity with a younger audience. I admit that earlier this year, I shoveled out far too much money to purchase the latest and greatest Sperry’s for one of my daughters. Little did I think to look at Goodwill for these beauties!

Brand new and in the right size, these beautiful, sparkly, navy-blue Sperrys were just over $8 at Goodwill. An absolute steal when I see the same pair selling for nearly $60 at department stores!

Goodwill oftentimes mentions that their prices are 50-90% less than large retail stores. Based on this amazing back to school haul, I would average my savings closer to 80% which equates to hundreds of dollars saved for our family!

Now is your turn, take the Retail vs. Thrift Challenge on your next shopping visit then share them with us on Facebook or Instagram! Find a Goodwill store near you here!