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Experienced thrifters know that thrift shopping can feel like an art form. But even the pros can find it tough to scour stores and land upon a good deal, especially if you don’t have a specific strategy in mind as you shop.
TikTok has discovered the single best tip to finding the best deals at Goodwill, and it’s all about when you visit the store. Turns out that your optimal chances for finding killer items at seriously slashed prices will be on Monday and Tuesday mornings, and it’s all because of the influx of donations that Goodwill locations receive over the weekend days.
On their official blog, Goodwill notes that regular shoppers prefer to browse early in the day early in the week, since “homeowners tend to drop off garage sale leftovers on Sunday nights, making for new finds. Plus, the weekends are more crowded shopping days, so employees look to restock early in the week,” they add.
Furniture flipper Christina (aka TikTok’s @flipdaddie) recently gave two thrifty thumbs up to this technique, showing off some of the incredible deals she found in her local Goodwill after the weekend rush.
“Mondays and Tuesdays are the best days to shop at Goodwill and let me prove it to you,” she boasted. She stumbled upon a wooden dresser “in fantastic condition” for just $30, two matching wood nightstands with cabinet doors for $35 each — with Christina noting that “matching sets go quick so you gotta get there early” — a cherry wine rack for $100, a side table in “really good condition” for just $8, an outdoor rattan chair with cushions and an ottoman for $75, and a unique lamp in fair condition for $12.
Goodwill also recommends shopping after holiday weekends, as there’s a good chance people will have the time to clean out their homes and bring items in for donation. “While holiday weekends tend to be busier shopping times, people also have more time to go through their closets and homes,” they note. “Spring cleaning that’s been put off can easily get done on the three-day Memorial Day weekend, which can mean more Goodwill donations later that week.”
With Labor Day around the bend, you might want to pencil in some post-holiday shopping the morning after your celebrations are complete.
