shopping shoppingSavvy Savvy

Shop smart for groceries, clothing, and housewares sales representatives for manufacturers show during sale presentations to retail/store buyers. Stores such as Nordstrom or REI decide on which clothes to buy for the season.

The manufacturer representatives have to purchase the samples, and they have unsold samples left over. Best Kept Secret buys the unsold samples at wholesale prices and adds a 15% markup, enabling customers to save up to 50% off what they would pay at a regular retail outlet.

“The first six months you can buy clothing for spring and summer,” London said “Then the last six months are for fall and winter. I think the core of what we have to offer are prices that are affordable on merchandise that far exceed what the discount stores have. We offer good value on good products. Every garment in this place is different.”

The store has quarterly sales when customers can save more.

Best Kept Secret sells more than just women’s and men’s clothing. Shoppers can find purses, shoes, hats, belts, and jewelry.

Thrifting as a way to save money

Considering thrift stores?

A wide range of customers shop at the Edmonds Senior Center Thrift Store.

There are the thrifting regulars who show up like clockwork on a certain day of the week.

Then there is what store manager BJ Whitman calls the picker – the person who comes in, buys something – a collectible – and resells it on his or her website.

“So we’re like a wholesaler,” said Whitman

With inflation eating at budgets, the store has seen an influx of new customers looking to stretch tight budgets

“We’re experiencing additional customers, both young and older,” she said. “It’s multigenerational. It’s not limited to a specific age group.”

The top selling items in the store are clothing, housewares, and jewelry. Women’s clothing has always been popular, but Whitman now sees almost as many men looking for shirts and pants.

The top money-saving tip Whitman shares with her customers is to check if a store has a promotional calendar so they can pay attention to dates. Her store offers 50% discounts on furniture and lamps, linens, clothing, shoes and purses, books/DVDs/CDs, glassware, and dishes on different days of the week. Other days the store sells pants for $2. There is even a rack with 99-cent clothing.

“Our customers put this on their refrigerator,” Whitman said of the promotional calendar.

Then there’s Goodwill, a nonprofit with more than 20 stores in the region, including in Edmonds, Everett and Lynnwood, which offers discounts up to 50% based on the color of tags. The chain also has $1.99 tagged items. Shoppers can sign up to receive text messages from stores to be among the first to learn about sales.

Value Village, a for-profit chain of stores with locations in Lynnwood and Everett, promotes a Super Savers Club where customers earn points for every eligible dollar spent. The points can be used for discounts on future purchases. Those who donate clothing and household items can receive a coupon for 20% off their next purchase.

At the Edmonds Senior Center Thrift Store, Whitman said the 80-plus volunteers make sure clothing and products on the racks and shelves are of good quality.

“I think your reputation depends on the quality that you put out,” she said. “So in the weeding process and the pricing process, we must touch a garment at least three times before putting it out on the floor. And we don’t allow for stains or holes or odors, that kind of stuff.”

Like Best Kept Secret, the racks at the Edmonds Senior Center

HopeWorks Social Enterprises is a local non-profit that provides exemplary products and services through our four small businesses, each promoting social and environmental betterment of our community by providing job training for individuals experiencing barriers to employment, while maintaining environmentally sustainable business practices.

3315 & 3331 Broadway

Everett, WA, 98201 hopewrks.org