Scraping by at Thrift Stores....

[tubeway]

Ever hit some thrift stores, hoping to find some gaming goodies... and don't? But refusing to leave empty-handed, you manage to find SOMETHING to scrape by and make it feel worth the trip?

What's the most recent mediocre item you've picked up, just for the sake of not walking away empty handed?

Note: This isn't a "HAY GUISE LOOK WUT I GOT!" thread to show off "good" finds.

[Steve W]

I occasionally did that back when I first started thrifting, but I decided that I needed to stop buying more junk that adds to my clutter. So even if I find one item I want, sometimes I won't buy it if there's too much of a line or it's just not something I absolutely have to get right then. Nowadays I'll rarely buy anything in a thrift. Most visits I leave empty-handed, and I'm fine with it. I'm always concerned that they think I'm shoplifting or something, though.

[FortunesPlatinum]

Solar Jet Man
Slalom
Hudson Hawk

All for $4.00

[Tupin]

I used to do that, until I realized that it was taking up too much space.

And besides, I don't like LaserDiscs enough to buy a movie like American Kickboxer 2. LOL

[Cornelius]

I know exactly what you are talking about. Like Steve, I probably do it less now than I used to, and leave thrifts empty-handed more often than not.

Today I did pick something up for this reason though: SNES Judge Dredd for $1.80. I'd been out at garage sales for about 2 hrs and not found anything (some crap games at a couple sales, but that's it), and this included a block sale with about 10 or 15 sales. So when I stopped at the thrift I put Dredd in the cart thinking I'd get it if I found something else worthwhile (I tend to do this pretty often, and usually just put it back when I strike out), but nothing else turned up. Since I'd found nothing all day, I decided WTH, it was only 1.80. Of course, on the way home from the thrift I did find Mario Party 5 for $5 at a garage sale. Kind of annoying, because I drove quite a ways to get to that block sale.

[DigitalSpace]

Most visits I leave empty-handed, and I'm fine with it.

Same here.

[Arcade Antics]

What's the most recent mediocre item you've picked up, just for the sake of not walking away empty handed?

Irregular bowling ball with no holes drilled and a single lightning bolt on the side.

[ryborg]

Same here.

Yeah, same.

I go after work ~3/wk, so if I were to buy something just for the hell of it every time, I'd be spending a ton of money on junk. Why would you do that anyway? If they have nothing, they have nothing.

[EvilxBunny]

Seaman for the Dreamcast... without mic :(.. it was like... $2!

[bangtango]

Agreed with some of the others.

There are way too many things in other stores that I wouldn't mind spending money on for me to buy things I'd normally never pick up just to make up for the fact that I'd otherwise go home empty handed.

The only time I'd ever take a chance on an item I'm not totally sold on is at a lawn sale or yard sale. And the reason for that is because many times an individual sale will be going for only one or two days.

Whereas if there is an item you are on the fence about in a thrift store (one you'll buy when all else fails), chances are it will still be there the next 2-3 trips you go in, couple this with the fact that they are open 6-7 days a week every week.

If I wanted to make myself feel better about going home empty handed, personally I'd be more likely to pick up a pizza (or any other take out food I enjoy) to take home for supper than anything else.

Not to mention that sometimes if I waste a whole afternoon looking through thrift stores, lawn sales and flea markets, on top of the driving (gas) included, I believe the money I don't spend on junk and thus save basically helps cover the time/money wasted on the trip.

[Sonicwolf]

What's the most recent mediocre item you've picked up, just for the sake of not walking away empty handed?

A 45rpm record adaptor for 50 cents. LOL

It ended up getting lost in my mothers bags of crap too and thrown out.

[Blanka789]

I always end up with worthless PC games that I take chances on, I don't know why. I usually decide that I can at least sell it if I decide not to play it, only to find it's worthless. This has led to a major increase of PC related items when I sell things.

[Ye0ldmario]

all the salvation armies i've been to in mass have nothing gaming related. Once in a blue moon i'll find 1 game and it's crap....

flea markets are my best source

[Steve W]

If I wanted to make myself feel better about going home empty handed, personally I'd be more likely to pick up a pizza (or any other take out food I enjoy) to take home for supper than anything else.
Actually, I tend to do this a lot. When I go thrifting, I won't settle for ordinary fast food, I'll end up getting something that I normally don't eat on a regular basis. I'll pick up a gyro when I go to the flea market, or I'll eat at a pizza place I've never heard of. Sure, I may not find anything of interest on that trip, but at least I expanded my food horizons.

[Gameguy]

I pretty much just go to thrifts once a week now, and most times I leave with nothing. I don't have enough money to blow on crap. I was just today at Value Village, they had an Xbox 360 HD-DVD drive for $89.99(passed), and a Gameboy Advance missing the cover for $5.99(passed), plus Atari commons(passed). I went next door to Salvation Army and saw an NES system with hookups for $39.99 which is untested and sold final sale(passed for sure with this). For the most part thrift stores are crap now and it's a pain to search through them, I used to enjoy going to them a few years ago but I don't anymore.

[tubeway]

A lot of stuff I "scrape by" with, is stuff that I want, but isn't actually bargain priced (Xbox commons I want for my collection at like five bucks), or stuff that I can resell, but will only net maybe a 20% or so profit margin on ebay. Or, it will be non-video game items that I can resell at a larger profit, and use it to fund stuff I DO want.

[Baloo]

Heh, what a great thread. I have a wonderful story for this one:

I went to a Farmer's Market nearby me on one of the days where they have their huge weekend flea market (Saturday). I always get a huge amount of deals at this and it had been a year since I had last gone (we used to go once a year, but after this happened we've changed it up to about every month or so).

It was going to rain that day, so we decided to call up and make sure that they were still having it, and they said yes. So I go there, and it's drizzling with some wind, just to find no vendors :(. So I spend the $14 dollars I had on me in the Farmer's Market arcade (They call it a Farmer's Market, but it's really more like mini-mall with no franchises whatsoever. Kind of a bunch of independently owned stores) on Super Mario Pinball and NBA Jam T.E. Right when my ride comes to get me, my brother (who was with me) tells me after browsing around that a store had two Genesis games, one was $5 and he didn't know what it was, the other was Mickey Mania for $10. This was after I had spent my last 50 cents and my ride was all of about a minute away from the market, but I say what the hey.

So I go check it out, the game is in a box with the cover flipped inside-out. I expect a crappy game, and open the box to find Gunstar Heroes, of all games that could've been in there. I thank God that day my brother loaned me $5 to buy the game. We then go home.

That was really quite the scrape there.

[cyberfluxor]

Last run to a thrift store I had was a few weeks ago and I've only found games there once in a blue moon. I generally hit it for the records, books, and electronics. I passed on a bunch of Microsoft programming and administration books published for 1.x .Net and Windows NT/2k servers. They were tempting but since they go with certification packages I'm more inclined to pass. I do however like to pick up old programing books from the 70's up to 90's, haven't seen anything from the 60's. So wondering into the electronics room I stumbled across a Suncom analog joystick that plugs via gameport. The interface would be a nice adaptation for a 5200 controller, but more than likely will use it for older flight sims. And looking through the records there were a bunch of old vinyls pressed in the 70's. I ended up grabbing a double set Soviet opera recorded and printed/pressed in Romania in the early 70's, all the other records were damaged from water, scratches, sun exposure, and heavy dirt but in amazement this one was great! I also grabbed a CD from 1996 of a UK psychedelic rock band that is still putting out albums. I can't recall the name at the moment, but the artwork depects world leaders and revolutionaries throughout the 20th century (I'm sure someone knows who this is).

[crom]

I do this soo much, I actually have a foot map that i use going into the local value Villages here... walk past electronics, cords, then back to the display case.... ah, fuck nothing, oh well time to go home... the only thing I pick up lately though, is disapointment

[NayusDante]

I recently found a rather overpriced thrift, which actually had a few things I wanted. The big disappointment was the old iMac, which I REALLY wanted, but not for $125. I walked out of there having paid $8 for a set of Atari 2600 paddles, which were the first thing I found in there and knew I definitely wanted. Thing is, I didn't ask the price until I was frustrated with the prices of everything else, and I had already told myself "I'm buying these damn paddles."

I've actually made my thrift trips rather focused. I specifically look for games, records, tapes, and sometimes books/comics. I'll look at other random junk, but I don't think I ever impulse buy any of it. Games, yes, I'll impulse buy if they're cheap enough (Marky Mark Make My Video for $1!). Unless I find some interesting non-sports games or electronic/new-wave/alt-rock music, I generally move on.

If I see something random that I like, I'll come back for it later in the week. That's how I got my audio rack (now a retro console rack). It's a good idea to go home and think about what you'll do with that random stuff before you actually bring it home. Make a list of what you WOULD impulse buy, and don't buy it until you can justify it.

[MoreEbolaForYou]

im always surprised at the "i never find anything at thrift stores (sad face)" stuff i always see on here. i guess it's just a matter of dedication.

i go to two thrift stores on the way home from work every single day. you start to notice that there's locals at every store that hang out there all day long snatching up any good stuff that's in their zone of interest the second it hits the floor. if there's some video game dude there all day you're never going to find anything at that particular store.

personally im more a record collector than anything. it only takes two seconds to figure out if they put out anything new, and the only way you're ever going to get anything good is if you go every single day. anything even remotely decent (and even stuff that is horrible) is snatched up before the store closes for the day. the only stuff that ends up sitting is herb albert, christmas records, and grandma's lawrence welk collection.

video games are secondary for me. i mostly buy to resell and just in the last few months have found some great things. zelda link to the past, complete. 2 copies of sealed pokemon emerald for gba, tons of decent loose nes and genesis games, etc, etc. and this is without even trying, these are just secondary finds to the record searches.

long story short, you gotta go everyday. you gotta figure out when the store usually puts stuff out. nothing decent sits. i'd wager that you have a window of 30min-1hr of it hitting the floor to grab up any decent video game crap.

[edit, yeah a bit off topic, sorry.]
i'm always buying stuff i wouldn't normally buy just so i'm not leaving empty handed. how else would you explain some of the insanely bad 80s one hit wonders i have on vinyl? the thing is, when you've looked through a couple hundred christmas and sergio mendes lps that copy of tom tom club is looking pretty damn good. even if you already have it. it's an addiction for sure.

[Daft Punk]

I hate leaving with nothing at some stores or at the flea market just because I have to drive across town to thrift.

I usually check the hats and clothes. I like buying those cabbie style hats if they are in real good shape because they are usually super cheap and go for $ on ebay if I decide I want to get rid of them . I also check the white and black colored shirts for game related stuff sometimes if im bored enough I will check them all.

[PentiumMMX]

I never do this, for the simple fact something I might actually be looking for might just be around the corner at another location. Nothing would be worse than buying a wet paper bag at one place only to find EarthBound or something else I've been wanting for years at my next stop, and I'm $1 short.

[blue lander]

the only stuff that ends up sitting is herb albert, christmas records, and grandma's lawrence welk collection.


This is completely off topic, but WHY are there always so many Herb Albert records at thrift stores. Was he really that popular? If you randomly pick up 10 records at any thrift store I've ever been to, it's almost guaranteed that one of them is Herb Albert. His records far and away more common than any other record.

Back on topic, I usually look for interesting laserdiscs or records if I can't find anything video game related. Maybe I'll spend a buck or two and pick up a few records that look interesting to me. That way I at least have something to play with when I get home. I used to pick up random computers/electronics/old radios, but those have really dried up lately.

[NayusDante]

Funny, here in west-central Florida we have an overabundance of Englebert Humperdink. Not so much Herb Albert.

[ryborg]

i go to two thrift stores on the way home from work every single day. you start to notice that there's locals at every store that hang out there all day long snatching up any good stuff that's in their zone of interest the second it hits the floor.

I am that guy in my area, but I don't "hang out all day;" I just know when the restock times are, and luckily, it usually coincides with the time I get out of work.

[mobiusclimber]

I used to do that all the time, but not so much anymore. Usually if I buy something that I don't want it's b/c I think it's worth money (and half the time I'm wrong, like the Star Wars Photobook I picked up for $10. Ouch. XD I've also bought some stuff that I just thought was interesting enough and cheap enough, but really I'm never going to find the hook-ups for a VTech Smile regardless of the fact I paid $5 for it.

[Gameguy]

i go to two thrift stores on the way home from work every single day. you start to notice that there's locals at every store that hang out there all day long snatching up any good stuff that's in their zone of interest the second it hits the floor. if there's some video game dude there all day you're never going to find anything at that particular store.
I used to do that every day, and I actually got to know the other regulars that hung out there every day(seniors in their 70's mostly). When I used to do that the games were priced $2.99 or sometimes $1.99, since they've been raised to $4.99 for mostly crap and $5.99 for anything decent I've stopped going every day. Plus when the manager for the Salvation Army told me that her son also collects old games and she calls him first when anything new comes in, I don't see the point of going often. I might as well go to Microplay, they sell games for about the same price(or less) and they always have a huge selection, plus used games are guaranteed for 6 months.

I used to get most of my games from thrift stores and I used to find tons of great stuff at great prices, but not so much lately. The only reason I still go is in case anything good might come in as it's still possible. I get most of my stuff from craigslist or Kijiji now, though I don't get tons of finds constantly.

[MoreEbolaForYou]

I used to do that every day, and I actually got to know the other regulars that hung out there every day(seniors in their 70's mostly). When I used to do that the games were priced $2.99 or sometimes $1.99, since they've been raised to $4.99 for mostly crap and $5.99 for anything decent I've stopped going every day. Plus when the manager for the Salvation Army told me that her son also collects old games and she calls him first when anything new comes in, I don't see the point of going often. I might as well go to Microplay, they sell games for about the same price(or less) and they always have a huge selection, plus used games are guaranteed for 6 months.

I used to get most of my games from thrift stores and I used to find tons of great stuff at great prices, but not so much lately. The only reason I still go is in case anything good might come in as it's still possible. I get most of my stuff from craigslist or Kijiji now, though I don't get tons of finds constantly.

yeah, some stores very stupidly price video games. luckily enough my two regular stores both have great prices. usually $2 per game on the average. in fact, picked up 10 n64 games today on the way home, didn't have to buy something dumb so as to not leave empty handed. perfect.

[mobiusclimber]

Yeah there's a couple of big problems w/ the thrifts in my area. Seattle Goodwill sells on Amazon and Ebay, so good luck finding anything decent at their stores. Of course, when they DO have something decent, it's horribly overpriced. $60 for cib Genesis system? Um, no thanks. Salvation Army is crap and never has anything (tho I lucked out one time only and picked up a bunch of cheap brand new Saturn titles, but we're talking like the three pack-in game bundle and stuff like that). The best place is Value Village, but one of the problems is that if they don't feel like putting the game in a bag, they stick a huge price sticker right on it, one that's impossible to peel off. Plus $4 for an NES game is usually no kinda deal. But I've had the most luck at Value Village.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Probably the ten or so shareware CDs that I keep buying for some godforsaken reason.

Either that or Captain Bible.

[Gameguy]

Yeah, Value Village seems to have the most games compared to other thrifts. I just don't get why people buy whatever they have just because it's from Value Village. Someone was looking to get an N64 system with an RF adapter for $29.99, I offered to sell them an extra one I had with AV cables for $20 and was told "no thank you". They then bought the one for $29.99 plus tax. It's because of people like that why they charge $4.99 for loose Genesis sports games and they actually sell.

I'd like to point out that Value Village doesn't really help out charities that much compared to other thrift stores. They buy their items in bulk from actual charities and resell it for a profit. That's how they benefit charities, they buy stuff from them to resell.

[mobiusclimber]

Wow I had no idea about that. Of course I don't go to thrifts out of charity so doesn't bother me too much. But yeah, I saw an NES for $20 there, didn't want it but took the power cord and bought just that for like a $1. Went back there a few days later and they'd sold the system. XD Crazy.

[pageerror404]

I have no luck in thrift stores. Most of them have nothing game related at all, and when they do its always something crap.

I mainly collect SNES games. I know 1 thrift store that has a small case of them but they charge $7 each (more if they have heard of the game) and they are all worthless sports games. They also have a ton of NES games and all but a few are 'Mario/Duckhunt' carts lol

The other day I randomly bought a wetsuit because I couldn't find any games. I figured it might encourage me to find somewhere to do cool watersports lmao

[tubeway]

I'd like to point out that Value Village doesn't really help out charities that much compared to other thrift stores. They buy their items in bulk from actual charities and resell it for a profit. That's how they benefit charities, they buy stuff from them to resell.

We have a chain like that in California (possibly outside of CA as well), called Savers. Can't say I've had much luck there. Most of my luck is from the same two Goodwill locations in more affluent areas.

[Blitzwing256]

We have a chain like that in California (possibly outside of CA as well), called Savers. Can't say I've had much luck there. Most of my luck is from the same two Goodwill locations in more affluent areas.

Savers is pretty hit or miss, but I found a nice lot of boxed nes games including mermaids of atlantis for 5$ each, they seem to get alot of stuff in bulk when they get stuff.

[Mnemonic]

I have to admit, I've never had a major problem leaving a thrift store without a purchase. That's not too say I haven't been sorely tempted. Just a couple days ago I saw a Genny 2 (with supply IIRC) at value village. Having never owned a Sega system in my life, I gave it some serious thought. In the end however, I walked out empty-handed after reminding myself of one simple fact:

My wife would kill me. I'm not a video game "nut" or anything, but my wife is already a little peeved about how video games & systems occupy most of the coffee table ATM. I don't want to push my luck. :)

[Gameguy]

We have a chain like that in California (possibly outside of CA as well), called Savers. Can't say I've had much luck there. Most of my luck is from the same two Goodwill locations in more affluent areas.
Savers and Value Village are owned by the same company.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savers

Sometimes I travel a bit to see thrifts in other areas, I stop by Goodwill too. One Goodwill used to be good, but it closed that location and moved to a more traveled area and raised the prices. Plus one of the employees mentioned that he collects games too so I haven't seen anything really good in ages. They do have PC games in the display case, I could get a loose copy of Myst for around $7.99 or so. The only thrift near me that prices things decently is an independent one, and I've never seen any games there. I've seen books related to games, but that's basically all I find from them.

[MoreEbolaForYou]

Do all value villages have half off days? All the ones around here do. They're not all the same, but my favorite store works like : Weds + Fri, Everything but clothes half off. Mon, Tues, Thurs, Clothes half off. Sat + Sun, Everything in the store half off. Helps make a great deal even better.

It's funny you guys are saying value village is too expensive, because I find it to be at least 1/2 the cost of Goodwill or Sal Army, sometimes way less.

As for favorites, Salvation Army is definitely my least favorite. There's one around here that has a billion records. The problem is that the selection is the essence of what I call "grandma records". they never get rid of stuff, so it's just a picked over pile of lawrence welk. 1000's and 1000's of lawrence welk, oklahoma soundtrack, christmas, and sergio mendes records. of course thats not my only issue, i find they price things pretty horribly. even more expensive than Goodwill. And at least Goodwill's prices usually make some sort of sense.

[DefaultGen]

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