Goodwill is far gone. Savers is way far gone. But a giant Salvation Army warehouse is still one of the last thrift stores that is not super greedy. That is the verdict from thrifter nikki rutherford, who visited a brand new thrift store, found it so enormous she could barely cover it, and came home with a cart full of flannel-season favorites.

Her game plan was clear. She wanted flannels, which she has been obsessed with, plus lots of jeans (Levi’s, of course), and a few good sweaters to wear this fall and winter, even though the whole week was forecast to be almost 100 degrees. She also admitted that she was nervous about filming in a new store, worried about getting in people’s way or accidentally catching someone on camera.

She put on her headphones, popped in a piece of gum and told herself to suck it up. It took her a moment to get the camera on, but once she started finding cute things, she says, she had to turn it on.

A Warehouse With 20 Aisles

When she says the store was ginormous, she says she is not exaggerating. It was the biggest warehouse she had been in, with at least 20 different aisles of stuff and a whole back area for home decor and furniture. She had to move quickly, because otherwise she would not have been able to look through much of it.

She was also trying to hold off on what she calls thrift brain, the habit of talking yourself into something because it is slightly cute. A cream top from Charlotte Russe, soft, slinky and lightweight, was tempting as a layering piece for fall and winter. A striped cardigan dress with a 2010s feel, reminding her of Wizards of Waverly Place, gave her pause, and so did a striped shirt she loved only in theory. She put them back.

Her test is simple: be realistic, and ask whether you will really reach for it in your closet. Usually the answer is no, and she leaves it. Sometimes the answer is yes, as with a beautiful lightweight striped turtleneck she calls the softest she has ever owned.

What Went Home With Her

She snagged a knit cardigan from Esprit that was obviously pretty vintage and unlike the cardigans she usually finds. A baby pink fleece quarter zip made her so happy she says she is practically always in a quarter zip when it is not a heat wave. She passed on a sweater with a front pocket she loved because she did not like the shape, then found a red pocket sweater later in the aisle that she describes as so cute.

Jeans were her favorite section, and her main goal. She found many pairs she could not believe, though she put some back after deciding they would not look good on. The standout was another pair of Levi’s, distressed, which she had been looking for a very long time. Someone had cuffed the ankle, and she thought cuffing it a bit more would look wonderful. She worried that they might be too tight, since she wanted a looser fit, but she bought them and tried them on.

She also grabbed a retro pullover from old Gap, a button-up cardigan in a color she cannot get enough of, and a pink skirt in a wool blend that is lined and not itchy at all. The last aisle, she says, was worth the look.

The Part That Made Her Sad

Not everything about the day was cheerful. She says she saw a woman she took to be an employee pretending not to work there, wearing a backpack and taking pictures of name brand items while also putting items back on the racks. She was confused, and it made her sad, because she feels that Salvation Army is one of the last thrift stores that is not super greedy.

That is the heart of her argument. In her view, Goodwill is far gone and Savers is way far gone, while Salvation Army has stayed pretty good. Shoppers who have watched prices climb at the big chains will recognize the complaint.

Try-On Day and Thrift Tips

The next day she tried on every piece, because she says viewers feel the disappointment whenever she skips a try-on video. She says she filled her cart so much that she had trouble stopping herself, which is unusual, and that she could have kept looking.

Her haul offers a few easy lessons for anyone heading to a big thrift warehouse. Go in with a short list, so you do not lose an afternoon to impulse picks. Ask yourself if you will really wear a piece before it goes into the cart. Check the fit and fabric, since a cardigan or wool skirt that looks perfect on the rack can disappoint at home. And if you can, plan for a try-on at home so you can send back anything that does not work.

Most of all, give the big warehouse stores a fair chance. If they stay fairly priced, as she says Salvation Army has, they may be the best bargain left. As she puts it, regardless of the drama, she found perfect pieces for herself.

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