Confessions from a Consignment Sale Junkie

Ok – I admit it. I have a problem. I absolutely, positively cannot stand the thought of paying full retail price. For anything. I am a Maxxinista, a Recessionista, a Cheapo-ista. It just pains me to no end to have to pay full price for an item when I know full well that somewhere out there, buried in the deep dark recesses of cyberspace and brand loyalty, there is a coupon (or coupon code) that I could be using. And another thing I cannot stand? The price of kids clothing. Really? You want me to spend $30 on a pair of shorts that my son will permanently stain with yellow poop in a matter of hours or $45 on a pair of pants that my daughter will rip to shreds after a few fearless falls on the playground? No thank you.

It should come as no surprise to you then that I am a huge fan of the biannual consignment sales that we have here in San Antonio. Actually, I had always assumed that all moms were until recently, while at lunch with some friends and fellow moms, I learned that perhaps I was mistaken. We were chatting away as moms will do, when one looked at my daughter and then looked at me and said, “That outfit is so cute. Where do you shop?”  I answered “Consignment sales” and watched as said friend’s mouth almost hit the table. “Really?” she asked. And then it was my mouth’s turn to hit the table as she explained that she had never shopped consignment for her daughter. My mind was blown. And then I came to understand that there are probably other moms out there who are regularly paying full price for their kids’ clothes. Ladies – step out of the darkness and into the light. There is a better way!

Here are some of the reasons I love shopping consignment sales:

• The clothing is grouped by size. So instead of falling in love with an outfit at a store only to discover they are sold out of your child’s size, you can fall in love with everything you see on the rack feeling pretty confident that it can be yours if you decide to make it so.

• The price is oh so right. I generally pay between $1.50 and $4.00 for most individual articles of clothing, and complete outfits tend to run about $4-$6. If I decide to spend over $8 on an item or outfit, it is because I know I can’t live without it and/or I just can’t bear the thought of letting someone else go home with it.

• Your children will not be wearing the same outfits as their friends. You’ve probably shown up at a playgroup or park and witnessed several of the children wearing the same articles of clothing before. It’s a natural occurrence since we all tend to shop at the same places for our children. But when you shop consignment, you are shopping those brand’s old styles. So bam – your children will be in little danger of running into their fashion doppelganger at the playground!

• The adrenaline rush. There is no greater thrill (for me anyway) than finding an outfit with the tags still attached marked down to a fraction of a fraction of what you would have been expected to pay in a traditional retail environment. As an example, my best purchase ever happened last fall at the JBF sale. I scored an Oilily outfit with the tags still on that retailed for $130. Ladies and gentleman, I paid $9 for that outfit. TAGS STILL ON.

To be fair, there are some downsides to shopping consignment for clothes. You may, for example, discover upon bringing your clothes home that one of them is stained or has a missing button or some other defect you didn’t notice at the store. You may also discover that something doesn’t fit your child even though it is in the size they usually wear. In both instances, I get annoyed but not mad because hey – I only spend an average of a few dollars on each article of clothing, so no catastrophic loss. It can also be an intense workout hauling around big bags of clothes and toys while you are fighting the crowds shopping at the sale. (Insider tip – At most sales, you can take your big and/or heavy items to the designated area towards the back of the store to be held until you are ready to check out so that you don’t have to lug them around with you.) And then once you’re home, you have to remove all the annoying tags and pins and do a massive load of laundry and thorough cleaning of all toy surfaces (which is a lot to take on after such a vigorous session of shopping). What can I say? The old adage rings true: no pain no gain!

As it just so happens, there is an awesome consignment sale in progress right now. The Just Between Friends sale is going on until Saturday, April 12 at 3 pm at the Kendall County Fairgrounds. [Editor’s note- you can learn more about the fall sale here.] And as it just so happens, I was there shortly after the gates opened ready to purchase both of my children’s entire spring and summer wardrobe. And because I am nothing if not a generous and benevolent friend, I wanted to make sure you guys were in on this action (after I had already made my purchases, naturally!). So take a look at the deals I scored, and tell me why you think you should be paying $100 for a couple of pants and tops when you could be paying $100 for an entire bag full of clothes.

Although I shop primarily to replenish my children’s clothing supply, there are so many other great deals to be had at a consignment sale. You can find everything from books to toys to nursing pillows to strollers and other big-ticket items. As with any shopping excursion, I recommend making a list beforehand and sticking with the items you know you need because otherwise you may fall victim to the “price is so good I just can’t pass it up” trap and walk out with items you don’t really need which kind of negates the great savings you have achieved on your must-have items. Not that I would judge you either way because believe me –  I have been there!

So what are you waiting for? Get your game face on and go score some deals!