Thrifting How-To: Tips for the N00b

If you've never, ever stepped foot into a second-hand store (charity shop, thrift store, used goods store, consignment boutique, flea market, flohmarkt, brockenhaus, brockenstube, brocki - pick your favourite synonym!), do not be alarmed! I've attempted to cover the basics for you here, with the emphasis on thrifting in Zürich (though most of what I have to say is fairly universal!).

CARITAS operate the best local thrift stores (category: Clothing), as far as I'm concerned!

Here's what you need to know before you go, in short:

1. Not all Brocki's/Thrift Stores are created equal. What constitutes a thrift store? A shop that sells used items. Now that can be a very trendy, immaculately clean boutique with airy, vaulted ceilings and upscale furnishings (i.e. virtually any of the CARITAS stores), or it can be a dank, dimly-lit rat's nest of what appears to be several garage sales (car-boot sales, rummage sales, yard sales - again, pick your preferred synonym) that collapsed in on each other as if in a landslide (i.e. the Alpenrose Brockenhaus in Oerlikon, circa May 2014). If a dusty fire-trap full of stained cardboard boxes of musty old junk gets the bargain-hunter in you fired up, you'll enjoy yourself just about anywhere. If you would rather not feel as if you're scrambling through a biohazardous dumpster (skip, to the Brits) to find the one non-grubby item worth considering in the whole store, than fear not: there are oases of cleanliness and brightness for you to discover! Just do your research, read my blog, and I'll help you avoid the scarier subterranean pits of the greater Zürich thrift scene! (The Zürich Brocki-Land is literally subterranean, as it occupies a disused underground parking garage! But keep an open mind - more on Brocki-Land later!).
2. Cash (Bargeld) is required in many (but not all) shops. Bring cash with you - thrifting is a great way to get rid of all your heavy change (I had over 25 Fr. in coins in my purse this morning! It adds up!). While some stores (the Heils-Armee (Salvation Army) at Hardbrücke, and CARITAS) will take your cards (or at least, PostFinance, which is what I've used), most places are a cash-only affair. The other nice thing about cash is that it helps you stick to a budget. Believe it or not, at some of the nicer places here it can be tempting to blow a whole wad of cash. Whereas in other places,.... well, that's point number 3:
3. Be prepared to come home empty-handed. While this is an important point for thrifting in general, I've got to say that for me it is very rare to come up empty-handed here in Zürich. In other cities, I have been tempted to buy an item because I made the trip and didn't want to leave with nothing to show for it. I can honestly say that just about everything I've ever bought in those situations lead to regrets - never buy something just because you feel obligated to! Take the pressure off yourself! You can look at it this way: either buy something you found that you really love, or leave the store and buy yourself an ice cream somewhere nearby to congratulate yourself on not buying for the sake of buying! It's a win-win situation: awesome find or ice cream! Hardly a wasted trip either way, right? (Ah, psychology!). 
4. Check the map and the opening times - Montag Geschlossen? Many stores here are closed on Mondays if they are open on Saturdays (or vice versa). I personally find a website (where possible) with the hours on it, do a route plan on how to get there (and back) via SBB/ZVV, and if I haven't been before, I often print off a screenshot of a Google map so I have a handy reference as I negotiate myself through a foreign neighbourhood.
5. Go at OPENING. To be perfectly honest, I didn't start doing this until this very month. And let me tell you - WOW does it make a difference! ESPECIALLY at places like the 'cheap' CARITAS ("kleider netto") on Birmensdorferstrasse near Werd. Expect some competition on your hunt if you get there right before 10:00. But remember the Golden Rule and treat others as you'd like to be treated (it's not always easy - some thrifters don't play nice). Some will even reach into your pile/basket...
6. BYOB - Bring Your Own Bag (or Basket). Though many, if not most, shops have a 'korb' or basket of some description, all CARITAS stores don't have baskets, and sometimes that means big armloads and occasionally floor piles (I've done it out of necessity at the 'cheap' CARITAS!). A basket is a nice idea for while you're browsing because it's open and doesn't give the impression that you're intending on shoplifting like a bag might. However, a cloth bag with a wide, comfy shoulder-accommodating strap can make life much easier when you've concluded your shopping and are leaving with purchases. Many places do provide bags (CARITAS, Heils-Armee*, etc.), though there are some that don't, or don't consistently (Brocki-land, Tigel, etc. *Heils-Armee has a self-bagging area now, so if they run out of bags, you might be out of luck).

Got the basics down? :) Next up are some more 'advanced' (ha! As if this is really complicated!) tips for the more seasoned veteran.

Thriftily yours,
TiZ