Did you miss it? The Winter Kleider markets at the other Heils-Armee Brocki's are:
- Affoltern am Albis & Kriens (Luzern) - Saturday Sept. 13th
- Olten - Saturday Sept. 20th
- Biel & Woeschnau - Saturday Sept. 27th
Consequently, we arrived at the Heils-Armee 10 minutes prior to closing (we were notified at the door). We all split up, and I made a mad dash to the clothing section upstairs. My friend spied a pair of boots and insisted I try them (couldn't find a size tag) - and good thing, too. They fit perfectly, so I scored them for 10 Fr.
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| I got the other items on a subsequent trip - read on! |
We were very rudely pushed out by a young, tall, blond volunteer (he's new, as far as I can tell) who told us we had 5 minutes, and then less than 30 seconds later, ordered us to go to the kasse. Bit of an ass, I must say (when I returned on Wednesday morning, he was playing beach-ball basketball in the backroom with a friend, then flirting with a girl he must've known - not exactly a professional, that one. Ah well). A beer at Frau Gerold's Garten patio soothed our ruffled feathers (Frau Gerold's is not cheap, but it is a pleasant spot - and they have a toilet, which I think you might be able to get away with a free visit to! Another tip, if you don't feel like making the long walk to Im Viadukt!).
So I had to return to the Heils-Armee at my earliest convenience. I knew from the Spring Kleider Markt that the pickings were infinitely better on the first day. So I didn't expect to find much on the Wednesday morning following the Saturday opening.
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| A plaster brain for 1-2 Fr. from Brockiland Fahrweid! I bought the plant pot, too. The usual lady was in a very good mood...! |
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| She gave me this decanter for 5 Fr., too! Quite generous that Saturday afternoon! |
(Above - my score from Brockiland Fahrweid last weekend, excluding a plain white hand towel (a good deal at 3 Fr.) which is already in the wash. Altogether, 13 Fr.! The usual cashier was most generous to us that day! LOVE the SBB train scarf!)
I did extraordinarily well at the Heils-Armee despite coming late! I missed all of Saturday, but the Brocki was closed Sunday and Monday, meaning I missed just Saturday and Tuesday's opportunities to shop.
I showed up at 09:58, and was amused by the crazies (mostly elderly) that jostled for position and almost took career-ending spills as they ran (or did something resembling running, which could only be described as frantic lurching) up the stairs and inside. Of course, I simply must comment on the fact that these silly old goats wandered around aimlessly as I was methodically dissecting the racks, and I didn't see any of them actually make a purchase, so much as toss stuff around. What was so worth risking a broken hip for? I'm guessing I've already put more thought into this than they did. ;)
No, as a younger-generation thrifter, the only people you have to 'worry' about are the unscrupulous basket-pilferers (in my experience, it's been two elderly women who have reached into my basket!), and the direct competition, which is someone roughly your age (and size & shape, in the case of clothes). But even then there's personal taste to take into account.
So the moral of my little story here is don't be a pushy douchebag - it rarely pays off (maybe 5% of the time), but you have to be an ass 100% of the time. Not worth it. ;)
I can give an example of the 'direct competition' - a hipster chick came in maybe 30 minutes after me and I caught her watching me try on a rabbit-fur vest (not exactly animal-friendly, but 2nd hand in my mind means you can get around 'supporting' the parent industry). I had grabbed it and put it in my basket, along with a lovely real-leather Zara jacket, on first sight, knowing they wouldn't last. I tried them on after I had swept all the racks - I had quite a full basket, and I tried on the sweaters that would fit over my thrifting uniform in front of the mirror - a nice trick to avoid the change-room item-limits: you can pare down the contents of your basket, re-hang the things you don't want, and take the rest in to try on in private.
Well, no sooner than I had put the vest back on the reject rack, she materialized (without charging or pushing or anything unseemly) and added it to her own basket. When I left the store, I saw that the vest remained un-purchased. The leather jacket, which was *just* too small (shame!) was snapped up by someone else, I think, which is nice (glad it worked for someone - a great bargain and an adorable jacket!).
So again - get there EARLY, at opening (if you can stand the demented crowd - it's a little trying! I bring my iPod to help me cope!), and you'll have first dibs and won't have to pounce on recently re-hung items (this is less fun, in my opinion. I don't like having to hover!).
Anyway, here's the haul - it's a little monochromatic (I didn't find the red and black plaid shirt I was coveting, sadly!), and though they had some great jackets there, none of them were exactly right for me.
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| Everything except the platter, which I got for 1/2 price at arslonga (check out their basement!) |
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| An 'echte' Swiss Army wool blanket (which needed only a little bit of mending) from 1941 for 10 Fr.!!! |
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| Yes, I bought a poncho! It was on my list for Fall 2014, after all! |
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| This fine wool coat wasn't comparatively cheap at 32 Fr. - but it was ONLY 32 Fr. for a like-new, quality tailored garment! There are two ways of looking at this - cheap by thrifting standards, or cheap by real-life standards! ;) The scarves were also very high quality - they are so soft! And the belt was a lovely ox-blood red for 6 Fr. |
I also went to the CARITAS im Viadukt afterwards, but surprisingly, and perhaps for only the first or second time, I found nothing I wanted. It must have been quite picked-over - the kid's section had grown, as had the men's. The women's was small and had a lot of things I recognized. Bad timing, I suppose.
Then again, it's hard to compete during the "Spezialmaerkte" season!
If you missed the Winter Markt at Geroldstrasse, I would still encourage you to swing by immediately (pickings are still better than usual). And, perhaps even more importantly, program the date of the Spring 2015 market into your calendar now! :) Get there early - I'll see you at opening! ;)
One other thing to mention, if you've been following my blog (and specifically, the Heils-Armee posts): I have new information regarding the "no price-tag, no sale" policy. People MUST be removing the price-tags hoping for a better deal at the cashier, or a better second price when the item is re-introduced.
On ALL of my purchases (clothing, that is), there is a price written in INK (ballpoint pen) on a label somewhere inside the garment that corresponded to the price on the tag.
So my assumption is that the "no price-tag, no sale" has less to do with people swiping other shopper's personal belongings and making off with them, and everything to do with people removing or substituting other tags onto the pricier items.
If you do this, you are no longer welcome on my blog! >:( Seriously, what sort of a'hole rips off a CHARITY ORGANIZATION dedicated to helping the poor and addicted?!
It's sad, isn't it? :( Please give generously to the Heils-Armee / Salvation Army. They do great work! :)
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| Another reminder to ALWAYS check the website! 50% off all fashion?! If I lived near any of these stores, I'd have wanted advance warning! :D |
(Dates for the Spring Clothing Market have not been posted yet - but don't forget to check the website periodically! There was a 50% off clothing sale at the other Brocki's in August! It's good to know about these things ahead of time!). ;)
Next special market at the Geroldstrasse location is the Christmas market, on the 8th of November! Not sure I need anything, but I might swing by all the same. :)
Stay Thrifty, friends!
TiZ
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