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back to school things…….

all outfits have to be fanstany

families who don’t want to bust their budgets on back-to-school shopping have an alternative: The city is home to at least three thrift or consignment stores that offer used clothing at a substantial savings over retail prices.

The thrift stores - Salvation Army Thrift Store and Goodwill Industries of Central Iowa - sell donated clothing at deep discounts. Me ‘n Mommy to Be purchases used clothing on consignment and sells it at bargain prices.

Salvation Army

Sheri Woodard, manager at Salvation Army, said no matter where shoppers choose to make back-to-school purchases, there’s never been a better time to buy used clothes or other necessary items.

“Everyone has different tastes and there’s no guarantee you’re going to like everything you find, but people are usually surprised when they come here for the first time,” Woodard said. “Kids tend to grow out of things so fast that much of the clothing we get still has a lot of wear in it, and people are surprised with the bargains they find.”

Bargains on a recent Saturday included $2.99 to $3.99 for boys’ jeans with little wear, and long-sleeved T-shirts for as little as 99 cents. Woodward said that every week clothing with a designated-color tag sells for 50 percent off, and back-to-school promotions will include special sales.

“Pretty soon, we’re going to mark all our backpacks down to $1.99, and we’ll have sales on other items that parents typically come in looking for,” she said. “It’s nice to know that at a time when some parents are having a hard time making ends meet, we’re able to make things even a little easier.”

Patricia Ostrander of Polk City, who was shopping at the Ankeny Salvation Army on July 31 with her husband, Billy, and sons, Geoff, 16, and Mason, 7, said the family enjoys shopping at thrift stores to save money, especially on “items that boys tend to destroy.”

“We’re looking for a TV for Mason, but we’ll look at clothes for the kids while we’re here,” Ostrander said. “Geoff likes to cut the sleeves off his T-shirts to modify them into tank tops, and I don’t like to let him do that with retail clothes. And shopping here also supports a good cause.”

Goodwill

Clothing sold at Goodwill, located just up the street from Salvation Army, is similarly priced, but items usually are sold for a flat rate. For example, kids’ jeans and tops all are priced at $1.99 each. Frequent sales can take prices as low as $1.69 or $1.39, employee Jill Hamlin said.

“Having one price for everything in a category makes it easier for people,” Hamlin said. “They can come in with a certain amount of money and know right away how many things that can buy.”

Hamlin said last week that back-to-school shopping hadn’t started in earnest, but when it does she expects parents to look for such items as jeans, backpacks, fall jackets and winter coats.

“As soon as the weather gets a little cooler, the coats will start going fast,” Hamlin said. “We have people who come in a lot, looking for certain things. You really can find some good deals, especially if you come in a lot.”



Me ‘n Mommy to Be

Frequent shopping also can be a benefit at Me ‘n Mommy to Be, which sells maternity and children’s clothing on consignment, owner Nettie Byerly said.

“We have people bringing things in all the time, so there’s a benefit to coming in often,” Byerly said. “As it gets closer to back-to-school time, traffic will pick up even more. We’ll be doing a 10 percent off coupon for back to school, so with our regular sales parents can get some really great discounts.”

Byerly said she expects parents to be looking for jeans, sweatshirts and long-sleeved shirts when back-to-school shopping begins.

“We have a lot of really good clothes right now, a lot of brand names, and we’re already taking fall stuff on consignment so there’s a good selection,” she said.

Prices on a recent Saturday included $2.50 for a boys’ Polo-brand shirt, $7.50 for a pair of new-looking girls’ jeans and $5.99 for a pair of boys’ corduroy pants with little wear.

Erin Reed of Centerville and Jennifer Miller of Plano, who were shopping at Me ‘n Mommy for the first time, said they were pleased with the bargains they found on clothes for their little girls.

“We were garage-saleing and drove by and thought we’d stop in,” Miller said. “I found two Gap shirts for $2 each. I really like this place.”

Reed said she is an experienced garage-sale shopper and enjoys finding clothing bargains, including the $8 almost-new jacket she was picking up for her daughter at Mommy ‘n Me.

“You can find great stuff at these places, and why spend the money for new when you don’t have to?” she said.

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