Goodwill-ing

I need cheap, disposable-if-need-be, sturdy and comfy clothes for my missions trip to Guatemala. Not only do they need to be breathable (and layerable) for the climate, but the women on our team will need to wear mostly skirts, which is a respect issue for the culture we'll be visiting. Apparently, most women in general wear long skirts and only the "unsavory" types wear anything shorter than the knees. So, faced with this need and armed with only a teeny-tiny budget, I went to a Goodwill store for the first time in a LONG time today over my lunch hour, and participating in the consignment store experience again after such a long absence provided some new observations that I'd like to share.

When consignment-store shopping:

• Never, ever get your hopes up. When rifling through hanger after hanger and you catch a glimpse of a brand-name tag, odds are 102% against you that this brand-name item will be in your size. Do not allow heart to beat faster when catching said glimpse.
• Ignore fellow shoppers and Goodwill staff whenever possible. This may sound snobby, but this is good advice. Sure, you'll encounter the harmless but annoying Goodwill employee who is feeling free to sing really quite loudly, right at you, but this isn't what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the sketchy guy who watched as I went into the changing room, then OPENLY STARED at me when I came out to catch a peek of my duds in the mirror. Didn't make eye contact, didn't want to. Shudder.
• Do allow yourself to be taken off-guard by the item you're NOT looking for, and then allow yourself to purchase said item. Yes, you need lightweight, long cotton skirts, but when you see the Liz Claiborne tweed knee-length skirt for $5.00, it's okay to put it in the cart and walk out the door with it. After paying of course.
• If you're not sure about an item and need to think on it, go ahead and buy it. You can return it in 7 days, no questions asked, and even if you forget, you're not going to sweat the $1.50 out of your pocket. That's half a Starbucks, and Lord knows I don't sweat Starbucks.

I'm headed back to the Greenwood Goodwill tonight (perused the Castleton Goodwill at lunch), so I'm sure this isn't the end of my Goodwill-ing adventures.

To be continued...