Thrift Haul: Salvation Army’s 87-cents per pound sale

The day for Salvation Army’s 87-cents per pound sale has come and, after being extended to Friday, has gone. Wednesday, as I pulled into the parking lot of the 2270 N Clybourn, I didn’t know what to expect. To my surprise, this is the scene I was greeted by.

Cardboard boxes stacked atop wooden crates next to more and more cardboard boxes. The sight of so much merchandise made me nervous. Where am I going to start? How am I going to get through all of it?

The entire dig took place outside with the smells of dust and cat urine hanging heavily in the air. Lucky for us, there was no rain. With bright and sunny skies, I even ended my shopping experience with a tan. Being outside, it was also a really low stress, spacious, and leisure shopping experience. Something that doesn’t always happen on, say, 50% off the entire store day or at Saturday 69-cent tag sales.

Before stepping into the sale area, we were given a shopping cart. A friendly staff member then wrote down the weight of the cart (57 pounds) and handed us a slip that we kept until checkout. Where to start? Was quickly and easily answered by the exceptional Salvation Army staff. Once we entered the sale, staff members were scattered throughout and asked us if we needed anything. A nice lady directed us to the books, where we started our dig.

When I thrift, I enjoy browsing and taking my time. That’s why I usually thrift alone. For this sale, I brought my friend Tim along with me. I’m super glad I did. To even begin making a dent in each box, you needed a second pair of eyes. You also needed gloves, one very important thing that I’d forgotten and Tim hadn’t.

Tim searching for NHL jerseys.

A very creepy doll we stumbled upon.

How am I going to get through all of it? Well, after nearly an hour and a half of digging, I realized there was clearly no way we were going to get through all of it. This didn’t matter. We each found some good stuff, especially in the category of books. 

Below are pictures of what I found. Including a very well loved leather Coach backpack, something that’s been high on my thrifting list for some months now.

At check out, Tim and I combined our items. Between both of us, we got 33-pounds of merchandise. Salvation Army subtracted our original, 90-pound total, by the weight of the cart. This left us with a combined total of $29.53.

Tim’s items aren’t pictured but they included: a toy telescope, a 1980s Chicago Bears sweatshirt with the glorious Chicago skyline wrapped around the waist, hockey jerseys, Abercrombie and Fitch lounge pants, Catcher and the Rye, Ray Bradbury’s Dandelion Wine, and a few other items.

Latex gloves broken, noses itching, bodies tired and hungry, we each coughed up about $15 and made our way over to Hoosier Mama’s for the best pie ever. I’m not even kidding. This pie is the BEST. At Hooiser Mama’s, I devoured a slice of Fat Elvis pie (peanut butter, pretzel, banana, and chocolate), Tim read the paper, and we both got our morning coffee fix.

I’ll be back on Monday with a post on what to expect from attending an estate sale. Until then, let me know if you attended the 87-cent per pound sale by getting in touch on Facebook, Twitter, or via WordPress. I’d love to see your finds!