27 Sep Thrift Shopping in Canada – My First Time Thrifting at Value Village

I love traveling and I love hitting the thrift store, so when I can combine the two? That’s just a double score. While in Nashville earlier this summer, I made it a point to hit up a Goodwill Outlet and thrifted a few vintage gems. However, when I made a trip to Alberta, Canada, I wasn’t so sure I’d have time to thrift shop. But luckily, the thrifting gods were shining down and my final day in Edmonton, I hit the secondhand stores.

I was curious: would the stores be as big? Organized? What would the prices be like? 

Safe to say, I scored. Big. Here’s what I found while thrift shopping in Canada.

Though I try to do a bit of research ahead of time to scope a location out, this thrift trip was so last minute and I had no idea where I was going, I just let my new Canadian buddy, Kristen @TheThriftMaverick, show me around. It’s so crazy how vintage and thrift lovers can connect over an appreciation of unique, secondhand goods. We were limited on time, but checked out a few places.

I gotta be honest, sometimes the Goodwill prices in the States, specifically NYC, can feel a bit high. So I was ready to see how the prices compared. As soon as I walked in, I loved how big the space was, the racks were fairly spread out and I was greeted with sale signs.

So naturally I was on the hunt for dresses and anything with a red tag. I found at least a dozen items, but narrowed them down to the pieces I absolutely loved and knew I’d be able to fit in my carry-on bag. I ended up with a bold hue vintage utility jumpsuit and a flare maxi dress.

And before heading to the counter, I found a few pairs of earrings I had to have. My total order was $12.25 and with the exchange rate, that came out to $9.48.

When Kristen told me a Value Village was nearby, I couldn’t wait to go! I’ve always wanted to visit a Savers/Value Village but the nearest location in NYC is a bit of a trek. Though I only had about 30 minutes before I had to move on to attend a music festival, I was determined to have my first Value Village experience.

The store was massive and organized and had a major home goods section. Because I was so limited on time, I decided to solely focus on accessories.

Thrift Tip: If you know you don’t have a lot of time {or patience!}, just focus on one section of the store. Maybe that’s shoes, accessories, dresses, home items, etc. This will help you focus and stay on schedule.

Okay, back to Value Village. One thing I noticed was they didn’t have the color tag sales like Goodwill. But even without the half off discounts, I was happy. I ended up finding a pair of 80s clip on earrings and a wooden handle purse that’s so on trend. Initially I debated paying $13 for the bag, but after a few minutes, I knew I’d regret not getting it. 

Also, I had to remind myself that the currency exchange was in my favor. My final tally was $13.81.

I can’t wait to visit Edmonton again {the city was great!} and this time, devote a few hours to thrifting.