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When I was young, I loved to go to the mall. In high school, if I needed to shop for clothes, I shopped at the mall. If I wanted to buy books, I went to the mall. If I wanted new records or tapes (remember those?), I made a trip to the mall. The mall was a magic wonderland filled with fabulous prizes.
In college, when I began to use credit, the mall became even more enticing. Some days I would carry my books to the local mall and study in the food court. Every hour I’d take a break to do a little shopping. It’s no wonder I began to accumulate debt!
Now that I’m older, I rarely set foot in a mall. (I think the last time I was in one was when Kris and I bought a new range at Sears last year.) Nothing about a mall appeals to me: traffic, national chains, high mark-ups, crowds, muzak. Plus I know that they’re a dangerous trap for me — the longer I stay, the more I’m likely to spend.
Lately, I tend to buy most things used, and certainly from specialized merchants. I buy most of my books from local used bookstores. I buy clothes from used clothing shops. I buy my music from used record stores (or from iTunes). Even when I buy new (and I still do plenty of that), I stick to specialized stores instead of going to one-stop-shopping centers.
I’m curious about you folks. Which do you prefer and why: shopping malls or thrift stores? Or something in between?
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December 13th, 2006 at 10:40 am
I don’t buy used stuff, but I don’t buy the latest clothes either. I dress conservitavely and that saves me money.
I created a blog to help military members with their finances. I would like to know if you want to exchange links. Thanks.
Brandon
http://moneyformilitary.blogspot.com or e-mail me at bjone6@gmail.com
December 13th, 2006 at 10:45 am
I used to buy books from Barnes and Noble every weekend. Now I go to the library, if I can’t find it there I find something else, wait a week and look again. If after a few months I can’t find it, I can usually find it on half.com for super cheap.
I almost never buy clothes. My clothing budget for a year is about $200. I probably should buy stuff, but I rarely do. And when I do I often go to Goodwill, or TJ Max.
I still go to the mall about once a month, but I never buy anything, except maybe a coffee in the food court. I guess I’m just not wired to like shopping.
December 13th, 2006 at 10:53 am
I like both! I love going to thrift stores to get funky vintage-y type clothes, and I love going to the mall to get basics/fancier clothes.
December 13th, 2006 at 11:09 am
I dislike malls: too much consumer culture culture for me! I have a hard time with all the flash and bash. When I want to buy something I usually go to small independently owned shops, which are typically more expensive than what you’d get at a mall or a big-box store, but I’m willing to spend more to support my local businesses. I do buy furniture used, mainly at yard sales and flea markets. (Someone once described my décor as “Early Attic.”) I’ve never gotten into used clothing, although I have a few friends who do all their clothes shopping at thrift stores and they look very cool. For books, I almost always shop online. I would support local bookstores but the English-language ones are all too far from here to be convenient (I live in an almost entirely French-speaking part of Montréal).
December 13th, 2006 at 11:20 am
For those of you who like the used paperback scene (like myself), try out the paperbackswap.com. It’s not free (you do have to pay postage when someone requests one of your trade pile books), but I’ve found that it’s fairly economical for getting rid of books that I know I won’t read again and getting books that I do want to read. I’ll still hit used bookstores, but with the swap site I can pick out from a broader range than what my local store will carry.
December 13th, 2006 at 11:33 am
December 13th, 2006 at 11:36 am
I use the mall mostly for browsing and looking for clearance items.
I can buy a lot of things from thrift stores and online. I buy a ton of books from half.com or from a used book store.
I too hate the lines, markups, and music of malls. Let me shop in peace with amazon.com’s free super saver shipping.
December 13th, 2006 at 12:37 pm
I browse the mall around Christmas time. I try to be conservative with my shopping, but being in a mall helps spur ideas on what to get people. Whether I buy it in the mall, off of Amazon, or somewhere else, you can’t beat having so many ideas in one place. I have several “hard to shop for” people on my list.
I haven’t done too much with Thrift stores, but I’ll definitely look into it.
December 13th, 2006 at 12:43 pm
Lived in this SW FL city for 3 years - visited the mall once. We buy clothes at Beall’s Outlet typically 50% off (new but usually not this season’s, we’re retired so we don’t care), books, magazines, CDs, Books on tape - only use the library, furniture - our home came furnished (typical in FL). Can’t think of any reason to go to the mall.
December 13th, 2006 at 1:18 pm
I love overstock.com (though you need to realize when something is a good buy and when it’s not even if the website claims it is), E-Bay, the overstock/sale items at llbean.com and landsend.com, and outlet malls. Or if I’m being conscientious, I like to shop places like Ten Thousand Villages that offer fair-trade items.
I used to try to shop thrift stores but rarely found things I liked in my size. I usually ended up buying stuff I wouldn’t wear.
I avoid the mall now because it induces me to spend and sometimes makes me feel fat and unfashionable. However, for a wandering retail experience to get ideas for gifts or what’s in style, the mall can work.
December 13th, 2006 at 1:22 pm
I’m a clothes-loving college student, so I use the mall for specific reasons, even though my main source of clothes is the Salvation Army. The large mall in town (the Galleria in Houston) has a Neiman, a Saks, and a number of luxury retailers for fun window shopping. Also, you can get great ideas for ensembles — not for actual shopping. Also, there’s a Zara for fun, designer-y stuff for cheap, and a Levi’s for well priced jeans.
Generally, I shun the mall’s as a place of commerce, but I go during early fall and early winter to get ideas for clothes.
December 13th, 2006 at 2:03 pm
I’m not much of a “used goods” consumer. I suppose it’s an emotional decision, but I’m not interested in wearing somebody else’s old clothes; and I don’t buy used CDs because, for the most part, there isn’t a used market for the music I want. I’ll occasionally buy a used book via Amazon, but the price difference is usually offset by the fact that you have to pay for shipping from third-party sellers.
I like malls; and if I’ve got shopping to do, that’s where I go. I like the convenience. I have better ways to spend my time than driving from store to store, rifling through “gently worn” products; I’ll happily pay a couple dollars more for the convenience of being able to complete my shopping list in an hour without moving my car.
I agree about traffic and crowds, and I’ll go you one better — teenagers. I avoid malls on the weekends. I’ll try to go around 10 a.m. on a weekday; if I’m shopping for Christmas, then the day before Thanksgiving is usually a good bet. People are either busy shopping for groceries or waiting for Black Friday.
December 13th, 2006 at 2:24 pm
I am very particular about clothes, as I find 90% of what’s available uncomfortable, unflattering, or both.
So I’d much rather go to the mall for a few hours. The chances of me finding something tolerable are much higher than the hit-or-miss thrift stores. And the chances of me finding something that fits the first time are MUCH higher than online stores.
Granted, I really only gear myself up to do that two to four times a year.
December 13th, 2006 at 2:59 pm
I’m a big fan of thrift stores, for just about anything. It takes some more shopping; I hit up the salvation army every couple of months and just browse, but if you’re not looking for something in particular, they’re amazing.
December 13th, 2006 at 3:10 pm
I love to shop, and I like to go to the mall, specialty retailers, pretty much any kind of store. I enjoy the whole experience of shopping, even during the holidays.
I find that I have much better impulse control when shopping in person than when shopping on line, because I can hold the products and better gauge their value. I also can see how much stuff I am buying when I have to carry it around the mall. When I shop online I sometimes get carried away.
I haven’t been to a thrift store in a few years, mostly because I wasn’t finding much value in them. Sure things are inexpensive there, but they aren’t usually in that great of shape, and they are almost never a current style. I have had more success buying things on Craig’s list or Ebay. The items are in very good condition at a good price.
December 13th, 2006 at 3:34 pm
I buy some stuff at each…
The local thrift store is wonderful for finding fabric for my sewing projects. I am not fussy. I just love to make things with pockets and so I am very easy to please. I take classes at the local fabric store to support them, but I rarely buy any supplies there because it is so overpriced.
I used to have tons of used/half-price bookstores to choose from, but this dinky place has almost nothing here so I “shop” at the fabulous library system we have (it is a two-county library system) and also at Amazon.
December 13th, 2006 at 5:52 pm
I don’t think I have been to the mall since last Christmas season. We were there to make some exchanges and check out the after Christmas sales.
We shop thrift, online and (the big evil?!) box stores!
December 13th, 2006 at 9:05 pm
Like you, when I was growing up, the mall was the main shopping destination, though I also appreciated the retail neighborhoods in my city. In college, there were no malls around, but lots of street retail, and the same with grad school. In effect, having good retail neighborhoods helped wean me off of malls at a relatively early age.
Until November, I went to a mall maybe once every 18-24 months, as most of the stores I shop at are either thrift/discount stores in strip malls or independently owned businesses in upscale retail neighborhoods. However, in November, a Trader Joe’s (discount “upscale” grocer) opened in a nearby shopping mall, so every time I go to TJ’s I have to go to the mall. (I get most of my groceries at a market near where I live, though.)
Fortunately, TJ’s is on the corner with separate parking, so I don’t have to deal with the rest of the mall.
Aside from TJ’s, the only other reason I would have to go to a mall is for the occasional visit to Barnes and Noble. I rarely buy anything there, however; I get most of my books from the library or (if I purchase) from Half-Price Books.
Malls don’t have much appeal to me beyond this. If, for some reason, a shopping mall were to open with ethnic groceries, ethnic restaurants, academic bookstores, wine shops, etc., that might entice me. But in the meantime, I’m happy to avoid the Yankee Candle Shops and Sunglass Huts and Cheesecake Factories.
December 13th, 2006 at 11:20 pm
I don’t like malls because every time I go I have to spend a long time looking for a parking space. If I have to eat there I have to wait a long time for my order. If I buy anything it’s a long queue.
I prefer to shop at my neighborhood stores. The owners can be more friendly and personal, and they do give freebies now and then.
As for buying used items, I’d like to do that but there aren’t many stores selling them where I live.
December 14th, 2006 at 4:49 am
I don’t go to the mall to buy things; I go to the mall to look at pretty things. I grew up in our consumerist society, I have that consumerist impulse, and I don’t necessarily act on it… but I like to indulge it for free every now and then.
I am really, really picky when it comes to clothes, so I don’t shop at thrift stores–it’s never been a good return on my time investment. But I don’t buy many clothes in the first place.
December 14th, 2006 at 7:43 am
I like malls, but I head straight for the clearance racks, where you can sometimes find very good deals. For music, I’ve found you can get good prices on used CDs on Amazon. I like buying electronics and things like that online. That way I don’t have to drive anywhere or talk to the blue shirts at best buy.
December 14th, 2006 at 8:38 am
I grew up in the Land Of No Malls (Manhattan), so I find them very stressful. I am not joking when I say that the Mall of America made me cry.
I love thrift-store shopping–far more fun to do with friends than mall-visiting, more challenging to the creativity, cheaper, and, as far as I’m concerned, more fashionable. I very much operate in a social circle in which thrifting is cool. All of my favorite jewelry comes from flea markets, thrift stores, and junk stores (most of it is vintage Bakelite). I buy my clothing about half used and half new. I find that the items I like best (though not always the ones I wear most) are the ones I buy thrifted for $2.99.
One thing to watch out for here is the branding of midmarket consignment-style stores (e.g. Beacon’s Closet, Buffalo Exchange, The Red Light, &c.) as “thrift stores,” which implies a bigger price reduction than you’re getting, though it also guarantees a measure of quality.
December 14th, 2006 at 1:04 pm
I’m a big fan of the thrift stores for all of the reasons that people have mentioned above. Even some of my professional clothes I have to wear, I’ve found in thrift stores. Another resource I love to use is freecycle. It’s even better than thrift stores. I just wrote something on my blog about it if you want to know the details: http://www.stingystudents.blogspot.com/2006/12/free-clothes-through-freecycle.html
December 14th, 2006 at 9:51 pm
Like most, it depends — I appreciate malls for the instant gratification and finding exactly what I am looking for (ie, for a specific occasion or if I want to have a piece for a specific trend.)
That said, I am buying most of my gifts this year from small, indie boutiques in San Francisco. It’s made Christmas shopping very fun, as I have a strict budget ($30 and less per gift) and am finding unique, quality pieces by local designers.
I *love* places like Ross and Marshalls for things like shoes and handbags (which I don’t like to buy used.) With some digging, I’ve found many name-brand/designer items here for 50-80% off.
Thrifting takes time and energy - I much prefer the mid-market consignment stores in upscale areas of town, like Buffalo Exchange and Crossroads (San Francisco Bay Area chain) because they do the initial ’sort’ for me.
December 15th, 2006 at 7:53 am
I, um, go to the mall for, um…playdates. Informal, but established.
I take my toddler to Pottery Barn Kids. There are a ton of toys in the middle of the store, and she plays with them and the other kids for ages. There are always about half a dozen parents sitting in the armchairs and on the beds, watching. We don’t even pretend to be shopping.
And then there’s the ladies room at Nordstrom. They have an area with comfy armchairs and couches and a changing table. There are always a bunch of women nursing or changing diapers there, and we get to talking. I don’t think any of us buys anything in the store.
I miss Half-Price Books and Buffalo Exchange. We don’t have those where I live.
I get books at the library. Children’s clothes are good to buy at consignment stores in ritzy neighborhoods. They’re great quality - sometimes still with the tags on - and super cheap. My daughter often gets toys as gifts from relatives, or we find fun stuff at home. This Christmas I’m making most of the gifts I’m giving.
I have a hard time buying clothes for myself. I work in a nonprofit job which doesn’t pay much, but which requires me to look professional. I haven’t had any luck with finding appropriate work clothes at thrift stores, and I can’t afford anything at the mall. Unfortunately, I’m stuck wearing the maternity clothes I bought when I was pregnant - two years ago! I’ve lost the weight, but you can’t tell from the tents I wear.
December 20th, 2006 at 9:30 am
About once a month, I take the family out to a shopping mall, dinner, and a movie in a theater.
As far as shopping, I do 99.9% of that using comparison shopping , wholesale distributers, and bargain sites on the web.
I do frequent thrift stores from time to time, if it’s in my line of direction, and only those whom I know have a clearance eisle. I don’t normally buy those items for myself, instead I see what I can give out as birthday/christmas, etc presents, or can sell at a profit.
The only other stores I visit are gas stations for filling the car’s tank, and the closest food supermarket, which just happens to be the cheapest in town (they mark down the meats on sunday’s to 1/3rd the retail price).
At 37, I still wear the same clothes I left my parent’s house with at 18, and I take care of them. My closet is overfull, as occasionally people will gift additional clothing. Some of the clothes, I’ve had to sell just to make room.
January 2nd, 2007 at 5:27 pm
Quite a few of the stores in my local mall are actually very small (Provincial chains) or independently owned stores. but overall there isn’t enough specialty stores around here, it’s too rural.
However, when I head to college in a little more than a year in Waterloo, Ontario, my shopping options will be basically unlimited.
PS. I just turned 17 and I love your site, I have no doubt it will continue to be an excellent asset throughout my college life and beyond. Thanks!
March 13th, 2007 at 6:52 am
Several years ago I was in the habit of making a weekly recreational trip to a particular mall on the weekends — it was my answer to “what should I do today”. Of course, even if I didn’t need anything, the temptation to spend hit often and hence some soaring CC debt (my weakness is stores like The Bombay Company and ZGallerie). That trip to the mall was usually accompanied with a trip to the local bookstore, a local higher priced restaurant and a movie/snack. How did I ever afford all of this on what I was making then? Oh yeah, credit card.
Now, in my new Debt Blitzkrieg fashion, I go to the mall for an annual Christmas shopping trip for family members, and I might go to the mall one or two more times during the year if I pre-determine that I NEED something. I go infrequently enough that I get lost because of the store turnover. (usually since I get their 20% coupons like they are going out of style I skip the mall and just go to Bed Bath & Beyond armed with coupons).
No more high priced restaurants or movies either. I rarely go to the movies anymore, so little that I’m always shocked at the latest price.
I buy most of my clothes online from a couple of different places, and usually hit their clearance sales. What I don’t buy that way (like socks) I get at WalMart.
I have a really strong aversion to buying clothes at thrift stores. I’ll buy little household knickknacks at thrift stores but not clothes.
March 13th, 2007 at 6:56 am
P.S. to my above post (I hit send too soon):
You can tell how far I’ve come in that while I still find a lot of their stuff to be pretty, I very rarely find anything at The Bombay Company or ZGallerie anymore that I even am interested in buying.
Even at bookstores (the bane of my existence) I now usually have a difficult time finding something that I want so much I have to buy!
At the bookstore I have this running mantra — “What would this cost on amazon? What would this cost at the library?” More often than not, I just head to the library.
Now that’s progress!!!
DB
http://www.debtblitzkrieg.com
October 23rd, 2007 at 11:05 am
I manage an upscale thrift store and find it extremely difficult to pay the high prices at the malls after seeing all the cute and newer items that I sell at the store at much cheaper prices!
As a side note, why not donate time to your local thrift store to help them get organized better!! Our store is organized by size, gender, kids, adult, and even color and is easy to get it that way, so thrift shopping can be made easier!!
February 28th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
I have four children. Many clothing items, such as jeans, coats, pajamas, sweaters, etc, can be found easily at thrift stores and yard sales. Other items such as girls’ tights, or socks and underwear, are hard to find used in decent condition. Raincoats and shoes seem to be hit-or-miss at thrift stores. If I can’t find something secondhand, the clearance prices at the mall stores are often a good deal. I stock up at the end of season clearance sales on sizes my children will need in the future.
My favorite thrift store sells a child’s shirt for a dollar. I just got a new shirt for my younger daughter at The Children’s Place on final markdown for 99 cents. The thrift store is fun and a major fundraiser for a charity I like to support, but finding deals like the 99 cent shirt at the mall is fun too!
February 29th, 2008 at 7:30 am
We buy 95% used. I’ve got expensive tastes! I comb yard sales in pricey neighborhoods, for all natural fiber clothing, quality china, glass, building materials for restoring our rentsl houses, cast iron cookware, furniture, beautiful all wool rugs which we take to have cleaned before using, kitchen appliances like an ice cream makers (like new, used twice by the original owner), a bread machine (never used, it was a gift)and antiques which are resold on ebay. Once you get hooked on yard sales with high quality goods and dirt cheap prices, it’s impossible to view expensive new things at malls the same. I buy new kitchen appliances (for cash, haggling for that all cash discount!), new shoes and new jeans because of my height. I buy elegant, expensive designer suits at yard sales or thrift shops and take them to the tailor which you’d need to do anyway if you bought new off the rack. The tailoring makes them fit fabulous! Everyone comments on my fine designer clothing and extensive wardrobe. What they don’t realize is that by buying used I paid off the 20 year mortgage on our house in 11 years. Buying used gets you better quality for pennies on the dollar, keeps the environment cleaner, helps recycle, AND SAVES TONS OF MONEY! Also I’ve never felt frightened at a yard sale, but women get mugged and/ or robbed in the parking lots of malls all the time.
March 19th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
Maybe its because I’m a costume designer, but I get a huge thrill from thrift stores. I’m saving for graduate school, but honestly, even if I had tons of money I would still stop in at the Junior League Warehouse or the Goodwill just to see what I can find.
For example, I found a vintage 1950s black cashmere coat with a mink collar for $5! And just the other day a cute Sigrid Olsen cord jacket, also $5. I still shop at regular stores, and I always look for bargains and clearance sales. You can create a great look by combining classic, high quality basics with trendy pieces from stores like Zara or H&M. Add a signature piece of jewelry, an expensive wrist watch, designer bag and sunglasses et voila - people will think you’re loaded.
I’m middle class, but people always think I’m rich so I must be doing something right.