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| - I can remember going to B.E. back when I lived in Tucson, and loving the location right by the U of A because it had all the reject clothing sold by the out-of-state college kids with trust funds - or at least that's what I thought in high school!
They do have some unique fashions - at times, which is just simply the hit-or-miss beauty of thrift store shopping. I am going to hit this review with two views: 1) briefly as a buyer/shopper ... and 2) a seller.
1) BUYER:
I am a thrift store-obsessed shopper. I don't really consider BE much of a thrift store though. The prices are a little outrageous for the items. If you know your labels - often times they will sell certain brands close to what they cost in the actual store. For the most part, I like their jeans and jewelry. The jewelry is some of the best one-of-a-kind stuff I have seen, and I think people overlook it! I do like browsing occasionally if I am in the area, and found that the Tempe location has more of the funky items I dig.
*******Keep this in mind when you are shopping: these are clothes people didn't want anymore - USUALLY FOR A REASON. The zipper doesn't stay up on the jeans, the button on the back of the dress is a little tight, the shoes are a little uncomfortable in one place, itchy tag, etc. - just be weary of this when you are trying things on!
2) SELLER:
I just looked at the BE website, and its weird they don't have anything listed on what % they give for trade/ cash. But from what I remember, you get 50% back in trade (store credit) for what they are selling for the item, OR 35% in cash back. Trade is good if you like shopping there, but I usually get the CASH!! The average item sold is about $15, so you would get $7.50 in trade or $5 in cash. Don't quote me on that - I'm not exactly sure!
I admit, selling clothes at BE makes me feel a bit judged, a bit exposed. These clothes (that I don't usually wear anyway) are somewhat a reflection of my style - or what my style was years ago ... which does leave me feeling a bit vulnerable. About a week ago, I went in there with a box of stuff that I was sure they would take - blue jeans and shoes. They took all but a pair of jeans that had been a bit worn at the bottom and a pair of grey retro Saucony's ... is that brand not cool anymore? Who knew? Anyhoo, I walked away with my $75 bucks and felt pretty good. Anyway, while I sat there waiting for about 30 minutes watching the disgruntled sellers in front of me leave with their bags of clothes and maybe $5 of trade in their pockets, I decided to write this to help people decide what to bring to BE and what to donate to their little sister/brother or Salvation Army:
- Jeans: they will always buy jeans no matter the season. They don't need to be extremely designer labeled - they will take levi's, mossimo (target), refuge (charlotte russe) all the way up to true religion and AG adriano goldshmied jeans (my favorite) ... if they are a good color/cut. Above-the-waist jeans offering a raindrop ass need not apply. Capri's are questionable...
- Sandals: This is Arizona, we wear sandals year-round. Even if we shouldn't. You always know that ASU idiot wearing a pair of rainbows while it's raining - because they are quite possibly the only shoes they own! BE will always take sandals, they just don't want them to have the footy prints left in them.
- Dresses: Never seem to be turned down when I bring these in. Don't usually get much money for them though.
What NOT to bring & attempt to sell:
- Small sizes/clothes that shrunk: I guess I am lucky that I am a tall, well-proportioned person since they usually take my clothes based on the "average" size of them. Don't bring that size 2 or 4 denim skirt you don't fit into, since no one else can fit into it either!
- Jackets/Sweaters: They seem to take some in the early fall, but never like to stock up much on jackets - this is a "duh" for AZ! I've noticed they will take blazers over jackets though!
- Worn Clothes vs. "Gently Used": Worn out clothes belong at the thrift store. Gently used clothes (i.e. you bought this at a Banana Republic killer sale but you NEVER wore it... or wore it once and the tag was super itchy*...
You need to understand that each of these young hipster buyers have sales sheets, where the company tracks how well their selected items sell. If they buy back too much, they get spanked or something. Also, to the two 18 year-old girls that brought 2 trash bags full of Abercrombie and Hollister clothes from your preteen years... thank you for wasting their time and all of us that had to painfully watch them sort through your junk.
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