[Win a $250 giftcard] What are your favorite stores for bargain shopping?

[relentlessjoy]

For clothing, my destination list goes as such:

1. Local thrift stores (I live in the city with a lot of college students so we have a great selection of nice brand-name clothes for CHEAP)
2. Marshall's/A.J. Wright/T.J Maxx - I LOVE these stores, and I'm not just saying this to win the gift card. Not only are the prices good but the clothes are CUTE. I've bought several dresses and "fancy shoes" from here.
3. Target -- convenient and great for basics.
4. Clearance racks at Macy's, Filene's, other mall stores, etc

I will spend more on shoes. I have bought too many "cheap" shoes that really were cheap and poor in quality to think that saving a few bucks on a cute pair of shoes is really worth the damage it does to your foot.

Books/Music/Movies - try to spend as little as possible!
1. Library -- city library and graduate school library
2. Baltimore BookThing (amazing free book store)
3. Half.com

[Carolyn]

Originally Posted by Will

This is one of the official Marshalls $250 giveaway threads.

Marshalls is giving away a $250 gift card to a randomly selected Wise Bread reader in this thread. This is part of their promotion to raise awareness for the new Cube and Megashoe sections in their stores.

How to participate

Just post a comment in this thread. You must be a US resident and be 18 or over. We'll randomly pick a winner from this thread on 9/15/08.

The topic

Tell us what are your favorite stores for bargain shopping (online stores count too). You can just list the store names or you can also tell us why you like those particular stores.

The other two contest threads

This topic not your cup of tea? Try out these other two threads which are also giving away $250 gift cards. You can enter all three threads, but you can only win once.

• What are the best buys at bargain stores like Marshalls/TJ Maxx?
• What is your favorite piece of clothing (shirt, shoes, earrings, etc)?

Walmart, Sam's, Costco, Marshall's, Thrift stores

[elysium29]

i always seem to get my best deals at these stores! it's almost like christmas every time i go to one of them - i never know what i'll end up what treasures i'll end up with at the end of my trip, but it's always a thrill!

[jadefly]

My favorite stores for bargain shopping are - well, the only shopping I do is bargain shopping or at least shopping at lower-end, lower-priced stores like Old Navy and Forever 21, although I do also love Ross quite a bit! So many good finds there. My idea of a splurge is GAP...

[chela]

Goodwill is a good place to buy things for the kitchen. I usually buy clothes and everything else online. It's easy, places usually have good return policies, and you can find coupons for almost any online store.

[misanthropic777]

Marshall's, TJMaxx, Ross, Old Navy are the standards. I also shop a lot online, hitting the sales areas of my favorite stores looking for good deals.

I used to shop a lot on ebay, but frankly it's jumped the shark; there just aren't real deals there anymore.

[romateamo]

I used to buy clothes for work at Ann Taylor, The Limited, and Banana Republic. But recently I've discovered that Target is a more affordable option with some really cute clothes. I've also been shopping at Old Navy, Marshalls, and TJMaxx.

[briangudgel]

Kohl's, Target, Marshalls, Outlets of any kind

[indieretailer]

Originally Posted by mydebtquest

Let me preface this comment with a quick acknowledgement: I realize I am undermining the US economy by shopping at Big Box stores. I shop local businesses whenever possible, but for "everyday items," I favor box stores for their competitive pricing and the ability to one-stop-shop.

I have a tendency every few weeks to take a stroll through several bargain stores to see what deep-discounts they might have that meet my current "needs" list. I like Marshalls, Big Lots, and Ocean State Job Lots, all of whom often have Brand Name merchandise for a fraction of the usual cost. I have found discounts as much as 90% from the retail pricing for items marked "slightly irregular," though I have yet to see any irregularities in anything I've purchased. The only caveat with browsing the stores regularly is that I have to be careful not to buy stuff that I don't need just because of the discount.

Once I've hit the discount stores, I usually move on to Walmart, the evil empire that undermines the local economy and drains the American Value system, that happens to have mastered the concepts of capitalism and established a profitable business model.

Debtquest---I enjoyed your post. Believe me, as a former independent retailer, I know that there are many indie retailers that have no room in criticizing big box retailers . Some indies use the same distribution channels , albeit on a smaller scale, for their merchandise as the big box stores do and/or do not pay a living-wage to their employees. I got out of independent retailing for many reasons----one of which is that I could not afford to pay my shop clerks at least $ 13 an hour plus full health benefits.

[boba1212]

The Dollar Stores!! I admit, I am a sucker for cheap beauty buys (huge tubs of Vitamin E lotion, baby oil, vaseline, baby shampoo for cleaning my makeup brushes, the list is endless). Also I may sound like a tightwad, but I let my little nephews and niece go wild shopping there when they visit. They love the toy cars, action figures, dinosaurs- and honestly, the way they throw those things around the playroom or outside, I'd rather it be cheap $1 than pricey goods.