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Business & Tech

Savvy Shoppers Love to Save Money at Local Thrift, Discount Stores

Metro Detroiters share tips on chic on the cheap and weigh in with a closetful of ideas.

When it comes to apparel, Carol Marshall of Bloomfield Township almost never pays more than a few dollars for anything, including shoes, purses, dresses – you name it.

“I don’t think I’ve paid more than $5 for anything for a really long time,” notes one of Metro Detroit’s sharpest — and savviest — dressers. “Even if something’s marked, like $5, I usually will have a coupon for 50 percent off.”

Marshall, a regular volunteer at and the , both in Birmingham, is a veritable professional thrift-store shopper.

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On a recent weekday morning, the polished and poised Marshall was adorned in a chic pink, black and floral ensemble that evoked a sunny field of posies amid sticks of strawberry and black licorice.

“Everything I have on today came from Value World,” the perky Marshall said. “I like the one on Telegraph in Pontiac, north of M-59. I get their half-price coupons in the paper every couple of months so I can usually buy more than one item.”

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She also shops at the Salvation Army – usually in Keego Harbor or Auburn Hills, depending on where she’s running errands. “When it’s on my path, I stop,” she said. She also enjoys Sam’s Club, Costco and the Dollar Store.

Marshall, a self-proclaimed clothes hound, says she’s been an astute clothing shopper for about 25 years. “I’ve always been a bargain shopper. I love clothes and I don’t want to spend a lot,” she said.

Marshall volunteers at art show openings at the BBAC and for various events and functions at The Community House and is always impeccably pulled together. “When people give me compliments and I tell them the history of a piece, they can’t believe it,” she says. “At these events, I’m ironically surrounded by people in expensive outfits.”

Her get-ups come from the world’s fashion houses, too, including Chanel, Stuart Weitzman and St. John; it’s just that Marshall’s apparel is “gently used.” “I don’t buy things that are worn to the seams. But I do buy things that might need a fixed zipper, a hem job or a glue-on faux gem or something.”

So where can you find good deals in Dearborn?

  • on Ford Road features brand names at lower prices on clothing for the whole family
  • on Ford Road takes in leftover inventory from big-names stores and sells it at bargain prices.
  • on Michigan Avenue is a great place to sell or buy gently used clothing and toys for babies, toddlers and kids up to age 12.
  • In late summer or early fall, Goodwill plans to open up a store on Michigan Avenue. Watch for news about an upcoming clothing drive, too.

Share your favorite bargains

Where is your go-to store or thrift shop? Do you have a favorite item you got for a steal? Tell us in the comments below and share your photos by clicking on"upload photos" on the attached photo gallery.

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