114 Thrift Stores That Sell By The Pound
Most people have heard of Goodwill Outlet stores, but if they’re like me, they’re probably wondering if there are any other thrift stores that sell by the pound. I’m happy to report that there certainly are, although very few across the country.
I wish more thrift stores would come out with a pay by the pound model because the deals are so great and it’s a fun experience! I found these eight locations but you if know of any others, please leave a comment and let me know!
Buy the Pound Thrift Store – Kansas City, Missouri (1 location)
The Buy The Pound is owned by the Disabled American Veterans so when you buy items by the pound, you’re not only getting a great deal but you’re also supporting a great cause. Here is how Buy the Pound works:
When you have loaded your carts with treasures, head up to the register. We will weigh your clothes, toys, housewares etc. at the register. Shoes will be weighed separately. Book and media will be counted individually. Cash and cards will be accepted at the register (no checks). Please note that the cart weight is NOT included in your total. Buy the Pound website
Merchandise is sold anywhere from $0.39 to $1.49 per pound. Some items are sold by the piece at only $0.39!
If you’ve been to Buy the Pound, we would love to hear about your experiences. Please share in the comments!
Idaho Youth Ranch – Boise and Post Falls, Idaho (2 locations)
The Idaho Youth Ranch offers emergency shelter, residential care, youth and family therapy, job readiness training, adoption services, and more for kids and their families. To help fund their programs, they operate a network of thrift stores, including two pay by the pound outlet locations. Here is how Buy the Pound works:
The Outlet Store is a place where clothes are under a dollar and most things are sold by the pound…pennies per pound! Idaho Youth Ranch website
If you’ve been to an Idaho Youth Ranch Outlet store, we would love to hear about your experiences. Please share in the comments!
Flamingos Vintage Pound – Houston, Brooklyn, Miami & more (3 locations & counting)
Flamingos Vintage Pound is almost exactly what it sounds like… vintage clothing sold by the pound. Flamingos Vintage started in Europe with 23 stores and has expanded to the united states with two stores in Houston, two stores in Brooklyn NY, one in Manhattan NY, and one store in the district of Wynwood in Miami FL.
Unlike other thrift stores, clothing items are hung on racks like other traditional stores instead of being put in bins. However, instead of being priced by the rack or per piece, you pay for the items by the pound. Many people love the awesome discounts!
Every customer at Flamingos goes through the experience of walking through unique vintage pieces previously selected by experts and pay for them at a Price per pound. Customers find the experience to be fun, exciting and end up being amazed by the prices. It is truly a different way of living fashion. Flamingos Vintage Pound website
If you’ve been to Flamingos Vintage Pound, we would love to hear about your experiences. Please share in the comments!
The Garment District – Cambridge, Massachusetts (1 location)
The Garment District is a traditional thrift store that also has a “By The Pound” department. They have over 12,000 square feet of retail space which is filled with more than 40,000 unique items at any given time. They first started their By The Pound program in 1981 when they would put out a few bales of clothing every Saturday morning for the public to browse through and buy by the pound.
Here’s how it works today:
Every morning when the store opens we take an 850lb bale of clothing – snap open the wires and let the public shop. On Saturday & Sunday, we put out multiple bales. Everything is mixed together – men’s, women’s kids – every style and decade all mixed together. At various times of the week, we fill tables with paired shoes, bric-a-brac, purses, bags & belts. The Garment District website
Merchandise is sold for $2.00 per pound every day except for Friday when it’s sold for $1.00 per pound.
If you’ve been to The Garment District By The Pound department, we would love to hear about your experiences. Please share in the comments!
St. Vincent de Paul Dig & Save – Madison, Wisconsin (1 location)
Many people have probably heard of St. Vincent de Paul thrift stores. However, you may not have known that they actually have a pay by the pound store in Madison, WI. The store is that last chance stop for items that were not sold in the St Vincent de Paul thrift stores.
St. Vincent de Paul thrift stores and pay by the pound store help the nearly 100,000 trained volunteers in the United States who help more than 5.4 million people through visits to homes, prisons and hospitals at a value of more than $3 billion dollars.
Here’s how it works:
The store’s name says it all: dig through bins of clothing and tables of interesting objects and come away with savings on treasures! Clothing at Dig & Save is sold by the pound – half price every Wednesday. St. Vincent de Paul website
If you’ve been to St. Vincent de Paul Dig & Save, we would love to hear about your experiences. Please share in the comments!
Found by the Pound – Berkeley, Missouri (1 location)
Started in 2016, the Found by the Pound started in Hazelwood, MO as a mass-quantity like-new clothing outlet entirely sold by weight, in a warehouse setting. They do not take donations or offer consignment but have purchased “packs” of clothing from across the United States. Their inventory has been built up to 1000s of men’s, women’s, and some children’s clothing.
Our North County Location, on the other hand, is more mainstream, plus sized, every day wear with a surplus of hunting, work-wear, and military apparel uniquely sold by weight in a remarkable factory. Think “treasure hunting an industrial atmosphere.” Found by the Pound website
If you’ve been to Found by the Pound, we would love to hear about your experiences. Please share in the comments!
Salvation Army By the Pound – Clinton Township, MI & Chicago, IL (2 locations)
Salvation Army has one By the Pound location in Clinton Township, MI. One of their locations in Chicago offers a by the pound sale once per week but functions as a regular thrift store the rest of the week.
In the Salvation Army pay by the pound program, all clothing items that remain unsold after three weeks are gathered from surrounding stores and sent to a warehouse. Clothing items are divided into large containers and dumped onto tables every 15 minutes, where epic thrifters race through the containers and quickly sort through. The Salvation Army in Michigan has more than 25,000 pounds of goods that get sent to the pay by the pound program.
Shoes, clothing, and purses will be available for sale at a specified price per pound. The final cost is determined as customer items are weighed at check out. Many Salvation Army stores have named this project “Amazing Deals Buy-the-Pound” and promises to include top name-brands. New products are added to display tables five times a day. You can read more about Salvation Army Pay by the Pound stores here. If you’ve been to the Salvation Army By the Pound store, w would love to hear about your experiences. Please share in the comments!
Goodwill Outlet – all across the United States (approx. 103 locations)
Goodwill Outlet is the most popular pay by the pound store in the United States with approximately 103 locations. Goodwill Outlet Stores receive donations and put them out for sale at their retail locations. Items that don’t sell at retail are then shipped off to Outlet stores where they are sold by the pound and liquidated for quick sale.
We have a lot of information about how Goodwill Outlet Stores work on this website. Please feel free to check out our other blog posts for more info!