8 tips for great thrift-shop scores - (first)

There is a bright spot in the retail economy, but you will find in your mall next to Macy's or Banana Republic.

Thrift and consignment stores are a great back as the economy turns sour. Hi Army of savings stores average sales increased by 10% in January, and sales have increased by over 50% in areas most affected economically, markets, spokeswoman Melissa Temme said.

"In many areas we are seeing these increases, because people are trying to make ends meet," she says.

The National Association of Resale Thrift stores & 'recent survey of 182 members found that most have seen an increase in sales last fall - an average of 35% - roughly the same time, many major retailers have double-digit declines.

Lead to boom in the nation and savings estimated 25,000 resale shops are big jumps in demand for clothing, especially work clothes such as dress shirts, suits and skirts, said Lauren Lawson, a spokesman Goodwill Industries International.

Charity shops, private stores
There are two types of stores selling goods for charity shops such as good, Army and Hi church and small hospital shops, and for-profit resale shops.

The former are stored with the contributions of clothing, furniture, appliances and other items to sell to fund charitable initiatives such as vocational training, disaster and rehabilitation operations. Private resale clothing stores and take the lot of furniture to individuals and divide the profits once the items sell.

Both can be good sources of affordable, but savings-shopping experts the best deals you can find shops, to charity, who do not pay for their inventory.

"Their interest is the massive displacement of volume, not necessarily the highest price possible for each point," says Amy Hardin Turosak blogger, also known as "Shopping Golightly, who writes the blog Thrifty Chicks.

New to the former
This low overhead can mean good deals on all sorts of clothing, household items and furniture, as long as you're willing to keep an open mind, "says Michael Gold, co-founder of TheThriftShopper.com, an online guide for stores around the country.

Heather Stricklin, a Los Angeles stay-at-home mother and avid thrifter, recently picked up a couple of pairs of new J Brand jeans for $8 recently at her local St. Vincent de Paul thrift store. These jeans -- manufacturer samples -- were identical to those regularly sold for as much as $200 or more at Saks Fifth Avenue.

Stricklin also found some new $1.99 American Apparel T-shirts with embroidered felt designs that she has used to outfit her own kids and to give as gifts. At a boutique these items cost $20 to $30 apiece. "I just love finding a bargain," she says. "I really feel like I'm getting away with something."

A $4 bracelet that Turosak found at her local charity shop that was still in its original packaging from Anthropologie turned out to be priced at $98 when she called the retailer.