Military Thrift Store - Just to give you an example of prices, I once bought my husband a new dress uniform jacket for $5 at the thrift store at Little Creek AB, now Joint Base Little Creek-Fort Story. It is not uncommon to pick up an entire uniform for less than $20.
Before you head to the uniform shop for any purchases, check out your base thrift shop to see what they have to offer. Some thrift shops keep their uniforms in a separate area and require that you show ID before making a purchase, so it always pays to ask if your thrift shop carries uniforms.
Military Thrift Store
If you're in an area with multiple military bases, it will probably be worth your time to check with each location. Where does this money come from? Even civilian thrift and consignment shops charging 50%-50% make money.
Military thrift stores keep a smaller percentage (like 25 percent for the store and 75 percent for the consignor when his items sell). But because of low overhead costs, military thrift shops not only provide a needed community service but distribute net profits to benefit their military base.
Even if you have to have them slightly altered or have new insignia added, thrift store uniforms can be a huge savings over the cost of purchasing new items at the uniform shop. And saving money is always good!
Civilian thrift stores may be for-profit (benefiting the owners) or non-profit (benefiting hospitals, churches, symphonies or other community outreach), but military thrift shops are all non-profit. They give their local post scholarships for military children, grants to on-base scout troops, Red Cross chapters, Army Community Services, the Warrior Transition Unit and more.
Why? Because when I married my Army husband, we moved 11 times in his remaining 21 years of service. That's when I discovered military thrift shops -- an ingenious solution to the frequent uprooting of military families.
Once you are searching at the thrift shop, be sure to check all the racks that might have the right uniform. For example, some shops price Navy Chief khakis at a lower price than Navy officer khakis - go figure.
-- Suzi Weinert is the author of Garage Sale Stalker, the first novel in a series of Garage Sale mysteries. A member of the Mystery Writers of America and Sisters-in-Crime, she lives with her husband, a retired Army officer, in the Virginia countryside.
Garage Sale Stalker is currently available via all major online retailers, including Amazon and Barnes & Noble, on Audible, and in brick-and-mortar bookstores throughout the world. The Salvation Army Online Thrift Store - Adult Rehabilitation Centers
1627 West Fort Street, Detroit, Michigan 48216 | 1-800-SAL-ARMY | Privacy Policy | © The Salvation Army Central Territory Even though enlisted folks get a clothing allowance each year, there is no rule that you must spend that money on uniforms.
As long as you have the right uniform for every situation, and it is in good condition, the military doesn't care where you get it. The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church.
Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by the love of God. Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination.
Why is the military thrift shop's overhead low? The post typically supplies an on-post building for the shop. The staff is mostly volunteers and the few paid positions employ military dependents. Shop profit pays the hired employees and the consignor's checks, disbursing the balance for educational and charitable activities on post.
One of the largest job-related expenses for military service members is the forever purchasing of uniforms. Some of those uniform parts, especially for the dressier uniforms, can get pretty darn expensive. Thankfully, there is a great resource to get those uniforms at a huge discount - the base thrift shops!
But besides selling practical items, these thrift stores resemble mini-world bazaars since military families consign artifacts from their stations around the world. Exotic treasures peek out from everyday merchandise, just waiting for you to find them.
(Some military thrift stores even gather these into a "boutique" section.) Even though enlisted folks get a clothing allowance each year, there is no rule that you must spend that money on uniforms. As long as you have the right uniform for every situation, and it is in good condition, the military doesn't care where you get it.
Only people with valid military ID cards can consign items at military thrift stores, but anyone who has access to the post can shop there. Besides military dependents, regular customers include servicemen (consigning uniforms is very popular) and workers from on-post facilities like the PX, commissary or hospital.
Consignments in clean and usable condition are welcome, with seasonally appropriate clothing. Inventories include collectibles, luggage, baby items, toys, clothes, sports equipment, household items, furniture, jewelry, art work and antiques. Thrifts usually open only a few days a week since they depend on volunteer labor.
My home is filled with "treasures" from military thrift shops: a huge one-of-a-kind bamboo wind chime suspended from my ceiling above a door whispers melodically every time the door opens. Gleaming brass candlesticks, trays and accessories adorn my living room.
A unique oil painting in a handsome frame hangs above my foyer credenza as well as many other unusual artifacts sprinkled throughout my home.
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