Route planning
We use thrift stores as our main source of inventory. We try to get to as many stores as possible as often as possible. Having regular routes pre-planned helps with efficiency, odds of finding products to sell, and mileage recordkeeping. The largest concentrations of thrift stores are around city centers. We live near a small city and within reasonable driving distance to a large city. Occasionally we also travel to other cities within several hours driving distance. The more stores available means that there is more time between visiting each store, allowing shelves to be stocked with new items. However, visiting the same stores frequently increases the odds of getting a newly put out item before someone else does. Increasing your base of products helps when you must visit the same stores often and they don't have a lot of new items to look at. The Thrifter's Field Guide can help you increase your product base as well as help you maximize your profits for each inventory run.
Finding the Stores
Our starting point for any new route plan is TheThriftShopper.com National Thrift Store Directory. We enter a lot of information into a spreadsheet including all the store contact information and hours, along with notes as to route associated with the store, notes about the store (such as clothing only, if regular or occasional), and order visited in the route. This allows for easy planning based on a certain day (e.g. Sunday) and changes in routes due to store openings and closings or discoveries. We also check local charity and thrift store chain websites (websites are added to the spreadsheet) to verify addresses, locations, and hours. We search Google Maps too and try to verify the existence of stores by finding their website or Facebook page (actual, not the automatic one created by bots). In highly populated areas, we group the stores in various ways for separate routes, based on quadrants around the city, highway setup, etc. We use zip code maps and Google maps to group the stores. If you need assistance with route planning in your area, please do not hesitate to contact us for assistance. |
Mapping out the Routes
In the spreadsheet listing of stores, we add a column for the route name to help with easy sorting. The address columns for the stores for each route are copied and pasted into a route optimizer such as Speedy Route or MapQuest Route Planner. Include your starting point (generally home) as the first address, copy and paste the addresses into the copy and paste area, check the box for a round trip and to allow MapQuest to reorder your stops. Add another column in the spreadsheet for route order and note the round trip mileage. Take the list on the first run to be able to make notes about stores that do not exist, to add new stores found along the way, and make other notes about the store itself (e.g. if the prices are all overly high and the store will be visited only occasionally). After the first run, make adjustments to the spreadsheet, reorder the route, and note the new mileage. Having all this information in a spreadsheet allows for easy changes to routes as stores open and close, etc., as well as easy mileage tracking.
In the spreadsheet listing of stores, we add a column for the route name to help with easy sorting. The address columns for the stores for each route are copied and pasted into a route optimizer such as Speedy Route or MapQuest Route Planner. Include your starting point (generally home) as the first address, copy and paste the addresses into the copy and paste area, check the box for a round trip and to allow MapQuest to reorder your stops. Add another column in the spreadsheet for route order and note the round trip mileage. Take the list on the first run to be able to make notes about stores that do not exist, to add new stores found along the way, and make other notes about the store itself (e.g. if the prices are all overly high and the store will be visited only occasionally). After the first run, make adjustments to the spreadsheet, reorder the route, and note the new mileage. Having all this information in a spreadsheet allows for easy changes to routes as stores open and close, etc., as well as easy mileage tracking.
Garage Sales
We use the same methods when planning a route for garage saling. We scan the Cragislist ads for the area we want to shop in and make a list of the addresses to use in the route optimizer. Certain cities also include a list of garage sale permits purchased that can be referenced for additional stops. Don't forget to note the mileage.
We use the same methods when planning a route for garage saling. We scan the Cragislist ads for the area we want to shop in and make a list of the addresses to use in the route optimizer. Certain cities also include a list of garage sale permits purchased that can be referenced for additional stops. Don't forget to note the mileage.