Savers1925 Pawtucket Ave.East Providence438.1955
Savers thrift stores do not promise their customers the hottest or most attractive used clothing around, but what they do guarantee is "the ultimate treasure hunt." In other words, there is a lot of stuff at Savers that you probably don't want to spend your money on: a framed *NSYNC poster, someone's old bra or an ambiguously functional breadmaker come to mind. Luckily, even if you do decide to invest in the ceramic candleholder emblazoned with the words "you are my grandmother," it will only cost you $2.99.
Like most thrift stores, Savers is about quantity - and low prices - not quality, making the huge store difficult to navigate if you don't have a lot of patience. But if you are ready to devote an hour or two of your Sunday afternoon to the task, you might just strike gold. There is an entire aisle devoted to women's jeans, averaging about $8 each, with some as low as $3.99 - at least one among them is bound to look good on you, right? Other steals include a $5.99 black suede clutch, a pair of navy knock-off Keds for $3.99 and men's polo shirts for as little as $0.99.
Savers does not impose a predetermined ceiling or floor on their prices. Merchandise is priced according to supply and demand, condition, quality and brand name. Presum- ably, then, the $14.99 crock-pot slow cooks your meat reasonably well while the $3.99 one probably works best as a mixing bowl. To get a better idea of the kinds of deals you can get at Savers - and to find out if you're a skilled bargain hunter - give the "what's it cost?" shopping guessing game on their Web site a whirl.
Though it is a for-profit company, all of Savers' merchandise is bought at a bulk rate from local nonprofit partners. The Rhode Island stores primarily purchase and resell items donated to the Big Sisters Fund of Rhode Island.
Ultimately, Savers works under the assumption that one man's trash is another man's treasure, hoping you'll be inspired to spend $5.99 on the ab roller that had been collecting dust in someone else's closet for the past decade. And since Savers Inc. operates 200 stores in 25 states, Canada and even Melbourne, Australia, the treasure hunt doesn't end in Rhode Island.
