The Best Days to Go Thrifting (And When Stores Put Out New Inventory)

Here's something most new resellers don't realize: when you thrift matters almost as much as where you thrift. Hit the store on the wrong day and the racks are picked clean. Show up at the right time? You'll feel like you have the whole place to yourself.

Let's break down the best days and times to go thrifting — especially if you're sourcing inventory to resell.

Best Days by Store Chain

Each major thrift chain has its own rhythm for restocking, sales, and markdowns. Here's what to know about the big three.

Goodwill

Restock days: Most Goodwill locations put out new inventory daily, but the heaviest restocking usually happens Monday through Wednesday.
Best sale: Many Goodwills run color tag sales where specific tag colors are 50% off or even $1. These rotate weekly — ask your local store which day the tags change.
Pro tip: Sunday evenings and Monday mornings are great times to go. Donations pile up over the weekend, and fresh items often hit the floor early in the week.

Salvation Army

Restock days: Salvation Army stores tend to restock throughout the week, but Tuesday and Wednesday are commonly the biggest restock days.
Best sale: Many locations run a 50% off sale on specific days — often Wednesday or the first Saturday of the month. Some also have a weekly half-price color tag.
Pro tip: Salvation Army stores sometimes have a "fill a bag" sale a few times a year. Mark your calendar for these. They're incredible for bulk sourcing.

Savers / Value Village

Restock days: Savers restocks continuously throughout the day, which makes them one of the most consistent stores to visit any time.
Best sale: They run a Super Savers Club loyalty program. Members get 30% off on their birthday month and earn reward coupons. They also have periodic 50% off storewide sales.
Pro tip: Savers tends to price items a bit higher than Goodwill, but the quality is often better. If you're looking for higher-end brands, this is a solid place to start.

How Color Tag Sales Work

If you've never paid attention to the colored tags on thrift store hangers, start now. Most thrift chains use a rotating color system to track when items were put on the floor.

Here's the basic idea:

Each week (or every few days), the store assigns a new tag color to incoming items.
After a set number of weeks, the oldest color goes on sale — usually 50% off, sometimes down to $1.
Once the sale is over, remaining items from that color may be pulled from the floor entirely.

This means the freshest inventory always has the newest tag color, and the best deals are on the oldest color. Knowing which color is on sale that week lets you be strategic about what you grab.

When New Inventory Hits the Shelves

Most thrift stores process donations and put items out during regular business hours. But here's the timing that matters most:

Morning (open to 11am): This is when most overnight processing hits the floor. If the store opens at 9am, try to be there by 9:15. You'll get first pick.
Early afternoon (12pm-2pm): A second wave of processed items often comes out after the morning rush slows down. Staff use this quieter time to restock.
Late afternoon (after 3pm): Usually not the best for fresh finds, but you might score markdowns or clearance items near closing.

Early Morning vs. Late Day Shopping

There are two schools of thought here, and honestly both have merit.

The early bird approach:

You get first pick of new inventory.
The store is quieter and easier to browse.
Best if you're looking for specific high-value items like designer bags or vintage tees.

The late-day approach:

Some stores mark items down at the end of the day to make room.
Less competition from other resellers (most shop early).
Good for general sourcing when you're not hunting anything specific.

If you can only go once, go early. But if you have flexibility, try both and see what works at your specific stores.

Weekday vs. Weekend

This one is pretty straightforward:

Weekdays win for resellers. Here's why:

Fewer shoppers means less competition.
Staff have more time to restock during slower weekdays.
You can browse without bumping elbows in the aisles.

Weekends are busier, but they do have one advantage: more donations come in on Saturdays and Sundays. So if you go on a Monday morning, you're often benefiting from all the weekend drop-offs that just got processed.

Build Your Own Thrifting Schedule

Here's a simple weekly plan that works well for most resellers:

Monday or Tuesday morning: Hit Goodwill for fresh weekend donations that just made it to the floor.
Wednesday: Check Salvation Army — many locations have mid-week sales.
Thursday or Friday: Visit Savers or any local independent thrift shops.
Weekend: Rest, list your finds, or do a quick scout if you have time.

You don't need to go every single day. Two or three focused trips a week is plenty to keep your inventory fresh.

Get Your Finds Listed Fast

The best thrifting schedule in the world doesn't matter if your finds are sitting in a pile at home. Once you've sourced your items, you want to get them photographed, described, and listed as quickly as possible.

List Perfectly makes this so much easier. You create one listing and push it to eBay, Poshmark, Mercari, Depop, and more — all at once. It saves hours every week, especially if you're listing 20+ items from a single thrift haul.

Use code THRIFT30 to save on your plan. Seriously, once you try crosslisting from one dashboard, you won't want to go back to doing it manually.