So the other day I was riding in the car of a tutoree's mother.  The mother wanted to show me a place she likes to shop.... and it was a thrift store!  I know the idea behind these, but I had never been to one and was absolutely shocked at HOW low the prices were.  They were selling bikes for $1.99 and $4.99, and the bikes looked like they functioned perfectly well!  It caused me to think about the one time Jason and I went to the Salvation Army store.  We were extra low on that money that month and had no silverware.  I felt really bad walking into the store because I was dressed a little nicely and I felt as though the store was really for those who struggle to get by day-to-day.  I also felt that anyone seeing me in the store would 'harumph' and wonder why the heck I was there and penny-pinching when I could probably afford more than most of the store's customers.

The lady who took me to the thrift store makes twice as much as I do!

Am I misinformed, or am I the only one that feel this way about those kinds of stores?
Do you shop at stores like this?
What are some of the best deals you've found at such places?

Goodwill.
That's all I have to say.
Goodwill has cheep prices and great things.
I was able to get an n64 with goldeneye007 for the n64 for $15
I love those kinds of stores, great things for cheep prices,

Singelli : Just because It's a thrift store, doesn't mean that you should have any regrets over visiting it because you think you make more than everyone else there. You never know how many people might actually be making around what you get and still use these stores to hunt for the little hidden treasures, like the other guy said an N64 and video game for $15? that kind of deal is for everyone! Also I know a huge family that goes to thrift stores all the time, at least they did...not sure whether they still do or not--the Duggars. Yeah, thrift stores like the Salvation Army may seem like a last stop for those who struggle from day to day, but if you visit a place like that every now and again, there's nothing wrong with it. Actually, it's sometimes fun to see what treasures you can find there. I've bought two plug-in and play tv games there, as well as a couple handheld games for very little. That's one deal that I can't pass up!

I LOVE thrift stores. There's a Mission: Possible thrift store just down road from our house, and we go there on occasion. Rarely, however; do we find games there (but they have a decent selection of records!). More commonly, those are found at a Big Saver Thrift Store or America's Thrift Store. I'm hoping that one of these days I'll come across a copy of Earthbound or Chrono Trigger

Singelli : A store is a store. Anyone can walk in and buy something. I don't think it's anything to feel bad or ashamed about. If you really want to be extra sure you're not taking anything away from someone, I suppose you could limit yourself to only buying things of which they have more than one in stock. I've only ever been to Good Will. And I've only ever been like once. We actually bought a VCR for $10. They did have plenty of those in stock at the time, too. It's not just about the good deal, it's about the variety and type of inventory. Even though this was a while ago, it was still at a point where you couldn't just walk into Walmart and buy a VCR. Only combos with DVD players are available now. If you need something and they have it, then by all means that is what the store is there for. 

Well I can see where you are coming from Singelli.  Okay so you said they were selling bikes for like 5 bucks well let us also say they only had the one bike.  Down the street Joe who has been down on his luck just got hired at the local grocery store.  Joe doesn't have a car and doesn't live on the bus route so he figures a good bicycle will get him too and from work no problem right?  Well Joe only has a few bucks.  So he goes into the thrift store buys himself a bike and goes on his way to a fulfilling life.  Now let us say Ms. Jones just bought that bike because she thought she might take up the hobby.  Ms. Jones is well off and can afford a new bike but likes to shop for deals and has bought up the bike b4 Joe finds it.  Now Joe can't make it to work on Monday and winds up in a downhill spiral, doing the unspeakable for food, gets addicted to drugs and overdoses.  

I'll admit this is an extreme type of scenario.  But do kids find discount bikes and use them to get to work yea because I am one of them. Is is possible that Joe could probably get a bike from somewhere else but the thought perturbs me somewhat.  I do think it is okay for anybody to shop in thrift stores because they do have good deals.  Like the N64 deal and others should be for anybody, but maybe there is a reason you get those feelings when shopping there.  There is no clear Black and white answer here and I'm not saying anybody should feel bad for shopping in a thrift store if they can afford more.  I am just saying many of those stores are there to help those in need and just maybe they have helped the needy b4 and will continue to do so.

The only other thing I wanted to address was feeling like somebody might see you in there and turn up their nose at you.  Well the problem there is all with the nose turner.

There is a store that I go to that has amazingly cheap deals. They sell all sorts of stuff like clothing, food, bathroom stuff, school supplies, and so forth. I like the cheap prices and I shop there time from time. I brought 3 rolls of scotch tape for just $1, I brought Ferrero's chocolate for just $3, I brought some hoodies (and I checked the material beforehand) for $8 each, and I got some t-shirts there for $2-$3. I like how the prices are cheap but there are those stores who have these incredible low prices and their products are either cheap material or used for short term purposes.
I need to find a good cheap legit retro game store somewhere and I have yet to find one. That is one of my goals at the moment.