If I ever said anything bad about Brockiland, I take it back!

I came home from Brockiland yesterday after having spent 65 Fr. there... which is more than I intended, but I still feel it was a very good deal!

For 65 Fr., I got all of this, and...

All of this, too. (In total, a blanket, printed serving tray, digital kitchen timer, oven mitt, pie plate, pie server, grapefruit knife, spaghetti spoon, flipper, bread tin, beer 'stein' (mass), saucepan, bud vase, funnel, two white wine glasses, stoppered glass bottle, two plaid winter-weight scarves, a pillowcase, a foulard, sunglasses, a black velvet blazer, polka-dot suspenders, a navy velvet belt (cord-closure), mustard jeans, grape suede skirt, and a button-front grey skirt).

First of all, I should specify that I went back to middle-of-nowhere Brockiland FAHRWEID, and not the one in Werd. I like the downtown Brockiland, but I find that there is SO much competition for everything that it's a little... exhausting. If I have the time, I don't mind trekking out to the middle of nowhere to spend a few happy hours at a Brockiland that is less chaotic than the main one downtown.

There's still crazy and SUPER obnoxious people at the Fahrweid location, but there's fahr less of them (heh heh). There's the vultures that hover over and circle the poor, beleaguered restockers; the scoopers that try to 'scoop' you on whatever it is you're looking at (which still defies all logic for me!); and the pushers who try to takeover the area you're perusing by force.

But I also noticed the kindred spirits, the "oh, this is cute - it might fit you!" type (though they are few and far between, maybe fahr and weid, ha ha ha!).

Maybe I've been spending too much time in the kitchen lately, but I was so happy about this functionally superior flipper and this so-cute spaghetti scoop! One other thing that happened, which I thought was weird - I bought a saucepan (pot), and when I went back through the section, ALL of the pots and pans were GONE! Someone bought the entire shelf?! Maybe for refugee camps in Syria or something? Who would want 25 pots for themselves?! ALL of them were gone - not one remained! Even the grubby and the warped! Or were they moving them all to the downtown location?

I've also decided that the usual lady on the till (the black lady with the cigarette-rasp that most jazz singers would risk cancer for!), though she is sweet and eternally-patient, isn't the best cashier for the thriftiest person... my bills are always higher with her than they are with the other employee (who fills in over her lunch break, I think).

So that's a bit of a sneaky and underhanded tip - if you get the chance to check-out (pay) with the replacement lady, try it out. 

Still, I don't think the usual lady is ripping you off, though. She's really experienced, so her prices are 'brutally fair', whereas the substitute has more 'generous' prices (at least, so I've experienced so far. It could go the other way, too, I suppose). I bought a lot of clothing today, and the prices for clothes at Brockiland are comparatively high to the other items. I also bought a throw/blanket, which either cost 5 or 10 Fr. (and I'm guessing it was the latter). There are a few things at Brockiland that cannot be considered 'steals' so much as 'deals', and bedding is one of them.

I think the usual lady tends to charge the higher prices if in doubt (i.e. a small 'decke' is 5 Fr, and a large 'decke' is 10 Fr. So what do you charge for a medium one? I would tend to charge 5 Fr, because it's not as big as the 10 Fr ones, and I think the replacement lady calculates things similarly. But the usual cashier seems to round up to the higher price. Still a good deal, but not as good as it could be!). 

I needed a funnel (been making do with parchment paper, and that's getting old), we broke a wineglass while entertaining this week, I loved the vase, and the bottle/carafe was too perfect to pass up. A much nicer way to offer water to guests for sure! Heck, I might even lug it to work with me! So stylish!

I don't know what it was that day (a Wednesday), but it was packed with people (around noon or so), and it was brimming with desirable things - the shelves all seemed very full, and they have rearranged the shelves with the plates and glasses and various other kitchenware, table lamps, crafts and tools, etc.

It was full of vultures and scoopers and pushers, too (and they're almost always in that section!), but I didn't mind - there were so many good things, and lots of stuff I really, really liked but decided to pass up (with no regrets this morning - excellent!).

I don't have a pie plate, which I discovered after converting overripe cherries given to me by a colleague into cherry pie filling... whoops. So the pie plate was a 'requirement'. The pearlescent-handled pie server wasn't needed, as such, but it was too cute to pass up! And the bone/antler handled PROPER grapefruit knife had been on my 'to thrift' list for so long that I almost went in search of a new one at quadruple the price. ;) And it wouldn't have been as lovely as this one, I'm sure! I love the oven mitt, too. It isn't that well insulated (which I discovered this morning!), but it's great for serving with!

I made two trips through the gauntlet (the shelved area I mentioned - "the zoo" would be another good term for it!), because the vultures and scoopers were too much (restocking was underway). I thought a second trip through after the restocker had finished and the crowd dispersed would be a good move. If I "missed" something because someone else got there first, FINE. My sanity is worth more than that. ;)

It was a good move. :) And bizarrely, very soon after the restocker had left, the whole section was practically deserted and full of new things, a few of which I nabbed. The orange-printed bottle was one example. I don't understand it, but I was happy to profit from the richly-laden shelves and relative peace and calm! :)

For 'mein Mann', who has always wanted one. They run between 45 and 60 Euros for this size (I know - because we've almost bought one on many occasions!). Guess how much this was?! 5 FRANKS!!! FIVE! 41 Euros is 50 CHF, so that's less than a TENTH of the price!!!

I did the same thing with the clothing. There were two ladies shopping together (40s, or so) who were scouring the place in a mad whirlwind. When I saw them head upstairs towards the clothing section, I decided to look through the bookshelves and bide my time. I saw them make off with a few things (a leopard print skirt was one of them), and I figured whatever wasn't there when I got there would be made up for by the space and leisure with which I could go digging.

I also was very methodical this time. While searching through the tea towels and placemats, I was tempted to leap right into the clothing section. But I decided to finish the tablecloth, blanket and handkerchief shelves first, before starting at one end of the clothing and working my way along, rack by rack.

It's not easy to shoot black velvet on a white background, but you get the picture!

I really think it paid off this time. A velvet blazer (which I honestly wouldn't have considered, were it not for reading ahead for fall fashion 2014!) which was just awesome (I must have tried on 10 blazers in total, maybe 12). In one of the blazers, a green velvety number that had had the buttons removed by some other refashionista, no doubt, there were a pair of fun little sunglasses in the pocket. I didn't buy the blazer (too big in the arms and shoulders), but I did snatch up the sunnies. ;)

My phone is terrible with colours - always skewed in one way or another. Ah well. The skirt is less purple and the mustard pants more mustard and less lemon. ;)

I also got a suede skirt in a purple colour that I don't hate (not a big fan of purple clothing...!), and some mustard jeans that I know are 'so last year', but I didn't have any last year and I really wanted a pair. I have a confession to make - I took off my pants in the Brockiland to try on the jeans. I didn't even make that much of an effort to hide, either. My tank top was long enough to cover most of the area of concern, and the clothes section was nearly devoid of people... yeah, if only I had worn a skirt or tights, I wouldn't have had this problem (I'm not following my own thrifting rules!). The mustard jeans also had a hole from a torn-out belt loop, still attached at the top. I plan to mend them. Again, not following my own rules, this time about damaged goods. But this minor repair was worth it in my eyes.

I didn't strictly need polka-dot suspenders. but I really, really like them! :D

I bought the skirts by trying them on over my pants, and unfortunately the one with the buttons is too big. I thought about altering it (and I might still), but then I realised it has belt loops and maybe I can cinch it up without it getting too bulky. We'll see!

Two things I left behind were a chambray top (H&M) that I loved but was size 14, and was just too large to pull off no matter how I tied it and rolled up the sleeves. It got snatched up by a fellow thrifter (a friendly, kindred thrifter!) immediately after I rehung it, so that was a happy end.

The large one is going to be worn poncho-esque, a la (several designers) for Fall 2014. And the skinnier one is going to be draped over a t-shirt and jeans in the fall, once I remove a few unwanted pills of fabric. ;)

The other was another great grey blazer, a perfect length (better than the one I own!), but just 1 size too small for me. I could have moved the button, but the armpits were restrictive.... it still had a dry-cleaning tag on it. It's gorgeous - I know someone else is going to be thrilled to find it. Pity for me, though! :)

One other thing - I picked up 4 pieces of clothing that had been left on the ground, and 2 of them (maybe 3!) were actually pretty nice, and I tried on one. Thrifting karma is important! Besides - if it's fallen off the rack, it was probably recently moved, which could mean that it was worth investigating. So always rehang things you find on the floor (at least drape them over the rack at the very least if you can't be bothered to find an empty hanger!).

I quickly updated my stats, and now my wardrobe is 39.3% thrifted overall. ;)

 

Know what colour suits you - I can rock anything teal for some reason. And while this isn't my favourite pattern (pheasants?!), when I tie this around my neck like a bandana, my whole complexion just lights up! At 2 Fr., this is a really good accessory that I can use in a gazillion ways - in my hair, around my neck, tied to my cream-coloured purse's straps, possibly as a belt (though that might be stretching it!), etc. I think the 'game birds' theme will work well into fall and winter. I can't wait to wear this over a plain black tank and jeans (I'm such a minimalist, eh?). :) Find your colour and blow 2 Fr. - it's a great investment!

Here are the thrifting rules I kept today that noticeably paid off for me:

• I looked UP when I had a moment, and discovered a plethora of 'riding boots' above the linens (near the stairs on the upper level). I'm actually in the market for a good pair of boots, and I wasn't aware that they were stored here, so far away from the other boots and shoes.
• I went methodically through every section (well, most sections - I skipped some areas yesterday, like big furniture and the other upstairs part), and because of this I found the perfect throw blanket to compliment our sofa, an oven mitt that was too cute to pass up, and I even found one of those doggie tennis-ball throwers misfiled in the spatula section (which I definitely would have wanted if I had a dog!)
• I shopped completely out of season - I bought fall and winter-weight scarves, a warm black velvet blazer and an autumnal suede skirt. I think I had luck with these because it was a very sunny and warm day and most people were looking at summery things. There was lots of Christmassy tablecloths and tea towels that I considered, too (I didn't fall in love, so I let them be).     
  
  
• I checked the pockets of something I tried on. Yes, there's a risk of finding a dirty kleenex, so maybe have a look before you reach in! But I found sunglasses, and cute ones, too! Which I needed, because my go-to pair has a crack right in the middle of my field of vision. >:p
• I tried a lot of things on. This isn't one of my previously stated 'rules', but if you really get to work trying things on (which does take effort), you can end up with 'the perfect fit' from something you might have figured was too small or too big (I thought the jeans were too big from the label, then way too small when I stretched them across my hips... and then I thought, screw it, I'm taking off my pants and trying them on properly! And they FIT! Even slightly big, weirdly enough!!!).
• I dug deep and it paid off. I've been waiting to find a proper grapefruit knife ever since we moved here. I've found maybe 4 in total, but 3 of them were the wrong shape or just a little too, I don't know, grubby by design and wear. But yesterday, I found a real beauty, made in England with the correct curvature and serration and everything. I dug in that same bin twice, looking for one. I'm glad I persevered and gave it another good dig - it was hiding!

Not following a thrifting rule ("Wear the Thrifting Uniform!"), I ended up with a much-too-big skirt that will need some careful and skilled tailoring (uh-oh!) or some clever covering-up of the bunching caused by cinching with a belt. :S

Here are the thrifting rules I broke today:

• I didn't wear the appropriate 'thrifting uniform' (tights or a skirt, and a slim-fitting minimalistic top), and as a result I had to take off my pants in the Brockiland, wearing only a thong on the bottom. Yikes.
• I didn't look through the entire store. I skipped areas. No regrets, but importantly what I didn't do was dip in and out of sections that I did investigate - I was very thorough and it certainly paid off.
• I didn't bring water or a snack with me. I'm trying to diet, so a snack wasn't necessary. But I was terribly dehydrated, and I should have brought water along. I went to check out the Brockiland cafe area with it's Coke cooler and instant coffee machine. A Coke cost 2.50 Fr. there! Typical of Brockiland, eh? So I walked to the Shell station at the roundabout and bought an iced tea there instead (only saved 40 Rappen, but I felt better about patronizing the gas station than the greedy Brockiland corporation!). ;)

It took me many shots to get my phone to capture the right colour. :p

Next on "Thrifting in Zürich" - How to mend a torn-out belt loop! ;)

All the best in your summer thrifting adventures, thrifty hearts! Consider a trip out to the Fahrweid Brockiland next time - I think you'll find it a refreshing change of pace from the main branch!


TiZ :)