At Salvation Army, I cruise all of the racks seeking first by color and texture. For the record, I like everything 100% cotton in muted colors. Mostly earth tones, but also black, white, and very light pink(almost white). When shopping this way, quality presents itself in the richness of a color, consistency of a pattern, and feel of the fabric, and if I like it enough, I will try something a little different in style...you know like a v-neck t-shirt instead of crew. Because I enjoy branching out. Generally, I end up with items that I would not have found or afforded another way. And.... it is ok if I change my mind or stop loving item after 1 or 2 wearings. But this almost never occurs with my Salvation Army purchases. (I am pained to tally the thousands of dollars wasted on items never worn.)
Sometimes I feel as though I am getting the used items of the same person, as if by some psychic connection I am led through the many random racks to items similar in size and style. And, that makes me smile.
I shop the books in a similar fashion. The book jackets lure me with their hues, colors, textures, and fonts. And again, I like to think I am gathering books from the same reader. When I go to Barnes & Noble, I am distracted by the well marketed and most popular selections and miss out on genuine exploration. I seriously love Salvation Army, even if they are closed on my Simple Joy Sunday.
