I buy all of my work clothes and many of my ‘going out’ clothes at clothing salvage stores. This is because some clothing salvage stores carry new merchandise which is almost always in perfect condition. My wife and I went shopping recently at ‘Dirt Cheap’ in Lumberton, MS and found shirts for $1.00 and jeans for $7.00. And I’m talking brand name clothing here…. not some junk manufactured for the dollar store. I was about to check out with two pairs of Levi’s in my hand when a cashier announced over the intercom that the registers were closed due to a computer failure. Alas, I would have to return another day.
Around Hattiesburg there is a company called Hudson’s Salvage Center. They operate a handful of Hudson’s and Dirt Cheap stores around the southern Mississippi area. Since they’ve been in this business for a couple of decades they’ve turned salvage retail into a huge business. They buy salvage items from around the country for say 10%… and then resell for 60% and often less. For example, an Academy Sports store in Galveston, TX (wiped out by Hurricane Ike) sold Hudsons truckloads of merchandise from their warehouse. The merchandise was damaged from the Hurricane. Though much of it was still unspoiled, the insurance company pays 100% for the claim. The ‘damaged’ merchandise is then sold in bulk to companies like Hudsons. Hudsons will then filter through the merchandise, tag it for resell, and then place it on the retail floor.
In most towns you can find salvage centers like these as well as wholesale and liquidation stores. There are also many stores which sell used merchandise. Nearly everywhere I’ve been you can find a Salvation Army Store or even a Goodwill. These stores often sell used merchandise that was donated to the store. Though these clothes may not be new, many of them appear to be. And they can work out great if you need clothing for working outdoors (like me) or performing chores around the house.
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