SIGHTS
Racks of crowded clothing arranged in a variety of ways (by size, type, or color), hat pegs holding hats and purses, racks of shoes and sandals in varying condition, stacks of DVDs and VHS movies, bookcases filled with books, floor-length wall mirrors on dressing room doors, stacks of blankets and sheets, furniture (desks, file cabinets, bookshelves, chairs, sofas and couches, dining room tables and chairs, lamps, headboards, coffee tables, end tables, folding tables), mismatched throw pillows, artwork hanging on the walls or leaning in a stack against the wall, birdcages, chandeliers, knickknacks, old TVs and other electronics, luggage, stacks of baskets, sporting equipment (tennis rackets, dartboards, bike helmets, skates, golf clubs), crutches, bins of picture frames, stacks of records, old silk flower arrangements, a toy section (dolls, a rocking horse, board games, stuffed animals), baby equipment (high chairs, playpens, cribs, toys), metal racks of housewares (dishes, vases, pots and pans, canisters, recipe books, serving utensils), small appliances (microwave ovens, small fridges, waffle irons, coffee makers, blenders, mixers, fondue pots), ugly holiday décor, narrow aisles blocked by people with shopping carts or baskets, caution cones for wet areas, a checkout counter, employees restocking shelves and putting away clothing, stray hangers, posters and flyers advertising other services (employment services, adult daycare, skills training programs), employees wearing back supports, a drop-off area with large bins for donations, employees with handcarts for transporting heavy boxes and furniture, cars and trucks unloading furniture
SOUNDS
Rattling shopping cart wheels, shoes squeaking on tile floors, hangers scraping on metal racks as people browse through the clothing, doors opening and closing, people talking, employees laughing, customers leafing through books or lifting lids on pots, desk drawers sliding open and closed, items shifting in a shopping cart, customers calling to one another between dressing rooms, an empty hanger swinging on a rack, the rattle of merchandise as customers pick things up and move them around, rustling plastic bags, an office chair rolling back and forth as someone waits for a friend to finish shopping, cell phones ringing, the clap of shoes hitting the floor as one drops them to try them on
SMELLS
Musty clothing and upholstery, floor cleaner, dust, old paper
TASTES
Some settings have no specific tastes associated with them beyond what the character might bring into the scene (chewing gum, mints, lipstick, cigarettes, etc.). For scenes like these, where specific tastes are sparse, it would be best to stick to descriptors from the other four senses.
TEXTURES AND SENSATIONS
Gently pushing past people in narrow aisles, a rattling shopping cart that doesn’t roll quite straight, soft clothing, well-worn shoes, testing a couch to see if it’s comfortable, smooth wooden finishes, lumpy throw pillows, ratty stuffed animals, the heft of a jam-packed box, working with a partner to lift and move a heavy piece of furniture, sliding hangers along a metal rack, paperback books curling at the edges, dusty record sleeves
POSSIBLE SOURCES OF CONFLICT
Being short on time and not finding what one wants
A disorganized store
Difficulty finding the clothing one needs in one’s size
Embarrassment over having to shop at the thrift store
Accidentally donating something to the thrift store that was meant to be kept
Customers fighting over merchandise
Running into someone one would like to avoid
Precariously stacked merchandise that is likely to topple if disturbed
Being teased for shopping at the thrift store
Children running wild
A customer hogging the single dressing room
PEOPLE COMMONLY FOUND HERE
Employees, people dropping off donation items, shoppers (individuals, whole families)
RELATED SETTINGS THAT MAY TIE IN WITH THIS ONE
Antiques shop, homeless shelter, pawn shop
SETTING NOTES AND TIPS
For purposes of clarity, a thrift store can be defined as a retail establishment that sells used goods and is often run by a charity. Because the items have usually been donated, there is often a stigma associated with shopping at these stores. Other more socially acceptable thrift stores are ones that only re-sell designer brands. Vintage stores are closely related to the thrift store but vary in that they specialize in clothing and items from the past. Their merchandise is considered “retro” and cool rather than simply old and used.
SETTING DESCRIPTION EXAMPLE
Jackie’s sandals slapped the tile floor as she edged past a lady with a piled-high cart to get to a rack of fancy dresses. Some smelled a bit musty, but it was nothing a good wash couldn’t fix. The hangers scraped along the metal rod as she rejected one after another, and as the selection narrowed, she knew she’d have to stop being so picky. Every cent she saved on a prom dress went straight toward her neighbor’s beat up Ford, and she was determined to claim it before someone else bought it. It would take a good year to restore, but once it was done, the beauty of it would make all this scrimping and saving worth it. A strapless blue silk swished against the floor, and she held it up, giving it a closer look. It would need alterations, definitely. But, considering her lofty goal, this just might be the dress for her.
Techniques and Devices Used: Multisensory descriptions, symbolism
Resulting Effects: Characterization