Woman thrifts a piece of furniture for $199 — fully aware it’s worth a huge fortune

Thrifting has become a hobby for thousands of Americans, as people love to unearth gems and buy them for a lot less than their market value. It is a fantastic way to find high-quality products at low costs. That is exactly what one woman realized recently as she spent $199 at a thrift store for a piece of furniture that otherwise would have cost her thousands of dollars, but she did have to fight to get it.

The woman shared her experience in a post on Reddit, where she said, “Got this Maitland-Smith Scallop Chiffonier for $199 at Salvation Army thrift store during an 'All clothes $3' madhouse clearance event. I was there to find a leather jacket, but the racks had already been looted of all the good stuff. Found this credenza instead!” That amount may seem a lot for a thrift store, but the item she purchased would have originally cost her $5,500 - $7,300.

However, she might not have been able to take the item home had she not fought for it. It turns out that as she was contemplating how to take the massive 250lbs furniture home, another woman came into the store and tried to claim the item from under her nose. This second woman removed the sticker from the item and refused to give it back. It is a common practice in thrift stores to take stickers off products to claim them, as per a Newsweek report.

The original poster described the entire ordeal on the Reddit post, saying,  “Then a rude lady tried to jack it from right under me by coming up and pulling off the sticker price! (As a first timer, I didn’t know that’s how furniture gets claimed). I said, 'Heeeyy, I’ve already claimed this.' She shrugged and was like, 'Oh well.' And wouldn’t give me the sticker back (even when asked by a store clerk later on my behalf).” Thankfully, things didn't escalate further as the store eventually came to her rescue.

The original buyer had to ask the cashier for help, who said that it was fine if she did not have the sticker, as she had a timestamped photograph of the piece as proof that she had been there first. “She said, 'It’s first-come, first-served, so since you’re here ready to buy, it’s yours!' So I dropped the axe and got it! (Made my hubby run 35 minutes from the house to meet me and help load it in the car, while I guarded it with my life!),” the customer added.

“Wow! What a gorgeous piece. Also, scr*w that entitled lady. She deserves to feel all that shame. So happy you pushed past her bs!” one user commented under the post. “What a great find! I really like the door patterns and the wood colours,” quipped another. “That’s beautiful says the Interior Designer that I am!” a third user wrote.

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