I went to the grand opening of Red White and Blue Thrift Store here in San Diego (1669 Euclid Ave), and you guys… it was INSANELY busy. I’m talking hundreds of people, packed aisles, and the kind of checkout line that’s going to have you standing there for hours. I tried to push through because obviously I wanted to see what the store was giving on opening day, but the crowd level was just not it. So I pivoted and headed over to Hope of the Mission (3222 University Ave) for their sale day instead. If you’re local, they do 25% off on Tuesdays and Thursdays before 3 pm, which is such a good little thrifting hack when you want deals without the chaos. I’m still super curious about Red White and Blue, but I’m personally going to wait until the hype dies down and they’ve had time to restock—then I’ll go back and do a proper thrift-with-me when it’s actually shop-able. Overall takeaway: grand openings can be fun, but sometimes the best thrifting move is knowing when to leave and hit a better spot.