Okay, you guys have me wanting to give the Value Village here a retry. I hadn't been to one of these in many years, and I had to scratch my head the last time I went to the one around here, with $12+ very average-looking blankets and lots of other stuff that I thought was a bit overpriced for what it was. I went in looking to pick up some cheap cloth to cut up and use for cleaning, and I came away with a $19.25 1990(?) Specialized Hardrock in decent shape. That's what happens sometimes.
Also, I have no idea if it's a problem in any of your areas, I was reminded of the potential nightmare of bed bugs by overhearing somebody talking about them in the store while they were considering buying an upholstered chair. This of course can be a riskier buy than a sweater because furniture probably doesn't get much more than a cosmetic cleaning in a thrift store. I really don't know for sure, though, what it gets. Clothes are washed first, as far as I know, but if you are worried about bed bugs, bag your clothes in plastic and run them in a hot dryer (I'd recommend a laundromat dryer because of how much hotter they tend to run than non-commercial dryers) for awhile. I think the freezer works too, but it's slower from what I've read.
ETA: I should have said to take the clothes out of the plastic bag before putting them in a hot dryer
