Mahoning Valley - The deals you can find at consignment and thrift shops take on a whole new meaning this year as shoppers continue to fight inflation.

While prices are up, there are places you can count on for a deal that might feel like a steal.

Second-hand shops across the Mahoning Valley said they have been busier than usual this Black Friday.

"I actually opened 15 minutes early this morning because people were waiting outside," Owner of Raks Nearly New consignment shop on Belmont Avenue, Jane Hummeny, said. 

Employees at Austintown's Goodwill on Mahoning Avenue said they had a line going through the store Friday morning. 

Hummeny said inflation brought in new customers and keeps the regulars returning, like Maria Strause traveling from out of state to shop the deals.

"I walk out with bags of things that I would've paid hundreds of dollars," Strause said, "I save hundreds of dollars."

Boardman's Love Thy Curves consignment boutique owner Nicolena Bell said they've had a 50% sales increase in just the last three years and are busy as ever this holiday season.

"We have significantly increased," Bell said, "My store is constantly full."

Consignment shops said they're able to keep costs low as they always do, and offer even more discounted deals on designer items you won't find elsewhere.

"Our prices have definitely been able to stay down," Hummeny said, "We see a lot of new consigners coming in. We've had to turn consigners away because there's just so much coming in... We can only hold so much."

On a tighter budget, customers said they still want to indulge in holiday shopping and the kind of deal you could run into in a second-hand shop is priceless.

"It's definitely the place to come if you want to find a good deal on something and go home feeling like a million bucks," Strause said. 

November 26th is Small Business Saturday and both Bell and Hummeny said their shops will be offering more deals.