HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- From racks of slacks to a $1.50 tie, Goodwill has always been a spot for low cost items.

But thrifty is now more essential than ever with the economic worries. More and more people are shopping for a deal.

"Business is great," Kim Lewis with Goodwill said. "It's booming. In fact, we've had the highest sales during the month of October in Goodwill's history, up 21 percent over last year."

The upward trend started kicking in when gas prices started to climb in June and got better every month.

June - 6% increase
July - 8% increase
August - 11% increase
September - 10% increase
October - 21% increase

Roberta Johnson has been a loyal thrift store shopper saving money for years.

"Deals? My jacket still had tags on it.. maybe five bucks," Roberta Johnson said.

Bad news on the bankruptcy front appears to be good news for Goodwill. Many clothes and shoes from Steve & Barry's ended up at the local Goodwill.

It is not all good news for thrift stores. While more people are grabbing deals, fewer people are donating items. Contributions usually nearly touch the roof this time of year, but they are obviously down now.

"Donations are a little bit on the low side," Lewis said. "But as Christmas nears, clean out closets and give it all to Goodwill."

Brody Nash is the manager of Habitat for Humanity's ReStore, a place that is also seeing a boom. The store takes donations of construction items and household goods, brand new and used. You'll find anything from discounted cans of spray paint to new cultured stone to spruce up your house.

"Most of our customers are do it yourselfers that want to save a buck," Brody Nash said. "We have seen quite a bit of growth in the last three months. I don't know if I can contribute that to the economy or just more people finding out that we are here or that we are open to the public and we offer great bargains."