Salvation Army

Always smells funky and the staff weren’t overly helpful or pleasant. The prices are steep for second hand. I prefer to shop here second hand over value village but I’d almost rather neither. It’s too bad. I’ve been going since forever and it’s just going downhill.

The Salvation Army has become a real JOKE! I can walk into any Salvation Army store and find a number of items they have that they are selling above retail of the same item brand new, less a warranty or return policy. I don’t understand how they can get away with that? They sell knowingly broken items and will not give you your money back and on a lot of items you can’t even return, broken or not! Who else can get away with that? Besides Value Village, who are even more greedy. I have been out right told by several Salvation Army staff in various locations that they are now following Value Village Pricing practice. It’s a matter of greed and they are pricing out the very people this store was developed for! They don’t seem to understand if the prices were much lower they would have a much bigger Customer base and sell more rather then sell less at higher prices and leave the people who need it out in the cold. The two worse stores I have been in are the Beacon Hill Store and the Innes Road Store. the Beacon hill store is just a disaster! you have to dig under things to get to other things or watch you don’t trip over something in the isle. It is a total mess! and like the rest have become, out priced and greedy. The Innes road store is much cleaner but the staff in there are terrible. The little Manager that runs around there with a scarf on her head all the time wouldn’t smile at you to save her life! One interaction I had with her was over several watches I had my eye on the week before. But for some reason the price had gone up $ 2 per watch? I offered her the first price I saw them at which was $ 3 per watch, none of them working, no guarantee and no returns! She said she couldn’t do that, exact words. I said ok I will leave them then. Next thing I know she had rung them in at the price I offered? I said I thought you couldn’t do that? She looked at me and said do you want them or not? I couldn’t believe the attitude. But that’s par for the course at this store. I use to frequent these stores to buy gifts for people. knick knacks around the house or office, even clothes sometimes and work clothes. But with the prices going NUTS and the staff getting worse I have gone from going 1 or 2 times a week to maybe once every 2 weeks or so. I think my visits are going to spread a lot further apart if I go anymore. I think if they want to charge these crazy prices, which I think is going to raised salaries etc. for staff, then they should have the same rules as every other retail outlet. Which means a proper return policy and warranty period. And not aloud to sell things they know are broken. These stores are suppose to help people who need to buy things at a lower price and use what they make to help various charities. I somehow doubt they are still non profit! I honestly think Salvation Army and Value Village need to be legally investigated and someone needs to find out just where the money is really going. You have to have a lot of nerve to ask $ 699.00 for a keyboard at Value Village and it has no warranty and no return! A couple of weeks ago I tried to purchase an X-​box and when I went to the counter to see what came with it, because the note on the item said it was tested working and the controls that came with it were at cash 1. They came back and told me it was actually broken and did not work. Something was a little weird so I took down the serial number of the item. I went back a few days later to find the same X-​box on sale again but now it was $ 49.00 instead of the $ 19.00 I could have paid for it. Same X-​box same serial number, same controls. That’s just not right!

The Alta Vista Drive outlet is my go-​to because it is closest to where I live. I refuse to go to Value Village across the street as they are a for-​profit organization and their prices are outrageous for a thrift store.
However having said that, I have to say there are a few problems with this one.
There is no handicap parking near it; nor are people in wheelchairs, walkers or moms with toddlers in strollers able to maneuver through the entrance without difficulty or hurting themselves, or damaging their valuable mobility devices. It is anything but handicap friendly.
The staff are wonderful, friendly and helpful but the store is set up that even with a walker I cannot walk around the store without obstacles at every turn. Aisles that are not wide enough or merchandise on the floor preventing anyone from steering around them without ending up falling.
I have also noticed in the last year that the prices are skyrocketing to near Value Village prices!!! How does this help the poor and disabled who are trying to make ends meet?
The auctions are fun, but lately I’ve noticed that there are some serious outside or inside bidders that will overbid so high that it is impossible for the average person to bid on things. As well, you cannot even look at these items for auction until 2 days before. I suspect a lot of these things are either going to staff themselves or to a «consignment shop» and the owners are inflating the price further and pocketing the cash.
They have tried numerous designs to the stores layout but none seem to work and the same problems occur over and over.
It’s really too bad because as I said, the staff are awesome and hard working. But whoever manages this thrift store should really move on into retail as their pricing is way too high for this type of establishment.

This Salvation Army is an okay thrift store. The sections are well organized and they occasionally have good clothing for very fair prices. However, when I come in, I usually go straight for their knick knack selection because they often have unique items. If you’re still clinging to the medium like I am, they also have a large collection of VHS. I managed to find a copy of Deliverance (yesss!) here last time I went and I’ve picked up a couple other titles in the past. If you’re in a thrift store mood, there’s also a Value Village across the street.