The Salvation Army Family Store & Donation Center

I wasn’t a fan of this store. I was expecting to maybe find a few things by was surprised to notice how expensive things were. Used couches and furniture were being sold for multiple hundreds, and when I looked up brands, the prices were very similar for a brand new version!
Couches: $ 300+ for noticeably used versions (just as an example).
Save your money and buy brand new for $ 10 more.

***DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME***
I called and set up an appointment for a donation pick-​up at my residence (piece of furniture that won’t fit in my car).
TSA said, «It will be 8 days before we can get there.» No problem.
I wait 8 days. The morning of pick-​up, per their instructions, I called early in the morning to get my «3-​hour window» of when they would be arriving (vs. taking the *whole* day off of work). Dude was super cool and says, «We’ll be there between 9 and noon.» Great!
TSA NEVER SHOWED UP. Never called. Zilch. Zero. Silence.
I called the next day to get an explanation — was asked to leave a detailed voicemail. No one ever returned the call.
DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME.

I made an appt for a pick up for a whole bunch of furniture. It was super easy to set up online. They called and confirmed before my delivery. When they showed up, both terry & sage moved everything so fast and never complained about going up and down a flight if stairs in the heat. It was a great experience and I am very happy to have chosen the salvation army to donate everything!

My rating is based on an incident that happened today but not only that another problem I have with this place. Today I spent $ 37 at this store. One of the items I bought was this super big cool glass cup. I also bought some bowls, a pan, and some clothing. As usual since I live and work right next to the this location I walk home. Not to mention my job is on the left side of it. Anyway I had my hands full walking home with the many bags I had. When I reached my apartment complex I stopped to check the mail. I was bending down to put my bags down so I could get my key out and wouldn’t you know the bag that had the cup in it swung forward and hit the ground. At first I thought maybe it was the bowls but then I realized it was the cup. I immediately knew it was broken. I looked in the bag and sure enough half of one side was all broken. I never even got to use the dang on cup and it was an ACCIDENT.
Which accidents happen that’s life. I was pissed because this cup was $ 5 bucks and it was so cool. So I call the store and ask to speak to a manager and I tell the manager the situation and what happened. Naturally I asked for a refund but the guy refused because they have a NO refund policy and no exceptions. So I ask to speak to a higher up manager and of course he tells me no also. When I further try and explain to him he then proceeds to say «well how is that my fault». I never said it was anybody’s fault and I never blamed anybody but the slack jawed idiot manager wouldn’t even let me finish answering his question. The whole issue I have with this is the fact I never even got to make it home and use the cup before this unfortunate accident happened and now I can’t even get a refund or at least a store credit. In my previous post I said I was a regular customer which I am but I let the manager know that after this I will not be back to this store. Here’s a little tip on customer service especially when you have regular customers. You try and go above and beyond for the customer. When you have a happy customer they will want to keep coming back and giving you business. Recently I stopped coming to this place due to the fact that every time I go in I feel like I am always treated like a thief.
Since it’s been cold I always carry my coat, a sweater I wear around the office at my job, and the book I am currently reading. The same workers would see me come in everyday with the same stuff yet they would always ask me «are those yours do you want those». So I’ve gotten to the point that I tell them these are mine and I come in with them everyday. Once a new guy that works the register wanted to get an attitude with me and raise his voice when I had brought some things up to the counter and I specifically told him what was mine and what I was buying. It didn’t need repeating but apparently he still didn’t understand. It doesn’t matter anymore because I am done with this place and they just lost a regular customer. Sucks because I really like this place and have found some cool things here. I also feel they are way overpriced. Half the stuff they sell are dirty, chipped, or broken and not worth the prices they charge.

I like these larger stores because they do have a better selection of furniture in the style I like — e.g. old people style.
Very clean. The store smelled great and is well organized. Reminds me of a Rooms To Go in the furniture area. Lol.
Their selection of smaller trinket and housewares isn’t as large as I prefer, but still very nice. They do have plenty of well laid out clothes, sectioned by color.

I would give this place a 5 star rating if they had A/​C. It was cooler outside on an Aug afternoon than in the store. BUT, a really clean store, sparkling furniture at great prices, clothing nicely displayed, and non cluttered aisles. I was looking for an old chenille bedspread, but could not locate any comforters or bedspreads. I would certainly stop by again.

Review of making a car donation to Salvation Army:
Jeanette was super organized, helpful, and made the process of donating my car extremely easy. She clearly explained what I needed to do, and worked with me to get a pick up time that would fit into my schedule.
Auctions are once a month. After the car was sold, she called me back with all the details and then sent me documentation for me to put it on my taxes.
Easy, pleasant, and helps people/

Cleanest thrift store ever.
Nice furniture.
Good book selection, I got a ken follett hardback novel for 4 bucks. And my husband a couple hardback Stephen king novels.
And a Glenn miller record for 69 cents :)
Clothes leave something to be desired… guess I should go farther north for quality clothing donations.

Best thrift store I’ve ever been to. Always have good stuff– and hidden deals too. I’ll walk up to the counter with 5 shirts, expecting to spend about $ 20, and they’ll charge me $ 8! Love this story. Not the most organized, but for the price and selection, you can’t beat it. I’ve bought a desk, artwork, cups, shot glasses, shirts, pants, and pretty much anything else you can think of from here.

Having just moved here from Chicago — where I had been to virtually every single Salvation Army thrift store — I must say that this one was the very cleanest, nicest ones I have ever been in. Also, however, they were the priciest. An example: a Queen Anne chair cost $ 89 in there — I paid $ 15 for a similar one in Chicago — and the one in Chicago was bigger! Oh well. It’s a charity, so I don’t mind paying more… but the sticker shock on the furniture was something to behold.
STILL — I knew I was getting a bargain because I’d been pricing chairs all around town and these were the best prices. On the other hand, I did get a nice curtain panel that I am using as a bedspread under a comforter for only $ 2.99. AND the staff in this place is exceptionally nice and helpful. The manager even told us the best days to come back (Thurs). AND he got us a 10% off coupon so that we could save at least the tax. NICE! They also have other sale days as they did in Chicago — so I’ll probably stick to those.
The books, clothes and other household selections were a bit slight — but wow — the furniture! It really did look like a showroom … well kept, thoughtfully designed … you’d forget you’re in a thrift store! So if you are looking for nice furniture — this is a good place to check out. Go on Thurs or another sale day — cuz the prices are a bit high (at least, by my standards). Plenty of parking available in the lot, too!

Yayyyyy!!! Glory be! A true thrift store! I walked away with 2 dresses and spent less $ 7. They had bathing suits for $ 4 and almost all of their shirts are under $ 4. The only thing that’s overpriced is the furniture.

This is my favorite thrift store in Austin so far! Great furniture at really good prices!

I have to say that in all the times I have donated to the Salvation Army, I am thoroughly disappointed in how completely disorganized they are for their pickups. I had scheduled a pickup on a Wednesday. I made it clear I would not be home and was told this was fine, just label my bags and leave them outside. I then receive a phone call while at work that they are at my complex and «if I need to reschedule the pick up» to let them know. I called back and they said I had to be home. I told them, no, this is not what was discussed in the original call. They said they would have to reschedule to Thursday. They were literally at my complex, but had to reschedule.
I go home Wednesday night and all my bags are gone. I left a message asking if they did, in fact, go ahead with the pickup. No one called me back. Today, which is Friday, I get another call that they are there for the rescheduled pickup. I tell them my bags were gone when I got home on Wednesday, so either they were all stolen, or someone did pick them up. They had no way of tracking this.
So 7 bags of donations are missing. Either stolen, or possibly at Salvation Army, but who knows? I cannot believe what a cluster it turned into for a simple pickup.
I would highly recommend Good Will or not using their pickup service. Their customer service was awful, my things are missing, and I have to do all the leg work to try to figure out what did happen to them.

I love to go here and shop. Their inventory changes rapidly, so there’s ALWAYS something new. Color-​tag sales every day. So, it’s like a game of finding something that has that color tag, fits, and looks good. I found an adorable pair of like-​new shoes for less than $ 4. I also got a beautiful dress for $ 3.50.
Minus one star because the dressing rooms are HOT, and often very filthy. I once found a discarded used diaper in there … EWWW! You’ll be sweating if you’re taking your time, trying on a variety of outfits.

First time I came here i was really quite impressed with their furniture selection but was not so impressed with their cloths. I decided to go back again on a Wednesday (½ price cloths) before submitting my review. It took me a while before I finally made it back there and once again I was impressed with the variety and price of the furniture. This time however I was also surprised to find some cloths that I liked as well. I don’t think I would be willing to pay reg price for their clothes but the half off Wednesdays are fine by me. What can I say… Im frugal.

The Salvation Army is my favorite charity organization. I have worked many mother nature disasters in my life and The Salvation Army is always first on the scene (along with the Red Cross) serving up soup, sandwiches and blankets to those in need. This is one of the many reasons why you should shop this place as all the $$ goes for a great organization and cause.
Like all thrift stores you never know what you are going to find. Sometimes I have found some great antique furniture and art pieces here. The clothing is very hit or miss though I recently picked up a cute skirt for $ 3. This Salvation Army stays busy both with incoming stuff and people purchasing so you can come back frequently and find new stuff.
This is the place where I come when I need to donate. They are always very nice and polite and even helped me to get rid of excess boxes that I had recently cluttering up my garage.

«Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get» Forest Gump.
This place is like a giant garage sale every day. Some would say I’m CHEAP and they would be right. I love to look for treasures and have purchased MAJOR furniture for my home and office from this Salvation Army location. I can’t tell you how much money I’ve saved over the years shopping here. Cloths, furniture, lawn mowers, electronics and the list goes on. Don’t forget to donate.
Stop by and check the place out for yourselves and see what I mean.

I donate here and here only. The guys who work the drop off are always on the ball, and nice and helpful. They give back bags and boxes without grunting like its rude to ask for them back. It’s easy and quick every time. I’m glad my donations go to help an organization like this, getting others back to work and educated for new jobs.

The Salvation Army stores in Austin have solidified my love for thrift stores. Now, I can’t buy any clothing over $ 2-​$ 3 or I feel like I’m splurging. COME ON WEDNESDAYS. All the clothing is half off! Super steals! I was able to buy two maxi skirts for under $ 3 each, and two shirts for under $ 1.50 each.
I really appreciate their cleanliness. All the clothing is organized by color, not really by size, but you will hopefully be able to find something in your size. If not, a little sewing work at home should do the trick. There are three or four fitting rooms available as well which are unlocked – no need to go find staff to open them like at department/​mall stores.
If you’re not one for searching through huge racks of clothing for one or two treasures, this place is not for you. I feel like this Salvation Army might not be a great place if you’re going thrift shopping for the first time. Their huge selection and store is a little overwhelming. For this reason, I prefer the Research Blvd location since it’s smaller and easier to navigate through.
Other than clothing, there is a also a large selection of furniture, books, VHS, records, old TVs… whatever you can imagine. Come here if you’re on a tight budget but have an itch to go shopping!

I hit nearly every thrift store south of the river this morning in search of a audio rack that would accommodate my new toy I got on Craigslist. I saw the usual stuff at Thrifttown, Thriftland, Goodwill, and then I hit the door at the Salvation Army on Congress.
While I didn’t find what I was looking for; I stumbled across a stereo that I will remember forever. Think Austin Powers, James Bond, Disco, chest hair, Hugh Hefner, and High Karate meets 1970’s finest audio complete with a bar, and a faux marble fireplace.
My CL purchase was a top of the line THX Ultra certified receiver that retailed for near $ 2000; yet I was jealous of this 8 track, turn table, AM/​FM monstrosity! Perhaps the flicker of the fake fire gets everyone who gazes upon its 1970’s perfection.
So, I didn’t buy her… but you could for a mere $ 599!