The Salvation Army

Review: special 50% more pricing for non locals. Thrift stores are a cool way to get a feel for the history of a local culture. The SA Hilo is no different with its wide lapel, polyester Hawaiian shirts and floral, poof bottom jumpers. I really want to recommend supporting the Hilo community but can’t unless you’re local and can get local pricing.

HELPFUL HINTS
— Seniors 62 and older get a 10% discount!
— Discover, VISA, and MasterCard are accepted here.

Called the Sally Shop on the main drag, the store is medium-​sized for a Salvation Army and surprisingly big for the area. The minimum is definitely here: The right-​hand side of the store houses books, CDs, VHS tapes, knick knacks, household goods, jewelry, the left hand side clothing, bags, leis and other miscellany.
Came looking for a duffel bag to stow luggage overflow: Suitcases are positioned along the wall next to the clothing but bags are in plastic bins at the rear. Found a large Calvin Klein rubber bag in decent condition for $ 6.50, plus a brand new insulated Pyrex holder for $ 3. Didn’t find anything else in the quick walk through, but thrifting is always about serendipity: Actually finding something you needed is the secondhand rainbow miracle.

I love thrift shopping, and the Sally Store never disappoints! I’ve found brand new clothing with tags still on, really nice furniture pieces, even name brand, high end handbags (Coach! They keep them behind the register on display when they have them). If there is something that I need that I can’t find at the local retail stores, I almost always find what I need at the Salvation Army thrift store. My most recent exciting purchase was a heater. My house is at a high elevation and gets very cool, but I couldn’t find a decent heater for a reasonable amout of money anywhere! I walked into the Salvation Army and found a nearly new portable electric heater that I ended up buying for $ 10. Once I got home and researched the brand, I found out it was a very good quality unit that retails for around $ 100! That is not a unique experience. I always find really great household items here.

I like that it’s conveniently located in downtown Hilo. It’s a fairly large store with more than half of it dedicated to clothing. But they also have furniture, electronics, kitchen appliances, plates & cups (forks & knives), linens, kid’s toys, etc.
As was mentioned earlier, they’re not as cheap as they should be. For example, they had a slightly rusty and sticky muffin tin for $ 4.00 but I was able to buy a new tin for $ 6.00 at Target. However, we got a very nice computer chair for $ 25.00. The drinking glasses were reasonable at $ 1.00 /​each. So, the pricing is wacky, but there are deals to be found.
It’s dusty and has a not so fresh smell. We wash all fabric items in the hot cycle as soon as we get them home. So far, so good.
The service is mostly nice but not in the retail sales nice that one may be used to. Also, be prepared to shop with some interesting characters. Harmless enough, but definitely not the Neiman Marcus crowd.
At the end of the day, every purchase you make goes back into your community and helps keep usable goods out of the landfills. So, that’s something.

Sally shop! Love it… they expanded lots more room, like my grandma used to say… One mans trash is another mans treasure.

I come here often. Sometimes you’ll find a good deal but overall it’s overpriced here. They price things like they’re an antique store, yet they shouldn’t because they carry plenty of junk. Their furniture, plateware and kitchenware prices are crazy — $ 2 for scratched up dinner plates and $ 0.50 a fork?! You can get brand new KT items for less at ROSS! I bought an old door mirror for $ 8, then saw a brand new one at Walmart for $ 6…hmm. The management need to be aware of current prices so they can price their goods FAIRLY. Wait to get those things at a garage sale. Sometimes they have decent prices on clothing though, and the sales staff are helpful.
Update: I’ve gotten some better deals here in the past year, and the people are still friendly and helpful.

Pretty good thrift store. They get an extra star for having blankets after we had a cold couple of nights and needed some extras for cheap. Can’t beat 2 blankies for $ 6.

I’ve been searching for months for the perfect lauhala tote bag. Not too big, not too small, perfect for a day at the beach or a day window shopping, doesn’t have to be exquisite but didn’t want anything that was gonna fall apart after a week.
Canvassed Oahu to no avail, then figured I’d definitely be able to find one at one of the craft fairs over Merrie Monarch weekend. I found a bag that I LOVED, but, alas, it was $ 900. Nine hundred American dollars! Then I found another one I liked: it was $ 700! WTF, man. The ones in my price range, under $ 50, were definitely of low quality and were guaranteed to fall apart at an inopportune time.
I was in despair when we happened to walk past the Salvation Army and what was in the window? The perfect lauhala bag! They had just closed but I peeked my head in and asked/​sang «How much is that bag-​gie in the window?» I gave them $ 15, they gave me the bag and I went on my Merrie way.