Habitat for Humanity ReStore – Riverside

I have been to this re-​store and the one in Redland… and liked each for different reasons… this store is more expensive… but if you are in need of kitchen cabinet door they have a very large selection… but at $ 5.00 a door I’m holding out for Redlands where they price theirs at a buck. At riverside if something isn’t priced your out of luck there is never a manager around to price it… and don’t try to return. I bought a little CD player priced at 10.00. I asked if there was any problems could I return it… Instead we plugged it in and it seemed fine… later same day in garage CD player stops playing after 3 – 4 min. I take it bck. Nope. Exchange? Store credit? Just no. No nononon. Pffft. Lesson learned.

This is what happened on my visit today. No alterations and no exaggerations.
I walk into the store. It’s like a warehouse with tall racks similar to those of Costco’s. My boyfriend and I venture to the furniture section, where we find such great buys. We purchased a gray desk for $ 5, a black and white desk for $ 10, and two chairs at $ 3 each.
We go to the register to pay and ask the girl at the front desk if we can borrow their cart. She says no. So, we go to the car, take apart one of the desks and are able to fit it into the car. Yay! We try to take apart the second desk, but the screws are old and broken. My boyfriend tells me he’ll deal with it. I go back in to pass time.
My boyfriend pushes the cart from the Restore all the way to our apartment, about a mile away. This takes him nearly an hour to go there and back. While he does so, I am waiting patiently at the Restore, as some symbolical insurance that we’re not stealing the cart.
My boyfriend comes back with the cart, and we leave. I forget my phone, so I go back in and grab it. An employee for the Restore approaches me and proceeds to chastise me (as if I’m five) for taking the cart. I’m about to tell him that I did not take the cart, and that my boyfriend did so without my permission when, lo and behold, my boyfriend walks in.
The guy shifts the conversation onto my boyfriend, in unreasonably loud volume. He proceeds to tell him that the cashier told him he can’t use the cart. He says, and I quote, «If you asked, we could have made accommodations.» This is a flat out lie. We did, in fact, ask the cashier, and no such accommodations were made. This is when I began to lose respect for this guy. Because I didn’t want to escalate the situation, I kept my mouth shut.
I will NEVER give this location my business again. It’s a shame, because it’s such a great cause. Try other locations. The staff is nicer, the merchandise is more organized and you don’t have to deal with the Riverside heat.
The only positive is how nice the volunteers were (the people in the red/​orange vests that read «Volunteer»). The staff are cranky people, who lack the customer service skills to get a job elsewhere.

I’ve been in here when it’s been good, but the last few times I’ve been in have left me feeling a little less happy with the service they provide.
They have increased the prices on many of their big ticket items. They used and unused furniture prices are ridiculously high. They’re selling pieces of each sectional separately for outrageous prices. The outdated media centers and credenzas are way overpriced. In addition, some of the odds and ends are so obscure and I can’t even fathom as to their function.
In the past, I have found getting there early in the day is better. Often times, the contractors get there early and wipe out all the good stuff. That’s not to say that there isn’t any good stuff there. There is if you know what you’re looking for.

Not impressed, thats all I can say. A lot of digging to do, lots of hardware and little things that only God knows what they are. Im a Do It YourSelfer, so i’m always looking for things to get my little home projects done but I just didn’t feel home here.
I guess if you are in the area, check it out but don’t just drive to come here.
There are a lot of doors, lots of cabinets and a few new dining sets, even a couple of racks with random cloths and even a gown or a custom. Weird!
I’m used to the Anaheim and Santa Ana locations which have more stuff to get your house clean and organized and furniture. but then again, it could be just me and my crazy thoughts

Was excited to check them out. Heard some pretty good stuff about them, but they’re staff is rude. That pretty much sums up the trip. When the employees make you feel stupid, and give you attitude, it doesn’t foster any thoughts of going back.

I just called ReStore to see if they would like 300 square feet of new carpet and padding and they just told me that it was not cost effective for them to pick it up. You know you try and do something good and they shoot you down… Looks like the dump will get better use out of it.

This Place use to be Good.
Items are used and expensive for example I found a solar light the kind you put on patio to allow light to come in. It was scratched and used I asked one of the reps to help me and give me price and he said he said $ 60 new is $ 65 another example a 14×14 air vent new at home Depot $ 21.95 here $ 20 Hello what is the benefit … and when I asked why so much African American guy with Glass’s say we are so % lower then store i said no and he gave me an attitude Place needs a clean up.
I will donate to animal Thrift store on Magnolia Now.

Prices are high… Unless they are running a special. Employees are not very friendly. One of the woman managers was really rude! I prefer to go to habitats other locations in Orange County.

Came here to volunteer with my fraternity by painting a house for a family that was in need. We showed up at 8am on a Saturday hungover and tired from the night before. I had an enjoyable time doing this, all the supplies were provided for us, and we were organized in a way to efficiently paint this house. However… The manager guy, Dave, was the biggest A-​hole ever. He was extremely condescending and exemplified a type-​A personality to the most extreme. If not for my bro’s and the nice people volunteering there, this guy would have ruined the experience.
But I DO recommend volunteering!

i love this store too! It’s the very best for great vintage finds (i swear half my kitchen in from habitat). Most of the stuff i usually get is like .50-​$ 25. reallly awesome finds.

I love this store. The staff is the best. Especially the women, sorry guys. You are great to but have to give a shout for the girls. Today bought a microwave/​vent for over the stove. Half off. Paid 100.00. That is the best. Tenant stole mine when they moved out so have been living without vent for 8 months. So excited.
Thank you. Jody

Years ago this place had a great selection of building materials at awesome prices. Sadly that is not the case anymore.
A large portion of the warehouse is crowded with overpriced garage sale junk. Some examples: a rusty washing machine that was at least 30 years old (avocado green) for $ 85, some well worn couches for $ 400 and some used bikes missing key components (seats, handlebars, forks, etc.) for around $ 100. There were some building components but you could easily buy brand new at Home Depot for less — there’s no way I am going to pay $ 275 for a used metal French door missing the frame and hinges or $ 125 for a banged up wood door.
If this is the way this store is all the time, it is a big waste of resources for this charity since I seriously doubt they sell enough to cover their overhead and employee expenses.
Head a bit north to the Redlands Restore… their prices are more in line with what you would expect for used building materials.

Many different items. Some are way over priced. Problem is there are two female employees who lack professionalism to their customers. They seem angry and hostile, even to the other employees.

This is as good as it gets. Say goodbye to boredom. Say hello to new home projects and new/​used goods at a fraction of the cost.
I was remodeling my office area and was looking for a door. We hit the Azusa store first, found a beautiful 10-​lite never-​been-​used door for $ 65, then started looking around. Wow. This is all from donations — new windows, cupboards, furniture, appliances, hardware, tile, tools, and all the other goodies you find in Home Depot at a fraction of the cost. But some of this stuff is first class, rejected stuff from high end contractors.
Just remember, this is all donated stuff, so they never have the same thing.
This makes shopping for your home re-​do a real adventure, and the payoff is you save money while you help Habitat in meeting their goals too. And they do take donations, don’t forget. Get that #&%* out of your garage!
The ReStores are located all over So Cal and can bring surprises every day. Well I should qualify this — they are closed on Sunday and Monday, but every other day. Have fun!