Care & Share Thrift Shoppes

A very decent chain of thrift stores, all split up by category (housewares, clothing/​jewelry, furniture, etc) among different store fronts in the same plaza — I mainly frequent the by-​the-​pound outlet store and the housewares store, and there are good deals to be had. I love that every week there is a color tag on sale for 50% off. It’s hit or miss, as I suppose any store is. I think at times they take themselves to be an antique store, and price as such, and other times you get a good deal because something desirable/​collectible is priced very afford-​ably. I’ll keep going back if I am in the area, which I am regularly.

IGNORANT WOMAN WITH LONG BROWN HAIR WORKING FRI ³⁄₂₀ AROUND 6:30 IN THE BOOK STORE…
The actual thrift stores are great and so are the prices. The employees there are very helpful except for a woman who was working on Friday March 20^th in the BOOK STORE who has LONG BROWN HAIR she was the rudest person I’ve ever come in contact with… I have a daughter who has special needs and uses a walker… I was carrying her and a walker… I was borrowing a cart from the thrift store two doors down. When I entered the bookstore I asked the woman with the long brown hair if it was possible for me to leave the cart right near the door… she looked at me as if I had 10 Heads… She responded NO take it back right now is if she were talking to a child… I explained to her my situation with my daughter having special needs and her response was no take the cart back right now. I was floored because I already had spent $ 300 that night at the thrift stores. I said nevermind I’m not spending any money in this store… I said to the woman do you not have any compassion… I said you should… she made a smart comment and I said what did you say there was another smart comment made and I walked out… It’s a shame but someone that is this ignorant can ruin it for everyone because unfortunately even though the rest of my experience was positive… if someone were to ask about the thrift shops… The rude ignorant woman with long brown hair in the book store is what stands out in my mind. I hope this woman reads this review and realizes how rude and ignorant she was… Sometimes you need to take a second and put yourself in someone else’s shoes and she would understand just how hard it is for me… It’s not as if I were trying to steal a cart.

As others have mentioned, this thrift shop has everything separated by item: outlet room, clothing, knick knacks, furniture.
The outlet room is great for cheap books (only 29c a pound!), but I didn’t find anything else. There were some neat things in the knick knack room though.
Every weeks it looks they do different color tags on sale, so that’s always a plus. It’s worth a look if you’re in the area though.

Good thrift shop

Our family of five first went to the Care not long after moving to the area from Santa Fe in June. We had driven past it on many occasions and finally decided to drop in and check it out on a Saturday while running other errands.
The place is laid out strip mall style and is actually a series of stores that include a furniture store, used books, clothing, a variety store and finally a clearance store that sells the stuff that doesn’t really sell at the other shops, only by weight. The staff are friendly, helpful and attentive around the shoppes.
Our first stop was the furniture store. We weren’t expecting to buy anything but wanted to check it out anyway. They price their items with different color price tags and every Saturday, have a 75% off sale of a particular color. Like I said, we walked in not expecting to buy anything and walked out with a bunch of great stuff!
Now, much of the stuff in the stores is priced much higher than we would normally pay for second hand items but they give so much back to the community. We kind of feel guilty only going on Saturdays!
Back to the review. The book store carries a wide variety of books, movies and video games. Everyone in our family always finds something good to read, from Dad and Mom to the 11, 7 and 6 years olds respectively.
I think next to the furniture store, the variety store is our second favorite place to stop in. Dishes, kitchen essentials, knick knacks, toys, pet supplies, games and a whole lot more. We always make a few great finds during our Saturday outings. Our last great find was a cast iron fondue set that normally retails at $ 105, priced at $ 12.99. After the 75% discount, we walked out of there with it at $ 3.25. You just can’t beat that.
We don’t normally stop into the clothing store but the last time we did, found a few decent things for the kids. Mom and I haven’t really looked for ourselves yet.
Finally the clearance store! Everything is priced by weight and priced low at that. Although NOT priced by weight, I bought each of my three kiddos near perfect condition bikes for a fraction of what I would pay at a regular store. We usually walk away with a box or bag full of stuff for under $ 10.
I cannot say enough good things about The Care and Share Shoppes. Within the last couple months, we’ve made several purchases of large furniture items and plan on continuing to shop at all the shops for as long as we live in the area.

Today they were selling a used Energizer headlamp flashlight thing for $ 12 — which is what they cost new. Also for sale — a folding beach chair — WalMart, $ 12 — Care & Share, $ 39. It’s so bizarre — it’s impossible to figure out how they are pricing these donated items. Do they look on Ebay — and see what the craziest price an item has sold for — and then use that number? Meanwhile — I found a gently used LLBean sweater for $ 1 — retail $ 40. I’ll keep coming back — but I’ll keep scratching my head.

I love thrift stores, but I have been forced to cross this one off my list. I have been a long time supporter with donating hundreds of items over the years and purchasing things as well. Unfortunately that all ends today. When a non profit organization focuses on getting the highest profit from used donated items, at the expense of their community its time to end this relationship. If a thrift store is going to call itself care and share, then it should remember to take CARE of those walking in their doors. Customers are in NEED too. Because I disagreed with the volunteer at the cash register I was told I had to speak with a manager. When relaying my story, the manager told me to stop being abusive to the volunteers. I am not a mean person, but I can no longer tolerate this business. The prices as I have known for years are ridiculous. Even comments on their own FB page have price being the major complaint. But of course they do try to reply back with lame justifications as to why their volunteers price junk at unbelievable value. There are enough places that will take my donations without the hassle of infuriating me at the same time.
My advice to all — take your goods and services elsewhere.

If you look at the 2013 Unilocal reviews the consistent con is the pricing. I have been shopping here for years, and the prices are creeping up and some make no sense at all. I’m not sure if whoever is doing the pricing is a «shopper» or not, but some things in housewares/​décor are marked MORE expensive than if you bought it new at Walmart or Kohls or HomeGoods or Ross down the street. I saw one item for $ 15 and when I looked it up at Kohls it was $ 9. Be careful of that. There are so many I can’t bring each up to the cashier. It appears that sometimes the staff forgets that these items are USED, WORN IN, DONATED. Perhaps prices are purposely marked high, so that on those 50% off days — you feel like its such a deal when really that’s the appropriate price for the item all along. Sadly, that’s the same tactic Kohls uses with their coupons, and I feel a thrift store should be better than that. Especially one connected to a Mennonite church affiliation. Impact Thrift and Salvation Army do a much better job at pricing consistently.
There is no denying it is well organized, clean and categorized. If the prices got back under control like they were a few years ago, this would be a 5 star organization.

I have always loved this store even though the prices are a bit high for a thrift. Still, there is a good selection of vintage and antique items. One complaint is that the toy section is becoming exceedingly junky. I think they are accepting way too many, especially junky looking noise making baby toys. That section is always stuffed to the gills and seems like every time I go, the same stuff is there.

I love care and share.
However over the past year or so the prices have been going up and for it being a 2^nd hand store… Mmmmm… Some items are not much cheaper than if bought brand new
So…
However it’s a nice clean place.
They have alot of items they bring out daily.
Thanks to all who drop off donations out back.
I like that they extended their hours.

I never leave this place empty handed. The selection is very good and well organized. The items are for the most part in good condition. I have found really good bargains like a pair of ski pants for $ 10 that were in perfect shape and retail for over $ 100. The staff is very friendly and helpful. They do sales once in a while at the end of the season and you can get things for 50% less than the price that you would normally pay. This place is worth the visit.

Care and Share is ok, but my 2-​star review is because of their Ebay store. They regularly price items at 7 to 8 times their value or more. For example, there is currently a listing for 2 Napa Valley cassette tape holders for $ 100 (+$ 13 shipping). These cassette holders are very common and can be found at any garage sale or thrift store for $ 5 or less.
I don’t care what the cause or charity is. You shouldn’t take advantage of your customers by charging exorbitant prices for common items. You have multiple shops — I’m guessing you’re already doing pretty well without fleecing your customers for more money.
I’m happy to buy a $ 5 item and choose to donate $ 5 more for a good cause during my purchase. I find any charitable organization that makes this decision for me (and then some, and then some more), is abhorrent.
I will definitely not be purchasing anything from Care and Share’s Ebay store, and doubt I’ll be visiting their physical stores in the future.

I used to shop here all of the time. But the prices are very high now. I live nearby, but I shop elsewhere.

Ive been going to Care and Share for years and every time i visit i always seem to find something (or a bag full).
I appreciate how everything at all the Care and Share shops are clean and well organized. There are now 5 stores — clothing, variety, furniture, books, and a thrift outlet store.
I will continue to visit all of the Care and Share shops whenever I’m in the area visiting my family. I miss this place when I’m in Virginia.

My favorite place (s) to shop! Everything is is good condition, organized, and at a great price. There are 5 seperate stores: books, furniture, clothing, variety and outlet. All the proceeds go to Mennonite Central Committe for aid, relief and development work accross the world. The stores are mostly run by volunteers.

It was only after I moved to NYC that I TRULY appreciated how great a thrift store Care & Share is.
Everything here is clean and organized. Clothes are organized by color AND size, which saves a ton of time. Clothing is extraordinarily cheap. There’s now a separate store for clothes, variety, furniture, books, and a whole separate outlet store that sells stuff for stupid cheap. I got 7 books (mostly hardcovers) for 99 cents!
I will continue to love this place. It’s really nice to see that they’re expanding.

Love this place, despite my best efforts. On the third Friday of each month, everything is 50% off. So this past Friday I went in and got:
Two pairs of pants (from Gap, in my size)
4 silk scarves (to wear as headbands in the summer)
3 gold chains (thin ones, but the perfect length for some of the pendents I have at home)
1 clutch purse (grey, super cute, perfect size for clubbing)
1 black shirt from NY and Co.
2 bowls for my kitchen
1 vintage candle-​holder
1 bag of misc fabric for making pillows
For $ 25.
And for $ 20 my sister got a whole set of china– service for 4…
You really can’t beat that.
So yes it’s crowded, and yes you have to go through a lot of junk to find the gems, but you’ll never leave empty-​handed.

Actually 3 different stores side by side. Clothing, furniture, then books and suitcases and whatever else.
Clothing selection is compact but packs a punch. Nice old cardigans for $ 4 that you’d pay $ 32 for in San Francisco. Also a good amount of flannel and plaid long sleeved shirts.
You can find a book or two in the other store. Not really any records. A lot of junk in here, but worth scanning.
There are some really nice old furniture pieces. Pricey but worth it if you’re looking.
The kind of place you could visit once a month and be happy and satisfied with your finds.

This place has a ton of stuff! I couldn’t believe how busy it was on a Thursday afternoon. It was definitely worth the trip and I plan on going back. I found a lot of stuff to be kind of overpriced for a thrift shop, but I was able to find some gems – a piece of hand-​painted Italian pottery among them – that had been priced pretty well. If you go here, look beyond the things that are displayed in an orderly fashion and take the time to search through the heaps and stacks of random stuff and you’ll find something good, too! I spent so much time in the household goods section that I didn’t even get to the clothing.. .

Consistently wonderful. These people ought to write a ‘How To” book on thrift shops.
Pros: The Shoppes are split into three distinct areas: «Furniture» «Clothing» and «Variety» (everything else). This makes it easy to find what you want., without having to wade through the stuff you’re not interested in.
There’s nothing NASTY in there. Items are meticulously clean, and sorted into the appropriate areas. Staff walks around and tidies up behind messy shoppers. No gnarly stuffed animals~ Amen!
The staff are helpful, and careful to ring you up properly.
Items are tested, and they put a sticker on that says «WORKS» or describe what does not work (i.e. «lights up, does not make noise») so you know you’re not going home with a ‘dud’.
They check the games and puzzles for ALL the parts, then seal the boxes to keep anklebiters from befouling them!
The Variety Section has books, movies, toys, household/​kitchen stuff.
Sets (like cannisters) are marked ‘Set of 3″ so you end up with all the pieces you need. (Or so some stinker doesn’t bogart just the one they’re missing, leaving you outta luck.) Knitting needles are measured by size (sometimes they’re a size or two off.)
Books are seperated by genre. All kids books in one sections, mags in another, etc.
Extra cool stuff is sold either though ‘Silent Auctions” or on ebay.
Between «Furniture» and «Variety» they have a Fair Trade Store. The chocolate and jewelry are tops; great for gifts!
Lots of sewing supplies. They also ‘recycle’ by making bags, quilt squares, and rags out of clothes that don’t sell. I think this is also how they get such a great selection of buttons.
Cons: The stores are so popular that it’s often elbow-​to-​elbow in there on a Saturday.
They only take donations until 4pm. And they’re FIRM on that. (We’ve missed the deadline several times.)
Not open on Sunday, and only 1 night a week, hence the crowds on Saturday.
The only other thing I would suggest is that they have a few boxes of ‘Parts” for kids toys and games. If you know what they are, you can buy them for your replacements. (Many thrifts throw out partial games, and mfg’s can charge almost as much for ‘parts’ as they do a whole game. This could be lucrative if a thrift store worked it right!)
Better than Heaven: HALF-​PRICE sales. Folks start lining up an hour before they open!