YIKES!-Salvation Army prices

[Indiana Rose Lee]

our goodwill does the same thing with donated furniture. it is so crazy. they also changed their return policy. we buy less, because i now won't buy a shirt or jeans without a kid to try them on.

 

[wdwfan16]

i think they are both ridiculously high. New clothing on clearance at kohls, penneys, etc is cheaper and unused. Heading out to penneys tonight to use some of the $10 off anything coupons, i can outfit the kid for the summer for the price of sales tax. I don't get it.

i have found goodwill is usually overpriced too. Half the time i can get the item cheaper at kohls or target if they are on sale. The one time i went to goodwill and they had items that i had purchased at target a few months prior from the dollar section for $2! Why would a second hand store charge twice as much as the regular store?!?

ita

 

[threecrazykids]

I also have noticed an increase in prices at the local "chain" thrift stores. I thought the mission was to of course raise money but just as equally important give an outlet for people to purchase reasonably priced items.
Drives me nuts.....this stuff was free to them, why do they have to gouge and frankly they price it so many people cannot afford.
I also get frusterated when they will pull a listing off Ebay and then use the asking ebay price to price their items. Just saw this yesterday with a set of Piano books.....the ebay "price" was $120, so they wanted $100. I am keeping up with the ebay listing out of curiousity, but see it did not sell.
Our local habitat store is also "famous" for overpricing. They will get in donated items from Lowes. It will be without the box and they will post the Lowes price and consider it their price. Again people.....it was given to you for free. Why would I buy a ceiling fan from Habitat without a box, possibly missing parts, no waranty, instruction manual or return priveleges for EXACTLY what I can pay for it down the street at Lowes.
However apparently some people do, cause they do seem to move items there. I just cannot understand how though. I used to enjoy thrift shopping, never knew when you would find a gem....but now I just avoid them because they are so frusterating with the pricing.

I totally agree with this. These items were DONATED! They got them for free, so they are getting 100% of the profit! I just don't understand WHO buys this stuff for the same price you can buy it new. I get the whole "buying from here so you're giving to a good cause" but again, the point of the store is to get reasonably used items for a discounted price, not "trash worthy" at the original retail price.
But again as another poster said...they move their merchandise, but I'm wondering if it's really being sold or if it's going to the trash or being moved to another store. I know the Goodwill's in our area when they get too much will ship it to another local store if they don't have room.
So frustrating.

 

[monterey]

We are lucky to live in a northern suburb of Chicago. There's good and bad for the same price. The chlothing can be quite nice, like Lilly Pulitzer for $3.50, or Kmart. We also have furniture roulette, where the good stuff can be gone in an hour or so.

 

[nunzia]

I also have noticed an increase in prices at the local "chain" thrift stores. I thought the mission was to of course raise money but just as equally important give an outlet for people to purchase reasonably priced items.
Drives me nuts.....this stuff was free to them, why do they have to gouge and frankly they price it so many people cannot afford.
I also get frusterated when they will pull a listing off Ebay and then use the asking ebay price to price their items. Just saw this yesterday with a set of Piano books.....the ebay "price" was $120, so they wanted $100. I am keeping up with the ebay listing out of curiousity, but see it did not sell.
Our local habitat store is also "famous" for overpricing. They will get in donated items from Lowes. It will be without the box and they will post the Lowes price and consider it their price. Again people.....it was given to you for free. Why would I buy a ceiling fan from Habitat without a box, possibly missing parts, no waranty, instruction manual or return priveleges for EXACTLY what I can pay for it down the street at Lowes.
However apparently some people do, cause they do seem to move items there. I just cannot understand how though. I used to enjoy thrift shopping, never knew when you would find a gem....but now I just avoid them because they are so frusterating with the pricing.

I agree 100%. This is what drives me nuts. You are GIVEN stuff..so get rid of it..quantity at lower prices instead of trying to gouge people. Our Goodwill is a pigsty, overflowing with crap, and yet, they still have stupid prices on things $3-5 dollars for VHS tapes??? $25.00 for a beat up peeling rolling TV stand?. And yes, it drives me nuts when you see that 'sign' "Ebay price of $$$$" LISTING something on ebay isn't SELLING soomething on Ebay. If you think it's worth so much on Ebay, then go through the time and expense and then TRY and SELL IT ON EBAY (I see these signs at yard sales too). Also..decide what you are..a THRIFT store or a COLLECTIBLE store. I just shake my head..they should have a set price for things and just stick with it. I've seen POC Christmas ornaments with $5.00 on it and then picked up a Nambe for 25 cents..
Our Goodwill does the sort clothes by color thing too.. ridiculous..I'm not digging through huge long rows of items looking for sizes.
Also, yes, they are there to help people, but please, have a manager who will keep people in line,,.I'm tired of hearing all the expolits of their really scuzzy looking and acting employees who congegate talking about the last party while the floor is filthy and the shelves are a huge mess.

 

[DisneyKT]

At the Goodwills around here, all the shirts are the same price (It's either $3.97 or $4.97, I can't remember which.) But half of them are old grungy Faded Glory brand from Wal-Mart, that you can buy NEW for the same price.

You are so right. I don't even go in our local one anymore. I go to privately owned thrift shops, they are so much better.

 

[wendylovesdisney]

Around here ALL kids clothes are 1.99 and they have coupons you can get for 20% if you donate items. Also, weekly they have 50% off items. I love my local one. It is very clean!

 

[acename]

I haven't been to Salvation Army, but the Goodwills near me a pretty reasonable. They have their share of yucky stuff, but if you have time to really look you can find some good things. All the baby clothes (0-24 months) are 50 cents per piece at my favorite one. Most men's and women's clothes are 2.50 per piece. On Monday and Tuesday they have half off a certain color tag. The housewares are pretty reasonable as well. Last night I got my son 2 pair of shorts and 2 cute Mickey Mouse glasses for 2 dollars total. My daughter gets a book pretty much every time we go because they are just a quarter. The furniture and toys are a bit overpriced though.

The thing I hate is what a PP mentioned about clothes organized by color and not size. You have to have lots of time or be really luck to find good items. Especially women's tops. I would probably buy more if things were organized better. With 2 young kids it's just hard to devote that much time.

 

[thebeesknees]

I've quit going to our Sally's and Goodwill because of the overpricing and the clutter. $75 for a dinged-up particle-board bookcase? $45 for used tennis shoes? C'mon, guys! I still do shop at the ARC store, though. Their prices are better, and they usually have 1/2 off one color, as well as having everything organized much better. I was able to snag a nice white maxi skirt today (looks like the one Target has on sale this week for $18) and a new blouse for $6.50 total. Both were brand new. The other reason I shop and donate there is because my sister is developmentally disabled, so I feel like I am giving to a charity that is close to my heart.

 

[lomorton]

We shop at the Goodwill in San Francisco, and have found some pretty amazing deals...Ansel Adams print and frame for under $10, brand-new still wrapped large wool ikea rug($20), and other silly and unnecessary finds.

Salvation Army on the other hand is out of control! Their nasty used and stained rugs are usually at least $50, and their clothing pricing is hyper-inflated. I only go the SA when they have half-off sales, usually around Christian holidays.

I wish we had private thrift stores in the Bay Area...what we have are called Vintage shops! Where you pay 10 times the amount that the owner paid..very trendy

 

[aceys_h0ney]

My husband took me to several SA's in Michigan. I found them to have awesome deals. Stuff like 5 certain color taged items for $5. I got tons of jeans for my girls. Now my SA store here in VA, we just have one near me sucks. High prices on absolute junk. My Goodwills are hit and miss. One of them takes in all the nicest stuff from all the stores to a special boutique they have upstairs. They charge more but I have still gotten good deals there. I got a Disney store Sebastian costume for $6 that my kids never wore but I sold it on Ebay for almost $70. Goodwill has been a life saver for my step-son's pants for school. He has to wear kahki pants and has ruined more pairs then I can count. I spent over $100 buying the first round of school clothes only to have them destroyed in weeks. I have gotten tons of pants for him at Goodwill for $3.50. He just moved in permanantly a year ago and I underestimated how much a 13 year old boy could destroy. I've also gotten him several pair of play shoes. His first shoes we bought him cost $60 and he ruined them in 2 week. I am not kidding! So now we buy good looking play shoes for him at Goodwill and the expensive shoes are worn to school only. I think if not for Goodwill I would be taking out a mortgage on my house to pay for his clothes.

 

[timiti1102]

All ideas are very useful

 

[petlvr1064]

I work at Goodwill of the heartland which is the goodwill region the covers iowa and Illinios are store is a preety good size store and pretty busy store. are shirts are 3.38 drsses are 5.38. jeans are 4.38. shoues are 4.38. vhs tapes are .88. dvds are 4.38 and every tuesday is queterday where a certin color tag is a qurter and are store is far from a dump so i hate that good will stero type.

 

[delmar411]

the goodwills around here are pretty inexpensive. I got DD a brand new w/ tags on them pair of limited too jeans for $2, a Gap sweatshirt for $2, a Gymboree skirt for .99, etc. They don't consider Gap or Gymbo to be boutique brands so they are marked at the same price as all the regular clothes. Carter's however is a boutique brand and marked higher! LOL

I only buy whatever color tag is marked 50% for the week.

 

[SandrA9810]

Hit or miss around here, but I walked into a Goodwill store once and was disgusted by it. So I only shop at SA. I usually only go in with the intent to purchase something specific, and look for it on sale.

I did manage to find a book shelf that seems to be hand made. There's no markings on it to say otherwise. For 75$ for a wooden bookcase was the best purchase ever. Kari collects gaming magazines and strategy guides, and this actually holds them all with no problem at all. And there's a brace in the center of each shelf so no sagging. I don't think there would be anything store bought that would hold up as well for the price.

 

[Mickey527]

I went to the local GW the other day looking for some junk to put on the top of my cabinets because they are so bare looking. they had some bisqueware (fired unpainted ceramics) but they had prices from $20 to $50 for stuff I would have to paint and spray with clearcoat. I could buy the exact stuff I want for less than 1/2 that price.
I saw stuff that had been donated from Target. One thing had a clearance price of $2.98 and GW had a $5 price sticker on it. Most of the other stuff was 41-42 more than the clearance price.
Clothing was also way overpriced. A pair of worn, wrinkled white shorts was $20. I found a nicer pair at Kohls last week for 414.98 and had 15% off.

 

[mikki'smom]

My daughter (who teaches school) sent me on the hunt for glass plates so that she could "gift" fellow teachers with an end-of-the-year goodies plate...so...I went into the local SA store to see what they had...I agree their prices were ridiculous....they wanted $1 per plate...when I got to the car I told my husband that I think I just reached an all-time low (you see, I am an outstanding bargain hunter even if I do say so myself)...what do you mean, he asked...I have just "chewed down" ( this is what we call it because we find the common term to be somewhat offensive even if we are Baptists) the Salvation Army...I told the lady I would give her $5 for the nine plates and not a penny more...she took it...then we really got to laughing when I mentioned that I had never seen her working in there before and I sure did hope she was an employee....