Family Thrift Center

Living on a Budget Remix — Bön Jovi
She says, we’ve got to hold on to what we’ve got
It doesn’t make a difference if we like it or not
We’ve got twenty bucks and that’s a lot for clothes
We’ll give it a shot
Woah, we’re half the prices
Woah, livin’ on a budget
Take my deals, we’ll make it I swear
Woah, livin’ on a budget

Pricey, Dirty, Cluttered, Need I say more… The parking is bad… Just walking in and seeing clothes all over the floor. Some clothe evens look like they should have been thrown away.

FACT: My first time shopping in this place, I’m looking at a men’s rain coat that I liked and I dig inside one of the pockets only to cut my left index finger with a razor blade inside!
Please be careful when you go here or any other thrift store! I did bleed a lot! I informed the front about this incident and the guy, whose attention was on my female friend I went to the thrift store, only gave me one band-​aid when I asked for help and an alcohol pad but that did nothing because I was dropping blood!
BE CAREFUL!

This is my favorite thrift store in Austin. I have never come out of here empty-​handed. Some items are over priced for what they are, but you can still find some good prices. The dressing rooms get a little messy, but honestly who cares about that? Do you really expect a thrift store to be clean and spotless? In order to find good things, you need to have patience and not be hesitant to dig through every rack because that is how you find treasures. Hands down one of the best thrift stores in Austin. I have found amazing jackets, sweaters, shirts, skirts, and more.

I have been several times to shop, and have had so many LOUSY experiences!!! Thought I would give them another chance yesterday, and when I brought my clothes to the counter to pay, the checker was so busy talking to his co-​worker, and wiping the ceiling of cobwebs that he totally ignored the person (me) that was bringing in the bucks to pay for his reason for having a job. I left my items on the counter and went to SAVERS, where they are responsive and friendly.
I will not spend my time or $ at this place.

I have been coming here for years. My job requires that I dress fashionably professional but my clothes get worn out/​snagged quickly in my line of work so they have to be replaced rather quickly. Years ago they didnt know one brand from another and the prices were amazing! I could get great designer labels for the same price as the cheap stuff. Although they finally caught on, I am still able to find great deals. Yes, it is a chore, yes the place is dusty. Yes the staff is not customer service oriented, but I’m not there to get pampered or waited on or tended to. I am a stylist and i attend to all your needs when you are in the salon I work for. I even help you in and out of the clothes and put everything away when you are done, straight commission but i average $ 20/​hr. My God, I’m paying $ 7.57 for a beautiful black Calvin Klein dress with a jacket at the family thrift store. My customers average $ 1200 when they walk out. Im sure that the pay is minimal and they have a massive amount of items to get out. The priority seems to be to get this stuff priced and on the floor as quickly as possible. I suspect the pay is minimal with no benefits. With that being said this place is not for whiners wimps pansies and crybabies so if you are one of these take your money elsewhere. Go pay for your service with a smile and a pat on your behind. Or suck it up dive in wait on yourself and save some $$$. Today we walked out with 8 outfits for the grandkids, a few items for me and the hubby, yankee candles, assorted household items for $ 130. Some items still had tags from the dept stores they came from, totaling more than what we spent! And with my receipt I can come back on Sunday and save 50% off my total purchase for that day. The guy that checked us out smiled today and actually engaged in conversation. That was a bonus. Smile or not, I leave quite satisfied and will always be back.

This is the kind of thrift store that gives thrift stores a bad name. If all thrift stores were like this one, Macklemore wouldn’t have come up with a cheesy song about them. He’d have come up with a song about how much he hated thrift stores instead.
Even with the low expectations one should naturally have of thrift stores, this place is just awful. Incredibly messy, bad-​smelling, and very badly organized. The clothing racks are usually crammed full, with more clothes piled on top of them with no semblance of organization. And yes, as others have mentioned, they insist on stapling price tags to clothing and writing prices on everything else in cheap red pencil that takes forever to remove. What’s the point of buying something if their cheap and lazy method of pricing ruins those things half the time?
Finding anything here at all takes incredible patience, and leaves you with the urge to bathe yourself in hand sanitizer afterwards. It’s also often very crowded here, and the shoppers and workers alike are annoying as hell.
I’ve managed (through incredible stubbornness) to find one or two good things here, but it’s hardly worth the effort. There are way too many decent thrift stores in town to bother with this one.

I went here with average expectation, but with an open mind. But the father I searched, the more this placed turned on me. They don’t care for there products. They wright on there items with marker, they staple tags on clothes (with actual staples). If the item is missing a tag, they won’t let you buy it. The employees are rude, the dressings rooms are filthy, with no attendant, so they are always full of misfit clothes. My first and last time, they have permanently lost a customer.

I went to Family Thrift Center on the recommendation of a friend. Here’s the deal… go when you have time to spare (like an hour plus time). The clothes racks are packed — which is great in my book; makes it especially exciting when you find a gem! :) — so you will need to look through EVERYTHING if you want to find something good. I came on a Tuesday afternoon and there was a handful of people. Not bad, but I definitely wouldn’t want to come at a busier time (i.e. the weekend); I can imagine it would be a sort of bumper cart jam down every aisle nightmare.
The really negative aspect to this thrift shop is the way they price the items. The price tags are STAPLED (gasssp!!) to the clothes, so don’t go ripping ‘em off when you get home or else they will get ruined. Also, the prices are illegible. There were two sets of numbers written in smudged red crayon… I had no clue how much I was going to paying for my two shirts but was pleasantly surprised it was only $ 11. Some might argue that the price is too high but these shirts were fabulous brands: Michael Kors and Express… Each shirt definitely retailed well over $ 50 so ya… I’m good with $ 11.
I enjoyed my experience here and will definitely be back!

The place has a good selection but they need a change in management. I went in and shopped for thirty minutes and all of a sudden they announced they were closed. No warning or anything. I ran to the dressing rooms and a rude employee mumbled that I had to be in line. I wasn’t even sure she was talking to me because she was turned away. I told her I hadn’t tried anything on yet and if I could just try on a few items. She mumbled something else, still turned away from me. I assumed she said no and walked out. Huge waste of thirty minutes. They need to announce at least ten or twenty minutes early that they will be closing soon so that people will hurry but still have time to try stuff on. I left very angry. The line for the register was long and it would have taken me just a few minutes to try on a few shirts. Horrible customer service. The least they can do is speak to me clearly or offer to hold my clothes until morning.

Had a lot of fun at this place today!
Lots of random house/​kitchenware, lots of odd sets — just found a merry Christmas flask with a puzzle. Of course I bought it! Because its ironic! :)
Its not very well organized, but their prices are better than goodwill’s. Parking is terrible! Small parking lot is one way so you have to loop around if you can’t finding parking or miss it the first time.
They also have a savings card, so the more you buy the more you save. Pretty good!

While I haven’t tried searching for clothes here, I love Family Thrift Center for household items. I’ve gotten all manner of super affordable stuff here. Great appliance prices.

I haven’t found any super great finds here, but it’s a solid thrift store. It’s heavily stocked with all kinds of stuff. yeah, it’s grimy and messy and just like any other thrift store, but this place COLOR coordinates things. ORGANIZED BY COLOR?! that’s pretty awesome in my book. Say I’m hunting for some brown khaki shorts for my Russell (from Up) costume, BAM! I don’t have to sift through all the racks because all the brown shorts are in one spot. Time (& money) saver!
Quality’s not guaranteed just like any other thrift shop, but be EXTRA eagle-​eyed at this place. The dim lighting won’t help you. Good luck!

Guys… it’s a thrift store. Like, an old-​school, hella messy, clothes organized by color, [mostly] cheap-​ass priced THRIFT STORE. AND I LOVE IT.
This is the place for the master thrifter. You must be dedicated to the art of the thrift to survive.
In the words of RuPaul, good luck, and don’t f*** it up.

Prices were way too high

I definitely would not recommend Family Thrift Center to the novice thrift shopper.
I will admit that I’ve visited quite a few times in the past and have usually left empty handed. The place requires the patience of a special education teacher, the creativity of an artist, and above all, a good eye for fashion. I will even say that you need to be something of a taste maker, because almost nothing you find here will qualify as «modern.»
And when I say NOT MODERN, I do not mean «vintage» in that charming sort of way. We’re talking lots of polyester and rayon pieces from the mid-​nineties, Mom jeans, 80’s power suits, and Menora (Target) and Wal-​Mart brand t-​shirts and tank tops.
Today was the first day I was able to find a few things. I’m thinking because it was Wednesday afternoon and emptier than usual. Usually, Family Thrift will have you ripping your hair out because they supply shopping carts, not baskets, and you will spend half your time weaving around. There are only 3 dressing rooms so you will inevitably wait in line for a while. All clothing is organized by color, not size, so the best course of action (in my opinion!) is to go through freakin’ everything. Did I mention the air conditioning doesn’t seem to be working?
And yes, nobody is lying about the weird tags. They staple them to the clothing, often ruining them, and the prices are completely illegible. For the most part, it seems everything is about $ 5-​$ 7.
Are you discouraged yet? Don’t be! While I was browsing I saw at least 3 pairs of like-​new Italian leather shoes (all too small for my mega feet). I ended up with a sea foam/​mint collared shirt, NWT 100% cotton blouse, and this amazing red belt with GOLD LIONS on it.
It only look 2 hours, but I survived!!!

Lemme tell you something, Family Thrift Center.
CLEAN up your store! One time I went there, someone had left a poopy diaper stuffed somewhere in the appliance/​electronics area. I wasn’t about to try to figure out where.
ORGANIZE the place! Unless it’s brightly colored and shiny, so it sticks out and catches my attention, I aint diggin for it.
AND ABOVE ALL –this has Always been a pet peeve of mine forever– STOP USING STAPLES AND CHINA MARKERS to price the stuff with, it RUINS the merchandise most of the time!!!
glad to have gotten that off my chest. I have no idea why my mom loves this place.

Don’t waste your time because time is going to be what you will need.
I love thrift stores, the trashier the better but this place is not worth it. Firstly, this place is poorly organized. Beyond the major category definitions (men’s, women’s, household), don’t expect to find much more structure. You have to dig through all the jeans because they haven’t taken the time to sort them or size them. Their idea of organization is by color and that’s it.
You’ll also have to combat screaming, mutant children running around without any parental supervision. You’ll also encounter plenty of serious attitude from some ungrateful cashiers. Pricing is obscure and exorbitant based on what they think is high fashion.
Other than all that… if you’ll willing to work you might find a bargain.

First of all, you can get a bargain, if you know your brands, and have the time to search through racks and racks of clothes. Second of NEVER, EVER go to the restroom here, it is practically a sewer, it is FILTHY! I feel sorry for the workers that have to use it. GROSS!!! (I took one look and decided I could wait!) The floors are filthy, and the workers are very hurried and burdened with all the merchandise they have to stock.
This co. makes a lot of money from all the DONATIONS, and should invest in a cleaning co to maintain this place. The music is deafening also.
This place has some great bargains, if you really look,(some stuff is
ridiculously high), but it is not a pleasant shopping experience. I believe this non-​profit is lining someone’s pockets at the top, and not much is trickled down to the store or workers, as they seem very unhappy.
Some of the customers are sketchy, so watch your purse or wallet. Also, take your hand sanitizer, and make sure and wash your clothing that you buy when you get home. Everything, even new stuff, has an odor. (I add a little Clorox if possible when I wash anything from there.)

Remember where you are — this is Thunderdome, and death is listening, and will take the first man that screams.
But the pants are way cheap.