The Salvation Army

This could be one of the most expensive furniture stores in all of Boulder, whats strange is that its supposed to be a thrift store. I walk in and I can’t believe the price tags on some of the items, apparently this particular location is a boutique and not for those of us that are in need.

This is hands down one of my most favorite lunch break refuges. I never know what I’m going to find, need or want and there are often daily specials and sales (join the email list, or check out the dry erase board at the cash register).
My most recent visit was inspired by a soon to expire Groupon. $ 30, how will I ever spend $ 30? Well let me tell you I went over and by more than just a few cents. I think the half off books (typically $ 1.99 for hardcovers) and affinity for vintage kitchen linens did me in.
The parking lot is a bit small and the business next door is not kidding when they say they will tow persons not parking for their establishment. I find walking to be the best and most convenient way to shop when I’m not making a donation (which I need to get around to).
Drive-​thru drop off (around back of the building) is also quick and convenient. The staff are always happy to help unload and quick to offer you a receipt.
I really really enjoy shopping at this store and who can beat FREE alterations (9 – 10 am Monday, Wednesday and Friday) for purchases at Salvation Army?!
I have this business 4 out of 5 stars as I have often been rung up incorrectly for glassware/​flatware. I do want to note that the cashiers are always helpful and happy to correct the inconsistency between register and posted prices.
Donation or not I will be back very soon.

If you are looking for furniture, musical instruments, kitchen items or women’s clothing, AND willing to separate the wheat from the chaff and shop the 50% sales, you can find a worthwhile purchase or more. I’ve found silk blouses from Ann Taylor, for example. If you want LPs, you’ll find them here as well. They have fewer good books than in the past – instead, they have more grocery-​store-​type novels. Picture frames and some things are too pricy if you’re not there on a sale day.
If you like to redo furniture and have an eye for repurposing plebian objects into objets d’art, you can find raw material here.
You can find unusual clothes and furniture in good condition and clean enough to take home and give a final spruce-​up. They sanitize some upholstered pieces.
Most of the staff are friendly and helpful – it’s rarer to find a cranky person than a cheerful one. They are currently open till 7 pm.
Ancillary benefits, of course, are recycling and helping the Salvation Army help those in need.

I highly suggest going to this place if you’re in need of furniture. When I first moved to Boulder my boyfriend and I needed to furnish our apartment asap and were on a very tight budget. Yea we did the whole craigslist thing, but at the end of the day we ended up getting most of our furniture here. Also, about once a month or so they do a sale where everything on the store is about 50% off. If you can plan your shopping around that then you’re in for a major steal. If you do decide to go during one of those sales, go early, because people come in the morning and clean shop. We ended up getting our dining room table, with a leaf and four chairs for $ 40! and our big comfy chair was only 10! Amazing deals, but like I said that was one of the extra special days and we were the first ones there so we got top pick. In general their items are heavily discounted and you can find some really nice stuff if you’re lucky.
The clothes selection is ok. Like I said I think this location is a must see if you’re looking for furniture or home goods. My personal opinion is that’s where their strength lies.

As a thrift store junkie I enjoy going into Salvation Army Stores different cities in the US when I travel. My hometown Boulder one is by far THE BEST for cleanliness, orderliness, friendliness and pricing and selection.

Yes, it is grungy and carpet was most definitely a bad choice of flooring, but if you’re willing to overlook that you may discover some hidden gems. Today they were having a 50% off sale, so I figured it would be picked through. Not so. I picked up 3 skirts, an Italian merino wool sweater, a western style shirt, an unopened PBS Frontline documentary DVD, and a mini-​Weber BBQ for [insert drum roll] $ 15. Pretty good score.

Something different about this place since the last time…
Today it seems empty, I think they rearranged some of the shelving.
The furniture is usually decent, but I don’t need furniture.
Most of the time, I find something in clothing I like, then put it back because it’s priced at 2 or 3x what it would be at another thrift store.
My husband seems to find good electronics here. This time it was some pricey stereo speakers for $ 30. They were big. He likes antiques.

Good turnover of men’s clothes. A recent remodeling has made it a bit less fun (less clutter = less to browse through). Music CDs seem to have new additions about every 6 weeks or so, which is pretty good. Prices on tags may seem a bit high, but you have to understand that they have many, many sales which reduce the prices (usually by 50%) so you’ll rarely be paying the price on the tag. All in all, probably Boulder’s best used store, so if you can ignore the organization’s superstitions (they refuses to sell used Harry Potter books «because they’re from the devil!») they’re a fine place. Oh, and be careful driving up the driveway — it scrapes the mufflers of most cars if you aren’t really careful.
Update: Since the remodeling, and some changes in staff, this Salvation Army hasn’t received any music CDs. Which means either no one is donating CDs, or maybe someone is intercepting them to sell them on ebay or something. Who knows. But since the end of December, no CDs. Still great for men’s clothes though!

After moving to Boulder, the SO and I were in need of some furniture. Being broke … I mean, eco-​conscious … we always hit up thrift stores first. Finding used furniture in Boulder for reasonable prices turned out to be a bit of a challenge, but the Salvation Army made up for the lack of furniture at the other places. We got a couch for $ 80, a kickass wooden coffee table for $ 20, a couple bookshelves for $ 30 each, and a tiny little table for my record player for $ 10. Cheaper than Ikea and you don’t have to put it all together … gods I hate that.
They wheeled it all out to the parking lot with a dolly, and helped us load it into our moving van, too.

So, after dragging my wife here against her will, I think this deserves to be said: this store has a lot more for men than women. Don’t ask me why, but it is true. The last time I went I found a Brooks Brothers dress shirt for $ 4.45, and yet, my wife hates the place because she can’t find anything fit to wear in public. If you look at the reviews you can see a small example of this, guys like, ladies don’t. So, hopefully this helps, still a great bargain basement for the patient men out there.

What kind of black-​hearted human being gives two stars to a Salvation Army?
This one, apparently.
I don’t want to be gratuitously mean, and I don’t think I AM doing that. This place is simply not a fun place to shop at, and I’m not about to sugarcoat or lie about it.
I got a great Lazy Boy couch here for something in the neighborhood of $ 100, which was a great deal, I thought. Had cat hair on it and the left mechanism was a bit sticky, but hey, $ 100, right?
But could they unshrinkwrap the couch so we could test the mechanisms? No. Could we do it ourselves? Yeah. Did they have any scissors we could borrow in order to do this? ‘Sighhh… they SUPPOSE so.’ Could they hold it for me until I located a friend with a pickup (a few hours at most)? No. Could they help us carry it out to the back lot? No. Did they have a cart or something we could load it on? No!
And not only ‘No’, but rude ‘No’s’ at all turns. The lady looked positively put out by the fact that we dared to be in her store, buying furniture.
We handled it, we got the couch out, and no thanks to anyone who worked there.
They frequently don’t know how much anything is (since tags are always falling off), the fitting room door is about lower chest-​height on me, and you have to dig through mountains of stained, broken stuff before finding anything remotely buyable.
No thanks. And let me clarify! I am a thrift-​store nerd. Practically everything I own is used. And still… no thanks.

Don’t go to the Salvo.
The deals are all mine!
Ok, my own personal greed aside, this place is awesome. I’ve shopped salvo and goodwill in several states, and this is seriously one of the best I’ve seen. The quality of goods that people donate in Boulder is superb. The furniture is frequently the quality woodwork that you just don’t find at good prices any more. The clothes are generally in excellent shape, but if you’re handy with a sewing machine or at least a patch kit, you don’t need to shop anywhere else. Seriously. Well, ok, you’ll still need socks and unders. :)
They have a collectibles cabinet where you can find high quality gear like microscopes and SLR cameras. They have collectibles. Video games, televisions, computers, typewriters, humidifiers (a Boulder Essential!) and more. You can get cookware, dinnerware, and furniture of all sorts. Just name it.
The people there are EXTREMELY polite, helpful, and just nice. You may even make a friend.
In response to Alexandra’s post, regarding prices… well, I’ll refrain from comment on that post. But I will offer my rebuttal.
Listen, the salvation army is a Charitable Organization, and they use the store to fund their charity.
In addition to that, they have developed the PERFECT price scheme. They put a slightly elevated price, along with the date, on all their better items. When it goes out on the floor, it’s full price. If someone with money and taste wants it, they buy it. If not, the price slowly drops. Eventually, it will drop enough that even Alexandra could afford it. Sometimes, though, I buy it first. And sometimes, someone with more money than me buys it first.
Take for instance, this gorgeous apothecary cabinet that came through a month or so ago. It was real wood, painted, and at least a couple decades old. Lots of small drawers with glass fronts. It was in BEAUTIFUL shape. It was also around $ 200 bucks.
Now go find something similar in an antique store, and then tell me $ 200 wasn’t a bargain.
Well, I was hoping it would get overlooked until the next 50% off sale. Unfortunately, it didn’t. Because someone realized both its value and worth.
The way they do it, they are able to sell items for what they’re worth, and they manage to sell basically everything in the store. This is awesome for two reasons, and if you shop thrift stores regularly, you know what I’m talking about:
1. The charity doesn’t get ripped off trying to sell things for a small portion of their worth, ends up unprofitable, unable to pay their employees well enough, and eventually looking like a dump.
2. The store doesn’t end up a dumping ground for everybody’s crap, thereby making it impossible to find the 3 good items at the bottom of the pile, looking like a dump, and suffering as a result.
Donate to the Salvation Army.
Shop at the Salvation Army.
If you find something you want, at more than you want to pay, play the odds and come back on their next 50% off sale.
Everybody wins.

Serviceable Salvation Army store, but hard to find. Has usual discounts that change day to day. Lots of t-​shirts from various local colleges, high schools, or bike /​run marathons. Found one of a volleyball tournament, and I don’t even play volleyball well. Ha!
Very hard to find; must turn left off of Arapahoe and it’s on your left.

I am not sure why this Boulder Salvation Army thinks they are so incredible, but they obviously do, because their furniture is always way over the top pricey… I mean for the Salvation Army, am I really going to pay over $ 200 for an armoire? Now I support the whole non-​profit\ thing, but I think really what this SA is doing is taking advantage of the Boulder wealthy crowd… And their little kids too!
I will admit that this Boulder location does has some good finds… I found some great wooden bowls and colored glass bottles… and I will admit it, they have some good furniture finds… I just don’t find the finds to be that financially feasible.
* Star one for being a nonprofit that helps the less fortunate
** Salavting star two is for free Boulder parking
*** Furnished star number three is for nice furniture selections
Star four and five were taken away due to the highly priced items… I want to support I really do!