Salvation Army

This Salvation Army location has one of the best inventories in the north side of Chicago. However, I didn’t find a turntable here, yet I still like this location the best out of all the ones I’ve visited so far.
Because of the demographics in the neighborhood, this store has a massive selections on women’s pashminas and scarves. I randomly found a «Polska» scarf in a great condition. It was $ 4.09 after tax. I would say it was partial-​mission accomplished.
The cashier was friendly and greeting each customer coming into the store. For the week of 02/​28/​2015, the blue-​tag items are 25% off; the green-​tag items are 50% off (75% after 6pm); all green-​tag items on Saturday will be 69 cents.
The only complaint is that the aisles in this location are ultra-​narrow. The shopping cart can barely «fit» in the aisle. There’s no way to «park» the cart at the end of each aisle because there’s just no room anywhere, except the there’s more space at the furniture «showroom» area.
It’s not the most convenient location when using public transportation. The nearest CTA train station is Loyola Red Line station. Nevertheless, it’s not within walking distance at all. I took the CTA 155 (Devon) west-​bound bus and got off at Devon/​Leavitt.

As far as men’s clothes, i find them a little overpriced compared to the other thrift stores in Chicago.
I tried to purchase a suitcase on one occasion that had a price sticker but they wouldn’t sell it to me because it had a staple in it where they claimed was the original price tag then implied I removed it and somehow put my own price sticker on it.
On a separate incidence they overcharged my friend (rung up an item twice) then refused to give a refund because «they don’t give refunds» and made her take a store credit, even though it was their mistake.
I find the staff to be rude sometimes.
The store has been messy the times I’ve been. Probably wont be returning.

What a dump! This store is always a mess… rude staff… way over priced… save yourself the aggravation and go to Unique Thrift… they size their product and are priced accordingly (and ½ off everything every Monday!)

I thrift at least once a week. This store’s prices are INSANE, as a lot of the Salvation Armys in the city. It’s not the taxes. The items are donated and Village has prices that are ¹⁄₃ of this store.
They have a no sell policy for items without a tag, even if you talk to the manager. I get why stores do that, but they won’t work with you at all. I found a leather jacket I wanted but it had no tag. They told me to come back Monday. They put it back out, and priced it at $ 80 and were going to put it on display up front. $ 80! When I found it it was buried in the coats. $ 80 is retail for a used leather jacket.
The housewares are usually priced OK but the clothing is outrageous.
In summary, they are rude, they overcharge, the store is a cluster, and it smells like crap in there. Save your time and money.

Had a sectional couch I wanted to donate and the attendant refused. Stated it had hair in it, problem was the «hair» was dust around the feet of the couch. On top of that they don’t accept cribs or mattresses. They should place a printed list of things they DO accept, it would be a short list. Attendant that refused everything was extremely rude about it as if I were being a burden. I will never donate nor return here again.

I was very disappointed yesterday when making a donation to Salvation Army on Devon. I brought in an antique table, apart but clearly marked as to how the legs could be reattached and the attendant was not interested one bit in taking it as he said he would have no idea how to put it back together. Each leg was marked with tape that said where it fit — E1 for example went to E1 on the table. No it was just one piece too many for him. Perhaps if these young men were taught some gumption and get up and go, he’d have gladly taken the table and put it back together. It was a drop leaf table that seats 6. I had a new futon which he immediately said «Can’t take that it’s a baby bed» but once I explained that it was a like new futon and hardly used, he agreed to take it. Would not give me a hand getting it out of my car though as he was «not allowed to get in anyone’s car». I carefully explained that he need only take hold of the frame as it sat on my bumper so I could lift it out (this one was very heavy metal), he helped but not without griping. Handed him a chair seat without the base (it was still in the car) and he said «Nope baby chair cannot take it!». I once again explained it was a small office chair for a desk and nearly new so he took it but again not without grumbling. Then the biggie — we had an older tv that was not a flat screen but works perfectly. Salvation Army will not take them — they will only take flat screens! I was stunned. If they plugged it in, they’d see it worked and wouldn’t someone want a tv for $ 10 or $ 20 if they did not have one at all??? In retrospect I wish we’d have taken every item to the Goodwill donation station we found up north. The gentleman there was gracious, courteous, thankful, and helped us get everything out of the car. Never again will I donate to Salvation Army. Too much trouble and grumbling!

While the lack of fitting rooms is something of a bummer, this is a great shop. The staff is friendly and everything is quite clean. Though it is on the smaller side and the furniture selection isn’t great, I went in for clothes for job interviews – and boy did they deliver. High quality clothes, well organized, great prices. Check it out!

Found 2 Ziggy figures which would be high on E bay. The one had a price of $ 1.99. The other had no price.
She rang up the one, then looked at the other and said no price, no sale. Hey! It is the same as the other… different pose. So she rang it up also.
Now figure this out. Both cost me $ 1.07.
Woo hoo! I struck gold!

oh come on people wake up. … this is a used store people give them stuff for free and they have the nerve to charge what they do. you do know none of the money goes to the poor but into their pockets. we live in chicago but if you are a smart buyer like me you would go outside the city for this stuff i have been to some even out of state were the money does still go to whos name is on the building. and they have half the price. yes i do know they pay higher tax here in the city and i am talking building tax. but that is no way to treat people who come their looking for a good buy. and most of the time they put wholes in the clothes with the price tag. what they need to do is spend a little money and bag the cloths in clear bags on hangers and let people take them out but put them back now i know you might say thats a lot of work but people also need jobs and they dont hire enough. and when they do its family. comeon you spend the money there they think of you not as someone who wants to shop there but someone who is just handing them their hard worked for cash. this place if a city inspector went in would close the store. its such a mess and so cluttered. needs lots of help.

This is the best Salvation Army I’ve been to so far in Chicago. It is well lit and there is space between the aisles of clothing. Plenty of parking and kind employees. I found a Northwestern winter Starter jacket, London Fog wind breaker, a funky print tube top, wool J. Crew cardigan, and a couple of H&M and Forever 21 shirts. Each single item of clothing was under $ 10. This location is far from my house but so worth it.

filthy yet tidy, malodorous, flickering fluorescent lights, high prices. very picked over. not worth the time.

I was in need of a good sized bowl so I finally stopped in and checked this place out to see if I could save a few dollars. I found what I was looking for and felt very lucky that I did. The reason I say that is because this store is almost entirely clothing. If you’re looking for some second hand clothes then this may be the place for you. If you are looking for anything other than clothing stop in and check it out, but don’t get your hopes up too high. The few prices I checked seemed to be a fair amount higher than I felt was reasonable, but they’re managing to stay in business so maybe their prices are ok by Chicago thrift store standards.

Don’t trust the dimensions on items for sale in this store.
I bought 3 bedding items described as follows on their tags:
1) Sheet, tag says «K, 90×136» — actual dimensions 82×104.
2) Sheet, tag says «King, 90×100» — actual dimensions 82×98.
3) Blanket, tag says «K, 100×206» — actual dimensions 90 by 106.
I believe items 1 and 2 are actually queen-​sized, not king. I think something has to be at least 90 wide to be considered king.
The store receipt says, «No refunds or exchanges,» so I didn’t try taking them back. But I had spent $ 25 on them, and I finally decided to talk to the store manager, at least to let her know that her staff don’t know how to use a tape measure.
I asked to speak to the manager, and I don’t know if the woman I spoke to was the manager or not. She said I could’ve had a store credit if I’d come back within 3 days. She pointed to a sign that I hadn’t noticed, hanging from the ceiling above the registers, that spells out very complicated terms for getting store credit. Maybe that’s why they don’t mention anything about store credit on the store receipt.
The experience has been humiliating, and it will probably hurt too much to go back. I’ve shopped happily in this store for 4 years and have donated hundreds of dollars worth of items from my late mother’s estate.

There are always neat stuff that I find here.
I found a lot of the old classic Disney movies, and I have found stuff that I have needed all from a TV to shelves and a dual DVD/​VHS player. Everything is so cheap and the store is clean and the people are friendly!!! :)

So I had heard some pretty great reviews from friends about this location so I was pretty pumped when I finally got to check it out for myself. Kind of a let down.
It was really dull. Now I mostly shop for infant and toddler clothes and the selection was organized but small. Too many t-​shirts for specific schools and day camps. Out dated and worn out items. I ended up finding a few good items but not enough to make it worth the trek.
The prices are low and it was not at all crowded. The aisles are wide. Whatever. Still don’t like it.

I visited here again over the weekend in search of a last minute Halloween costume. When a customer got a little rambunctious, I started bonding with Spanish speaking workers in an attempt to strategize in helping them calm down the angry customer. I also liked that before I even had to intervene, I asked about a mark down and they gave it to me. Now, that’s some good customer service! In the thrift word, things can sometimes be a little «pricey» from time to time… meaning $ 20 for a used blouse circa the 80s is too much; they gave it to me for $ 10…hooray! I liked that they worked with me. This may sound incredibly cheap of me, but let’s face it: these are used clothes in a thrift store. Things shouldn’t be more than $ 10 or so, maybe more if it’s a really nice coat or a formal dress. I like that they were able to make a sale *and* make me happy versus losing a sale and me walking out. It was a win-​win for both of us! It’s a nice store. I’ve found some good stuff here!

This is now my go-​to thrift store since I’m so close to it. Today I discovered something that may be useful. I don’t know if the policy has changed, but I have noticed that two separate times, I was able to buy something that did not have a price tag on it. Here is how I did it: I feigned ignorance. Not saying a word, I put a really cool light jacket that I really wanted on the counter with all the other stuff. I had lamented to myself that it didn’t have a price tag and that I’d probably have to come back for it on Monday, as they are closed Sunday and it was Saturday.
To my surprise, it was rung up with the rest of the stuff. I didn’t know what she charged for it, and I really didn’t care. It turned out she charged less than $ 3 for a jacket that would have easily cost $ 50 or more at Old Navy. In fact, I’ve seen a very similar one at the Gap store for $ 80. I had been lusting after that one for 2 years. And I like this one better!
This happened again, today with another item. Maybe pointing it out makes it impossible for the cashier to choose a price and just ring it up. All I know is, I’m gonna see what happens in the future and update as time goes on.

Ok, sometimes you just know it is time. Even if you just LOVED those gap jeans complete with button fly and legs perfect for rolling. And the AWESOME, INCREDIBLE sweaters that zipped down the neck, and skirts, who can get rid of their old favorite clubbing skirts?
But the time comes. The clock ticks for us all. Especially when your home is filling. When you have all of bedroom closets filled, including both in the master– with clothes you have not touched in a couple of years. And face it– clothes that even if you shoehorned yourself into (jeans from HS) — you could not be paid enough to be seen in public. But– ya know– some emo hipster would find these and be in HEAVEN!
OK– I am exaggerating on some of the clothes. But I did actually need to clean out my closet. I cleaned out 25 pairs of pants, a variety of suit coats, skirts, shirts, etc. Tons of sweaters. Most of these are entirely appropriate for today’s work environment.
I got a peek at this store when I dropped the load. WOW! If you are into thrifting– you are all set here!
As far as donations go– this store is a breeze. The guys in the back are more than willing to help you unload. Friendly, helpful, I have a new go to!

Okay, so I’m sure you’re sick of hearing about this store from me by now, but I’m just going to add:
–two pairs of perfect Seven for All Mankind jeans $ 6 each
–grey Yak Pak bag with little birds on it (something I’ve wanted for ages) $ 3
–fuchsia LA made tank top $ 2
This time I also saw Citizens of Humanity jeans, FCUK jeans, Diesel jeans, Free People jeans, more Hudson jeans, an adorable Splendid dress (really should have bought this), and an American Apparel t-​shirt for $ 1! Just. Wow.

Applause!
Ever since I moved to Chicago I’ve been hard pressed to find a decent thrift store. I moved from Arizona where there was a Savers on every block. Every thrift store I’ve been to so far either has an awful selection, is overpriced, or both. This store is neither.
Pros: I was VERY excited to see that they have more than just the typical «Every item here was made in the 80s and it is readily apparent why it was donated» selection. If you’re into Indian styles they have beautiful two-​piece sets on sale for very cheap– one had a price tag for $ 105.00 on it and the thrift store price was $ 8. Most items seem to be around $ 3 and there are a ton of vintage dresses. I bought three skirts, a beautiful Gunne-​Sax-​style dress and a vintage dress for $ 13. They accept Visa and Mastercard, and the store seemed pretty mellow and empty, considering it was a Saturday.
Cons: It’s pretty far north of where I am, but I went to the neighborhood looking for something else, so I didn’t mind the bus ride. Take the Clark bus instead of the Broadway bus because the two or so miles of bus ride before you get to Foster are pretty sketchy on Broadway. Another con: they don’t have dressing rooms, and also have a no-​return policy, I believe, which would suck if I bought something I wasn’t sure about. Yes, things are stained, the place is crowded, but it’s no worse than any other thrift store I’ve been to.
Definitely one of the best in town that I’ve found.