The Salvation Army

I have been putting off posting this review for a long time but I’m sick of seeing it in my drafts so I’m posting AS IS. It’s long, hard to read, & a bit scattered — so you’ve been warned. The simple & central fact is that BOTH Salvation Army & another unnamed thrift store are overpricing items more & more often now in direct opposition to their company origins of community values & fair & affordable pricing.
Based on my visits to locations by Keele/​Finch & downtown, the overall pricing system is in need of a serious review. However, the company appears to condone overcharging their customers w/​no basis at all. They are quick to toot their own horn about how they do so much for the community but then turn around & overcharge customers whom, more often than not, live under the poverty line or are struggling as «working poor». It’s disgusting & deplorable. Shame on store manager Tiss & District Manager, Maria Guayacan, for disregarding the welfare of their clientele & sweeping inquiries like mine under the rug to save face. Tiss went through the following great lengths to assure me that I would receive a prompt, professional & clear response to my question RE: pricing strategy:
1) Guarantee a call back by the end of the week from the D.M. herself
2) Agree that the prices of the items didn’t logically reflect their condition/​make
3) Prevent me from purchasing the items or taking photos
4) Offer to place the items on hold for the District Manager to review the pricing on her own, suggesting this was a better option & to save my money since I’m a student (wow, so sweet of her)
5) pass me a $ 10 coupon
Never heard back from anyone. You’ve lost a customer for sure. What’s more is that this sort of deceitful business practice needs to be addressed more by Canadian investigative journalists, e.g. CBC Marketplace. Looks like I’ll be using that tip line after all. «Got a gripe? Getting the run-​around? Fighting the good fight? Tell us about it! You can get in touch with us a few different ways: Email:
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News outlets should publish more stories about businesses that purposefully exploit poor communities, e.g. our Black Creek & University Heights districts have «one of the highest proportions of youth, sole-​supported families, refugees & immigrants, low-​income earners & public housing tenants of any community in Toronto». I’d be unaware of this sad phenomenon had I not come across articles during my teenage years regarding the high rate of payday loan businesses (e.g. Cash Money, Easy Home) in low-​income neighborhoods & the predatory nature of their services targeting vulnerable individuals. I’d like to see more press hold to account so called charities like S.A. & one other greedy thrift store in particular that hides under false pretenses & the misrepresentation that they that care 4 anything besides $$
05/​13/​2015 Tip posted: unexplained high prices & unclear pricing strategy. waiting to hear back from district manager before posting my review. if you don’t mind higher prices then you should be pleasantly surprised at the variety & selection of clothes, jewelry, accessories & kitchenware. Staff not helpful but the cashier/​manager on duty, Tiss, was still very friendly & sweet.
05/​28/​2015 Review drafted: Relative to Value Village, S.A. is a registered charity & does more to support community programs so I really WANT to support the org. But it is a fact that low-​income families & individuals represent their average customer so why do they jack up the prices on used low-​end items? I’m sure many of us would appreciate a full rational explanation, one thats supported by company mission & values. Never got any response only a $ 10 coupon & promise of a call back from District Manager or store manager by end of week (more than 72 hours later)
06/​13/​2015 Draft edit: Unacceptable high prices & zero concern for customer service & transparency. I’ve waited 2 weeks for a call back from district manager & still have not been contacted by anyone, not even Tiss, the cashier/​general manager who promised to get an official answer to my question «What is the pricing strategy?»
It certainly doesn’t promote fair & appropriate pricing when the cashier thinks up a price on a whim for a separate untagged item right before me — especially after admitting she has no set criteria for backing such judgment. It became clear that something was fishy about the pricing when I spotted $ 14.99 tagged on a cheap-​fabric summer shirt w/​spaghetti-​straps. «Absurdly high,» I think to myself, only to be distracted by a lovely «Mango» cream blouse w/​long sleeves & a high neck cut detailed w/​a zipper on the side & thick smooth fabric clearly more expensive than the semi-​polyester stretchy shirt opposite to it. This Mango shirt was priced at $ 6.99. I have a hard time understanding any rational reason for why the shirt that looks like cheap flea market quality is more expensive than the high-​end Mango blouse in perfect condition.